What is the Future of Airline Seating?
Along with the constant evolution and change of aircraft instruments and components that commercial airlines utilize, airlines have begun looking towards the future of passenger seating. Over the years there have been many designs from various manufacturers and airliners for how we can revolutionize seating. From pod seating to outright removing all seats, finding a balance between comfort and profit is the main concern of designs. In this blog, we will take a short look at some of the differing designs that have come out in recent years.
Economy Class Cabin Hexagon: One solution to the balance between increased passengers and comfort is through Zodiac Seats France’s design, which features a honeycomb-like layout in which the middle seat is faced opposite of the outer seats. This design allows for more passenger capacity and increased shoulder room at the expense of privacy. To remedy this, British Airways suggests privacy screens this style of seating.
Pods and Double Deckers: Another popular design choice that has been surfacing is the use of pods or platforms that would stack on top of each other. Contour Aerospace has designed an example of the pod configuration in which seats feature private “cocoons” providing ample room, as well as a 30% increase in aircraft passenger capacity. Double decker platforms have also been proposed in which alternating rows of seats could allow for economy class to have 45 degree bending chairs and business class to have the ability to completely lay down.
Upright Seats: A very different concept that has come from manufacturers, such as Aviointeriors, are seats that are more upright or have passengers almost stand. This opens the possibility for multiple classes of passengers to be seated in a single cabin, greatly increasing capacity. Upright seating often has decreased space between seats and less to no ability to adjust the incline of seating. While the comfort of seating may decrease, manufacturers claim it would reduce the costs of ticketing and increase airline profit.
There are many styles and ideas for the future of seating, and different manufactures have presented what they believe is best. Before designs are implemented, manufacturers must find a balance between profit and comfort of passengers, as well as ensure that the airline seating would prove reliable and safe for passengers.
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