A new airplane seat has been created to make long flights across the world much more enjoyable.
The seating solution, called the Butterfly, was designed to ensure that airlines can make the best use of their cabin space, which is done by changing cabin structures to fit with real time demand for their flights, according to News.com. The seats would be used in premium economy and business class suites.
Paperclip Designs' James SH Lee, the creator of the Butterfly, said making seating configuration flexible helps airlines deal with unpredictable situations.
"Demand is never constant and predictable- it differs seasonally, across different days of a week, across different markets, across different phases of economy cycle. With a fixed configuration there are bound to be lost opportunities or inefficiencies," he said.
The Butterfly would be arranged in a staggered manner in premium economy so passengers wouldn't bump elbows, and it would provide them with large cocktail trays, seat pockets on the side and an ottoman that can be adjusted to the their liking, News.com reported. This seat will measure as wide as the average business class seat on a 777-sized cabin, which is up to 53 centimeters between armrests.
The business-class version of the seat measures 195.6 centimeters long, and passengers will be able to flip it over to use it as a bed.
Lee said more work needs to be done before the Butterfly can be used on planes, according to News.com. He added, however, that passengers are looking for convertible seats that will make them more comfortable on long flights.
"Academic research on convertible seating used in European short haul flights shows a 3.3 percent increase in revenue, which is hugely significant for the airplane industry which makes a net profit between zero to four percent globally. Butterfly helps to extend this benefit to long haul markets," he said.
Butterfly also won Lee the top prize at this year's IATA (International Air Transport Association) Passenger Innovation Awards, which should put some faith in fliers looking for a seat that will provide a relaxing trip.
