The gleaming double-decker buses are quite ubiquitous in major cities around the world. And now the ‘two-level’ concept is literally going to fly high as double-decker airplane seats are on the anvil.
It is said that the double-decker seats arranged in a diagonal layout would help airline companies to accommodate more passengers in an aircraft. The airlines’ aim to seat more people in aircraft could be realized through this novel concept, which is the brain child of aircraft seat designer Alejandro Nunez Vicente.
Diagonal seats
The new design was unveiled at the Aircraft Interiors Expo, which was held at Hamburg in Germany in 2023. As the seats are put in place diagonally, the overhead bin to store luggage can be done away with, says Alejandro. Moreover, the new design would have more legroom and the baggage could be kept at the lower side of the seats, he adds.
Adding to travel woes
Alejandro had to face flak after the preliminary design of the double-decker seats was showcased last year. Many adverse remarks were made against him including one comment saying that the new design would only add to the woes of air travel.
He started working on the double-decker seat design while he was in college in 2021. The strapping 6’2’’ tall Alejandro found that the legroom in current airplane seats was crammed, and he claims that the new design would solve that problem.
Alejandro had to face the music even after the rejigged design was released at the expo. But he is of the view that many public and private airline companies have elicited interest on the double-decker design. He is confident that the new-look seats would adorn the interiors of airplanes in two to three years.