Hamburg, Germany CNN —
Would you sit directly under another airplane passenger?
It might not sound particularly appealing on paper, but 23-year-old aircraft seat designer Alejandro Núñez Vicente believes dual seats are the future of economy flying.
You may have seen a photo of Núñez Vicente’s prototype chaise longue airplane seat on the internet. Following an exclusive broadcast on CNN Travel last year, Núñez Vicente’s concept went viral – sparking heated debate and unleashing a flurry of reactions from potential passengers – some outraged, some confused, some intrigued, others all of the above.
“To be honest, there is no such thing as bad publicity,” Núñez Vicente told CNN Travel today. To prove that sentiment, he’s back at Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX) in Hamburg, Germany – presenting a re-launch of his controversial chaise longue.
“People can talk and always kind of hate innovation,” he says. “Often when you show you something new, everyone hates it at first because they are afraid of change. But the more you show it and the more you develop it and the more they see it, the more they get used to it.”
The Núñez Vicente concept started small – as a college project in 2021. A nomination for the 2021 Crystal Cabin Awards – a top honor in the aviation industry – catapulted the concept into public awareness. Núñez Vicente gave up his master’s degree and put all his time, money and effort into realizing his vision.
Fast forward today: Núñez Vicente has sponsors, partnership deals and is in regular contact with “the biggest players in the industry”. He believes his double-decker airplane seat is the future of economical flying and is working around the clock to make it a reality.
Comfort and cabin capacity
As would-be passengers cringe at the potential for claustrophobia and critics claim the draft was all about getting airlines to fit more seats on the planes, Núñez Vicente insists they misunderstood his intentions.
First, he’s not trying to do away with regular airline seating altogether. Núñez Vicente imagines an airplane cabin with the chaise longue in the middle, flanked by two rows of regular airplane seats. He is aware that the seat would not be suitable or attractive for everyone, although he thinks it may be more comfortable for some passengers.
At 1.88 meters (6 ft 2 in) tall, Núñez Vicente has spent many cramped flights fighting for legroom and not being able to sleep. He says he designed the chaise longue to solve the airplane seating problem — not to make it worse.
Still, the designer admits that the airline chaise longue’s appeal lies in the increased passenger numbers.
“A lot of airlines and a lot of big players in the industry are trying to push us to put more passengers on the planes,” he says. “It’s not our top priority and our main goal, but with this type of design it’s also possible.”
At this year’s Aircraft Interiors Expo, Núñez Vicente’s latest prototype will be tested by a range of high-profile airlines. He says he always welcomes industry feedback, but is also interested in hearing from other potential travelers.
“Often when you show you something new, everyone hates it at first because they are afraid of change. But the more you show it and the more you develop it and the more they see it, the more they get used to it.”
Alejandro Nunez Vicente
When the chaise longue made headlines in 2022, Núñez Vicente says he received several requests from people wanting to travel to his hometown of Madrid, Spain, to test the prototype for themselves.
“We had people come to try it, famous people who saw the article and they said, ‘I want to try it,'” says Núñez Vicente.
Now, thanks to a collaboration with a company called 3DSeatMap VR, Núñez Vicente has launched the chaise longue in the Metaverse to illustrate what the seat would look like on location in a cabin. Virtual users can wander through the design and see it for themselves.
But Núñez Vicente remains open to anyone – famous or not – who wants to experience the chaise longue prototype in person and give an honest opinion on it.
“We try to adapt to every single piece of constructive feedback we get,” he says. “This is how we move forward.”
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On the lower level, travelers can stretch their legs out in front of them on a footboard.
At AIX 2023, CNN Travel was the first to test the latest chaise longue prototype. My first impression is that it’s a bit more “real” than last year’s proof of concept. There are four rows — two on the upper level and two on the lower level — and the recycled 1995 airplane seats (“they’re older than me,” says Núñez Vicente) actually recline, making it easier to imagine how this structure might work in a real airplane airplane.
The new design retains the same basic dual tier concept with a few minor changes. The precarious, ladder-like steps that previously took you to the top level have been replaced with a more stable version. Lower level luggage is now designed to fit under the seat in front of you. The idea is that instead of built-in screens, passengers could use personal devices for in-flight entertainment.
Núñez Vicente says he’s also improved the legroom on the top tier, and I find it’s quite roomy. And since there’s no one directly behind you on the same level, you can recline the seat quite a bit, which is a definite plus.
Francesca Street/CNN
The earlier version of the chaise longue aircraft seat at AIX 2022.
Núñez Vicente also added a bar above the top-level seats to indicate ceiling height. I’m 5ft 10″ (1.78m) tall and it feels like a decent space to me – although it’s still difficult to know how it would actually feel if you were closer to the cabin ceiling than the floor were.
As for the lower level, as someone who isn’t a fan of small spaces, it strikes me as quite claustrophobic, but that’s a matter of personal opinion. While a row of seats right in your eyeline won’t please everyone, it won’t bother others as much – especially when there’s so much more room to stretch out your feet than in the average economy airline seat.
Like last year, I’m concluding that for some travelers, just sleeping during a flight could be an effective solution.
And while three people seated in both the lower and upper rows may feel a bit cramped, the elbow room battle is exactly the same in regular economy class.
The seats on the lower tier fold up when not in use – in the style of a theater seat – which, according to Núñez Vicente, makes the lower tier of the design a little more accessible and room for wheelchair users, although the upper seat remains off-limits for those with mobility impairments.
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The design could allow airlines to put more passengers on planes, but Núñez Vicente, who also works with his partner Clara Service Soto (far right), says his goal is passenger comfort.
Núñez Vicente has spent the last year traveling the world, attending aviation shows and meeting with industry experts to share his vision.
His parents are often at his side and support him – his father helped him to transport the heavy chaise longue prototype for AIX with a transporter across Europe from Spain to Germany.
“My father has his own problems and business, but he traveled 2,200 kilometers with me,” says Núñez Vicente.
And Núñez Vicente’s partner, Clara Service Soto, also works full-time on the chaise longue and serves as the project’s Chief Operating Officer.
The couple’s friends didn’t understand at first (“You’re crazy, that’s not going to happen. What are you doing, you’re wasting your time, you’re not getting a salary, you’re wasting the best years of your life,” recalls Núñez Vicente .
But he says that “the mindset has changed” as the project has grown and gained momentum. And for Núñez Vicente and Service Soto, it’s worth sacrificing their social life for the wild ride they enjoy in return.
“We travel a lot and get to know many different cultures,” says Núñez Vicente. “It’s also enriching, it’s not just about the project, it’s about the journey behind it.”
Although Núñez Vicente says airlines are interested in the idea, there’s no guarantee the chaise longue will become a reality. And if they do, it will still take some time – Núñez Vicente is currently working on corresponding certifications – a process that will be lengthy and complex.
Núñez Vicente is also aware that airlines in general have no interest in investing in economy class. There are exceptions – like Air New Zealand’s new economy SkyNest – but innovation generally takes place in business and first class.
Nonetheless, Núñez Vicente believes that the double-deck structure could eventually be adapted to any class of aircraft cabin. He’s just released renderings of a premium economy version of the chaise longue – more or less the same concept, just without the lower middle seat.
“Ultimately, with a double-decker, you optimize the space and make use of space that is otherwise just empty space,” he says.
And even if the road may be long and the design may not please everyone, Núñez Vicente still firmly believes in its feasibility.
“We know this will eventually work and people will be grateful for it even if they don’t know it now. You’ll be grateful someone pushed for a new economy class seat,” he says.