Double Level Airplane Seating?

May 11

Could you handle 16 hours, in double-level airplane seating?

The Chaise Longue seat concept by 26-year-old designer Alejandro Núñez Vicente has sparked intense social media debate in the years since it premiered in 2020, but its makers say the latest version of the design is the “ultimate, final statement.”

The "Chaise Longue" double-level airplane seat is a proposed economy cabin design, featuring a stacked two-tier seating system to increase legroom and capacity. The design removes overhead bins to accommodate a bottom level with extended legroom and an upper level accessed by steps, designed for improved comfort and better sleep.

Airbus is reportedly revisiting the concept of a double-decker seat for passengers in economy cabins. The bizarre design has passengers sitting essentially on top of each other, with aviation fans joking back then that they would not want to be seated in the bottom row, in direct line of a gassy passenger's backside. Still, the idea could offer more legroom and individual space, at a time when both of these are being continually attacked by profit-conscious airlines.

Airbus seems to think there is promise in this idea, which is why they are backing the development of the product, but it remains to be seen when we can expect these to actually grace cabins. Would you fly on an airline that had this type of seat? Who do you see as potential customers?