One way for airlines to reduce costs and maximize profits is to reconfigure seating to pack the largest number of passengers possible into a plane. That's how they got so small and uncomfortable. Alejandro Núñez Vicente has been working on this idea for years, and came up with the Chaise Longue, a configuration that stacks every other row of seats higher so that rows can be closer together while allowing for some legroom and reclining seat backs. His first design met with internet backlash. Vicente went back to the drawing board and took the feedback into consideration.
Several versions later, Vincente has unveiled the “ultimate, final statement” of the Chaise Longue, shown above. It addresses the earlier criticisms, such as no room for carry-on bags, but still has a few problems.
1. The seats aren't totally accessible, so a wheelchair row had to be added to the front of the cabin.
2. While they address comfort, the seats no longer save room in existing economy classes, so a new, more expensive class of economy seating will have to be launched.
3. The design has yet to be approved by the FAA, which requires that passengers be able to exit a plane in 90 seconds.
Read about Vincente's double-stack seat designs and how they've changed, at the Autopian.
(Image credit: Chaise Longue)
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