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The original BA Club World seat, designed by tangerine in 2000, revolutionised the business class market and has since become an icon for design and innovation. For the first time on a commercial airline seats were arranged in a forward and backward facing configuration. Pairing together an armchair and footstool (both fully adjustable) gave business class customers unprecedented levels of freedom and ultimately a fully flat bed.
Building on the success of the original, tangerine was asked to redesign the British Airways business class sleeper seat. The new sleeper seat was to offer the ultimate flying experience, with more space, greater privacy and increased comfort without reducing seating capacity.
The new business class seat delivers a substantial upgrade in design quality. Using the same unique footprint as the original bed, without reducing seating capacity, the seat is now 25% wider, legroom is increased by 4 inches and the new ?Z bed? position (combination of footstool and seat format) provides the most natural reclined posture during flight. Seat geometry was key to optimising both the daytime proposition as well as the night time experience.
The most important benefit is the increase in the width of the seat from 20 to 25.25 inches (51 to 64cms) without using any additional space on the plane. Tangerine?s unique solution uses drop down armrests that increase the seat width by an exceptional 5.25?.
An innovative electronic privacy screen, using Lumisty Film between two sheets of polycarbonate, separates the seats and provides a more personal space. The screen appears simultaneously translucent to passengers or transparent to cabin crew.
Pressure mapping and sleep trials were conducted on the new materials to finalise the specification, working closely with the cushion and seat manufacturer. The new seat comfort system offers the optimum balance between softness and support and is designed to work as both a seat and a bed. Other innovations include: an adjustable ?disappearing? headrest, a multi functional table, a larger storage box and a 10.4? in-flight entertainment screen.
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