Innovating in Coach

Posted by: Justin Bachman on April 24

Here’s one idea that may make you smack your forehead and wonder “Why didn’t they think of this sooner?” Thompson Solutions, an aviation products firm based in Northern Ireland, is touting a new three-abreast seating design that staggers the chairs, allowing for more pitch and a more personalized seat.

This concept jettisons the idea, now more than a half-century old, of arranging airline seats right beside each other. The design should also allow airlines to pack more seats on certain aircraft without sacrificing legroom, according to Thompson.

The movement toward new furniture placement has taken hold at the front of the plane, where high-paying folks acquire more real estate in the fare (including those much-publicized full-size beds on Singapore’s A380s) but coach class has seemingly been immune from much innovation. The Dallas Morning News, which wrote about this design today, says Delta is interested in the seat for future 767s and 777s. Let’s hope more airlines consider the approach.