The Aircraft Cabin Interiors Expo has displayed the innovative idea of double-seated economy airplane seats. Alejandro Núñez Vicente 23, inventor of the Chaise Lounge Economy Seat. Mentioned their nearing achievement of securing an airline partner as many global carriers have expressed interest.
Núñez Vicente has confirmed that the Lounge seats are presently designed exclusively for widebody planes. They accommodate these seats by removing the center overhead bins, resulting in a slight reduction in-cabin storage space. However, he believes passengers might like to trade off some storage for more legroom. The standard configuration of the seats along the sides of the plane and the overhead bins in those areas would remain.
Unveiling the Innovative Design
Even though these seats are presently designed for longer-haul flights. There is a potential to design a similar product for single-aisle planes in the future. Namely the Airbus A320 or Boeing 737. There are slight variations between the upper and lower seats.
The downstairs seats have a footrest that extends under the upper seats and has sufficient legroom. There’s a lot of storage space and at eye level upper-level partition feels a bit close. Núñez Vicente describes that these seats are still samples and will be modified later.
Passengers can utilize the extra space and enhanced recline of the Chaise Lounge Economy Seat for sleeping, particularly on overnight flights. The inventor reveals that his company’s short-term goal is to make the double-decker seats comparable in weight to two rows of standard economy class seats plus the overhead bin. However, he expects that progress in materials and design could give a better outcome of even lighter weights, making the double-stack invention more fuel-efficient.
Even though Núñez Vicente’s company has not obtained any airline buyers yet. Users continue to show interest, and there may be further announcements after the Expo. Once we secure an airline partner, it will still take a short time before the seats become operational on flights.
