Futuristic airline seat is not for wimps

NEW airline seat shaped like a cocoon offers a “crash through” approach to jetlag, encouraging gaming instead of sleeping.

Airline seat

IT may be shaped like a cocoon but this seat is anything but cuddly.

While airlines try to outdo themselves offering ever better ways to a long-haul lie down, one manufacturer has decreed enough is enough and that dozing is for wimps.

Instead what they offer is a “crash through” approach to jetlag, with a design that lets passengers game or view their way to their destination.

The NFW (“Not for Wimps”, natch) curved seat separates passengers and keeps them upright to encourage an immersive, interactive experience.

It has a built-in, state of the art entertainment monitor with speakers in the seat’s top edges. It also functions as a “docking station” so passengers can use their own devices onboard.

UK manufacturers Contour Aerospace and Factorydesign unveiled their creation this week at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg, Germany, and say the lightweight design can also save airlines money.

“NFW is designed to appeal to customers who would rather spend their time on long-haul flights locked in a gaming or viewing experience rather than dropping off to sleep,” Factorydesign director Adam White said.

The annual event showcases proposals for future designs – some of them controversial.

At last year’s event the controversial Skyrider seat was unveiled. Curved like a saddle, it forces passengers to sit at an angle.

Last year saw the Skyrider “saddle” seat which forced passengers to sit at an angle with just 58cm of legroom - 18cm less than the current average.

Meanwhile, New Zealand has launched its new “cuddle class” seats, where a row of three seats is converted into a “flat space” to allow couples and families to lie next to each other.

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