THE BUSINESS CLASS SEAT GUIDE
They may look different, but beneath the surface there are some common characteristics between business class seats – in fact, they may even be the same design...
It’s a fascinating game to compare and contrast the wide range of business class seats. ere are forward-facing ones, a forward/backward-facing “yin-yang” con guration (hello, British Airways) and various forms of “herringbone” – taking its name from the appearance of the seating when viewed on a plan from above. All are trying to achieve a fully- at bed in the smallest amount of space.
The fully- at bed is deemed essential by travellers who want to sleep on night
ights and maximise productivity so they can hit the ground running at their destination. Direct aisle access is also preferred, to avoid an awkward climb over your neighbour. At the same time, airlines want to strip out as much weight as possible from the design, since every extra kilogram adds to the fuel bill.
Rather than design the seat from scratch, most airlines adapt the o -the-shelf products of the major seat manufacturers – of course,
the exact speci cations change not only from one carrier to another, but from one aircra type to another.
To complicate things, some airlines have di erent types of seats across aircra . Nevertheless, it’s possible to identify the main designs and the carriers you will nd them on. Here we look at the six seats that are commonly used by airlines on their long-haul aircra . For further seating developments see Upfront page 12, and visit businesstraveller.com/tried-and-tested for ight reviews.
SUPER DIAMOND
Owned by Collins Aerospace, the Super Diamond seat has proved successful for airlines around the world, o ering direct aisle access in a herringbone con guration.
The seat features a comfortable 78-inch fully- at bed (on most airlines) with fully customisable positions.
As you’ll have read in Upfront on page 12, this is the seat chosen by British Airways for its new Club Suite, and it has been made “bespoke” by the addition of doors (the rst time the Super Diamond has had doors attached, at least to our knowledge). On the other side of the Atlantic, Canadian carrier Westjet’s version will debut on the airline’s B7879 Dreamliner this month. e cabin, designed by Priestmangoode, has only 16 of the seats laid out in the Super Diamond’s 1-2-1 con guration, with adjustable screens separating the two centre seats. Passengers will also be o ered a turndown service when they wish to sleep – and Westjet had a reputation for being a budget carrier!
FOUND ON: Air China, British Airways, China Airlines, Hainan Airlines, Hong Kong Airlines, Qatar Airways, Westjet.