UP F RONT
“Companies put trust
in us and believe
in the viability of
the product”
Lars Rinne, co-founder
of Butterfly
1. THE BUTTERFLY PROTOTYPE
IS A KEY TOOL FOR GAINING
AIRLINE AND MANUFACTURER
COMMITMENTS FOR THE CONCEPT
2. THE CONVERTIBLE BUTTERFLY
DESIGN OFFERS INSTANTLY
ADAPTABLE SEAT DENSITY FOR
GAINING AIRLINE REVENUES, AND
CAN ENHANCE THE FEELING OF
SOCIAL DISTANCING IN THE CABIN
aircraftinteriorsinternational.com
014 JUNE 2020
METAMORPHOSIS
The Butterfly seat project has advanced to tackle the challenges of
moving from concept to market-viable product, discovers Marisa Garcia
Like most bold concepts, the Butterfly seat, developed by Butterfly
Flexible Seating Solutions, has faced a challenge in becoming marketviable.
The concept has been lauded, but developing a certified design
requires commitment from airlines and manufacturers, and they want
a design to be certified before they feel comfortable committing to it.
The convertible Butterfly seat enables instant transformation
between premium economy/regional business class and long-haul
flat-bed suites. The design has won industry accolades including the
Crystal Cabin Award and the IATA Passenger Innovation Award. After
graduating from the Airbus BizLab accelerator programme, the Butterfly
team developed a new skin model, which did the rounds at key industry
shows and conferences in 2019. The design was well received, but to
prove market viability the company has been focusing on
building an advanced working prototype.
The Butterfly team has found industry supporters,
including Astronics, which is supplying LED lighting;
Sekisui Kydex the shell; Tapis the fabric; and Thales the
IFE. In all, more than 17 suppliers are supporting the
project with components or engineering services.
“These companies put trust in us and believe in the
viability of the product,” says Lars Rinne, co-founder of
Butterfly Flexible Seating Solutions.
Butterfly is a small team, working on a limited budget,
but their design and engineering expertise, business
strategy and determination have helped them advance.
With input from industry veterans, they have enhanced
the simplicity, practicality and certifiability of the seat.
Along the way, the team has also learned some hard
lessons about the aircraft seat development process,
as James Lee, Butterfly’s inventor, explains, “The final,
optimal solution can only be achieved through iterations
of mockups, and discussions on small details – as well
SUPPLIER PARTNERS
Aeroworks: Latches and composites
Ancra: Studs and tracks
Astronics: LED lighting and power
Crane Aerospace: Mechlock
General Aerospace: Release cables
IGUS: Linear motion technology
Lenso: Milling and coatings
Mesag: Seat actuator
Metzo: Graphite foam
MGR Foamtex: Seat shell liner
Reell: Friction hinges
Rollon: Linear guides
Schroth: 3-point harness and comfort belt
Sekisui Kydex: Shell
Tapis: Fabric
Thales: IFE systems
TOK: Rotation dampers
1 2
as lots of testing. It takes a lot of time
and effort to achieve design elegance.”
The company has had to tackle the
challenges of managing a cross-cultural
and cross-timezone project while
ensuring sound engineering, meeting
certification requirements and managing
budgets. Butterfly has worked with
contract engineers in the USA and India,
and is now recruiting in-house engineers
to spearhead programme development
as part of the team in Hong Kong.
In June, the prototype seats became
ready to be shipped to airlines for testing.
The prototype has three rows of seating
to demonstrate two suites with different
comfort levels, from a 37in base version
with PED holder and simple materials,
to a premium version with a 40in pitch,
Thales 17in IFE, sound-absorbing quickrelease
panels, LED mood lighting,
comfort belts and side headrests.
Getting a new concept seat to market
is a challenge, but Butterfly believes the
pay-off for airlines and passengers will
be worth the effort. “What we are doing,
with the support of our supplier partners,
is solving the ‘chicken or egg’ conundrum
so that manufacturers and airlines can
commit to the seat without the risks that
usually come with a groundbreaking new
concept,” Rinne says.
Visit the Videos section of aircraftinteriorsinternational.com to see videos of James Lee’s other aircraft seat concepts
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