US aircraft brokerage, appraisals and consulting firm Guardian Jet has added an aircraft cabin comparison tool to both its website and its Vault online aviation asset management portal. The tool provides graphically illustrated floor plans and aircraft cross sections that enable viewers to compare more than 80 aircraft models side by side.

Managing partner Mike Dwyer says: “Guardian Jet is an airplane broker, but we're also in the information business. This new tool will help our clients narrow down their options, based on their needs, and help them research, gather data and conduct due diligence, all in one place. There's no need to visit various aircraft manufacturer sites with disparate data; we're a one stop shop. Even a novice will be able to easily and quickly understand how to manipulate it.”

Users will be able to compare two aircraft makes and models side by side and view the size differences. They can lay one cross section on top of another to gain an even better visual understanding of size differences, and see the cabin sizes in overlay format to gauge and compare an average passenger's height in relation to the cabin roominess. By reviewing a sample floor plan they will understand the exact configuration and how many passengers each aircraft can seat comfortably, and can compare the floor plan layouts to determine the difference in space and configurations. Thus users can determine the number of passengers that can be comfortably boarded.