A UK company is designing business class seats for smaller long-range jets
14 February, 2022
A London-based design company has revealed details of its business class seats for narrow-body long-haul aircraft as the coronavirus pandemic drives demand towards the smaller, more fuel-efficient aircraft flying across the Atlantic.
Factory Design said the idea for the product was prompted by the possible commercial benefits of long-range single-aisle aircraft.
"There is a strong opinion in the industry that long-haul single-aisle aircraft will be a significant growth area," the company said on its website.
"There is also increasing interest in these aircraft in response to the impact of the pandemic, due to the increased flexibility and route efficiency they can offer. So we believe the single-aisle aircraft market will grow significantly in the coming years." The number of such aircraft in service will exceed 2019 levels during the first half of 2022, according to aviation consultancy Cirium.
"There are hopes and expectations that the aviation industry has much to be positive about as 2022 gets under way, with further progress from the dark days of the pandemic as markets continue to recover," Cirium said.
"However, the setbacks caused by the Omicron variant serve as a reminder that there are no guarantees when dealing with the effects of a deadly virus."
The new seat known as Access, is a lazy-Z, fixed back-lounger with direct aisle access for all passengers. The seat prioritises aisle access over a lie-flat and has a higher cabin density than lie-flat seats, Factory Design said.
"Perhaps for some airlines, a more dense product that still provides direct aisle access will be more appropriate than a space-hungry fully lie-flat seat," it said.
"The premium element of the product being the ability [or choice] to move without disturbing others, rather than a bed, particularly on routes where an aircraft may make up to four trips a day, three of which are daylight flights."
The window seat of the Access product layout has an alternative path for the window seats, exiting to the aisle behind their adjacent passenger.
Alternatively, this space could be closed off to provide additional space for couples.
"The lazy-Z recline offers the next best in comfort from a lie-flat bed and has a privacy screen for enhanced privacy from the aisle which bridges the gap between a standard 2-2 configuration and lie-flat bed products," the company said.
Source: www.thenationalnews.com