As airlines seek to span the comfort canyon between the luxurious and private business class doored mini-suites and increasingly compact economy class, five abreast premium economy seating is seeing interest. It's important to provide an upgrade from economy but not to cannibalize business class demand.
The Runway Girl Network tested out the 5-a Eclipsebreast Staggered product from HAECO. There are two aisle seats a few inches back from the window and a middle seat on the right hand side of the plane.
It's attractive to get an extra seat in the premium economy. For many international airlines, premium economy provides the highest yield per square foot of floor space. The Eclipse Staggered product has more density than any other product.
An extra passenger can be accommodated in the aisle-side seats. The image is of Havana.
The seat would be offered as a five-abreast option on the A320 as well as an eight-abreast option on the Boeing 787-9.
The product is effective in the A320 five abreast layout. Two RGN journalists, measuring 6'3" and 6'4", sat comfortably in the aisle and middle seats while discussing the five-a-breast prospects with HAECO executives during the aircraft interiors expo.
The control over the amount of space in front of each passenger is that passenger's alone, and the stagger taking one passenger's shoulders out of alignment with their neighbour, are the keys to the comfort.
Privacy and a feeling of control are added to the fixed back solution.
The middle seat question looms large, and the longer the flights are scheduled for, the bigger it looms.
Japan Airlines sells Class J as a full-fare domestic business class. Class J on a domestic Japanese flight has a maximum of a couple of hours in length and a middle seat in premium economy for the majority of the flight.
There is a legrest that raises up for more support. The image is of John Walton.
HAECO has a computer-generated image that does not show overhead bins. The renders show an aisle that is less than half the width of the actual one. The answers have rarely been persuasive, despite the fact that this question has been raised before. Is it possible to shrink one side of the bin? Passengers are at risk of bumping their heads. There is no solution.
It is gratifying to see innovation in the middle of the narrowbody cabin, and HAECO is bullish on the prospects.
Some passengers are willing to pay a bit more to move forward in the aircraft for comfort and social distance, while others are choosing to save money by moving to premium economy. This is a long term trend. Second, we see strong growth in the narrowbody market, and third, there is pressure for weight savings and total cost of ownership to address both high fuel prices and sustainable practices. We have reduced the weight of our products by 20%.
The adoption of HAECOs 2-2 Eclipse product as the regional business class for flydubai is a vote of confidence in the product. The five-abreast version of the company's product will be fascinating to watch.
There is a legrest that raises up for more support. The image is of John Walton.
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The image is attributed to HAECO Cabin Solutions.
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