United Airlines will soon be flying ahead of the pack in terms of passenger comfort when its new innovative “Polaris” business class experience launches on 1 December 2016.
How innovative, you ask?
We’re talking much more room, no redundant real-estate, and aisle access for every single passenger on board – yep, even those sitting in the window seats.
Replacing the airlines’ BusinessFirst service on international flights, the new cabin layout will be installed in United’s fleet of B787’s, A350’s and B777’s. They are the first airline in the world to trial these new seats, designed by London design firm Acumen.
In a nut shell, the unique seat configuration makes the best use of space and gives universal access to the aisle for all passengers on board. The seats can be rolled out long and flat too, meaning that passengers will be able to get the shut eye they need on long-haul and red-eye flights.
According to the founder and CEO of Acumen Design Associates, Ian Dryburgh, the idea for the unique seat configuration came whilst on a commuter train from London in the UK, where he scribbled down a cabin layout that would eventually turn into what has been snapped up by United.
And the rest, as they say, is history.
Acumen are certainly not the first, nor the last, design firm to propose ideas in an effort to make air travel way more comfortable.
Last year, Zodiac Seat France unveiled a new seat configuration that would see passengers sitting side-by-side but with the middle seat facing the rear of the plane, so that they would be looking at each other during the whole flight! The french firm called the new configuration ‘Economy Class Cabin Hexagon’.
You could probably call it awkward class too.
And earlier in April this year, an Italian firm unveiled a new type of seat that would make it possible to raise armrests, remove headrests and place an extension at the base of the seat cushion to turn to turn three or four seats into one bed.
The proposed design is called ‘Piuma Sofa’ and is remarkably similar to Air New Zealand’s SkyCouch.
Passengers would still to purchase all three (or four) seats to turn it into a bed though, unless it was a empty flight, in which case: well-played sir!
Source: Acumen