ai r c raf t inter iorsinternat ional . com 067
JUNE 2019
Economy bed options
BED OPTIONS IN ECONOMY ARE GAINING INTEREST, GIVING
AIRLINES AN OPPORTUNITY TO GENERATE ANCILLARY REVENUE
FROM UNSOLD SEATS AND TO BROADEN THEIR PASSENGER OFFER
PM First
Skycouch upgrades
NEW LIFE
FOR JOON
Air France’s Joon subsidiary
marketed at the millennial/
generation Y demographic
may be set to cease operations
by the end of 2019, with
operations due to be absorbed
into Air France’s fleet, but its
Cozy Joon convertible seat is
going to find new life with Air
France’s long-haul fleet.
The seat is based on Geven’s
Piuma Sofà, the initial concept
for which was patented by
Elidea in 2006 and then steadily
updated. We reported on the
concept – then named
Chameleon – in the September
2013 issue of Aircraft Interiors
International and interest grew,
with Geven taking on the design
and creating the Piuma Sofà,
with the first order being South
African Airways in early 2016. In
November 2018 Joon also began
flying the seat.
To convert the seats into
Cozy Joon, crew simply raise
the armrests, remove the
headrests and plug them into
the seat pans to create a wide,
flat 41in x 30in surface that fills
the space between the rows,
suitable for use as a bed or
play area for two children aged
two to six. The process is
estimated to take 25 seconds
per triple and 30 seconds per
quad. It’s a simple concept,
requiring no extra components
or actuators – the only extra
weight is in the fixing points on
the backrest and seat pan, the
release mechanism for the
headrest, a seat belt extension,
and a mattress.
Third-party
Skycouch
customers include
China Airlines,
Azul Airlines and
Air Austral
(whether for a fee or points),
crew access the PM First kit
from the overhead bin – this
carry-on sized kit contains the
covers, cushions and screens
needed to convert the seat into
a private bed. In a three-seat
configuration, PM First can
create a bed almost 1.5m long,
allowing most passengers to
sleep comfortably with their
legs bent, while four-seat rows
can offer beds 1.9m long.
The creators of PM First
believe that the space is also a
unique platform for marketing
opportunities and a good space
for introducing new passenger
experience technologies such
as VR. The seat is now being
offered to airlines and other
aircraft operators.
The PM First concept offers
an affordable, private,
tech-enabled, lie-flat
sleeper cabin. When a
triple or quad seat is still
unsold close to departure,
the airline can offer it
as a bed option. Once
purchased by a passenger
SE ATING R E V IEW
One of the first innovators in flexible cabin
seating was Air New Zealand, which launched
Skycouch in 2011. When there are unsold
seats in the cabin, Skycouch enables a row
of three economy seats to be converted into
a flat surface that makes for a double bed
on a budget, and a great way to keep kids
happy as they can safely sprawl or move
around the space.
The (minor) catch was that infants were
required to be seated on a guardian’s lap
when the seatbelt sign was illuminated.
However, having listened to customer
feedback, a dedicated infant harness and
belt is being introduced, which means that tiny
travellers can remain lying down throughout
the cruise phase of flight. A new infant pod
has also been developed to provide additional
comfort and protection for an airline’s
youngest Skycouch customers.
The Skycouch enhancements don’t end
there, as the ‘Cuddle Belt’, which was previously
only certified to allow two adults or an adult
and child travelling together to lie down side by
side, has been updated to allow two children
to use it. This new feature will provide greater
flexibility to families, who have more options to
arrange themselves between two rows of seats,
perhaps leaving two children to sleep while
they relax with a movie.