Transportation

Windowless plane lets you fly with your head in the clouds

Ben Popken
WATCH LIVE
In this concept, the Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) lines the cabin with curved high-definition screens. Cameras mounted on the aircraft's exterior then pipe in video that make it look like the walls are see-through.
Source: CPI

In this plane, everyone has a window seat. And yet there are no windows.

Instead, this concept plane from the Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) lines the cabin with curved high-definition screens. Cameras mounted on the aircraft's exterior then pipe in video that make it look like the walls are see-through.

More from NBC's Today Show:
Flying with kids: Do parents have rights?
Child-free flying? Canadian airline pulls an April Fool's prank
Study: Having children is better for men's careers

Biz jet market soars again
VIDEO2:3002:30
Biz jet market soars again

They're not alone. The CPI plane is one of several manufacturers vying to develop similar aircraft, such as Technicon Design and a windowless supersonic jet from Spike Aerospace. Don't expect to be boarding one on your next flight to Cleveland; makers say the designs are still 10 years away from taking off.

And it's not just an eye-boggling gimmick. By doing away with regular windows, which require reinforcement in the fuselage, the airplane's walls can be made thinner, stronger and more light-weight.

Read More It's a buyer's market for (used) private jets

In transport, any kind of weight reduction can translate to fuel savings and, ultimately, maybe even cheaper ticket prices. Now there's a view worth seeing.