Innovation after innovation has taken Business Class to the point where it is almost not worth upgrading to First. In the last few years alone we’ve had luxury screens, conference rooms, lie-flat double beds and private cabins.
But Airbus just put all those developments to shame with at this week’s Aircraft Interiors Exposition in Hamburg, showcasing a special new seat for Airbus’ ‘Goldilocks’ A321LR jets.
As these single-aisle jets ‘sweet-spot’ size gives them one of the widest range of flight capacities in the market, they are used by everyone from middle-distance hoppers like Norweigan Airlines and Jetstar to long haul trans-Atlantic carriers like Air Transat.
Long story short: no matter where you live, once it’s implemented, you should have the chance to experience this ‘special’ seat for yourself.
But what’s so special about it?
Well, it’s not really a seat: it’s a full blown couch called The Settee Corner, which twists conventional Business Class wisdom, allowing the passenger to recline, not the seat.
Developed with Geven, an Italian airline supplier, the sofa-style seat is designed to make business travellers feel more at home on Airbus’ A321LR jets.
Fortunately, the seat component of the settee is only intended to be used during take-off and landing; for the rest of the flight, you’re free to get your sprawl on.
To that end: a padded section at the front of the couch flips up to give you more space to get comfortable, and the corner nook opens to reveal a storage bin.
Airbus also showcased some extra-large overhead luggage bins (which offer 40% more space for carry-on bags) at the expo, which will first be flown on their A321 neo-jets.