If you’ve never settled into an economy seat, hoping that no one would sit next to you and that you could magically turn your seat into a comfortable bed, you’re the only one. Everyone flying economy dreams of extra legroom, more pitch and a friendlier smile, but little did we know, we should’ve been thinking much, much bigger. Like bed bigger, seriously.
Arm rests fold in, you flip up part of the seat and all the sudden you’ve created a spacious flat bed, wide enough for two. You detach the headrests, magically turning them into pillows and before you know it, economy is not so bad after all. And no, you don’t even need to buy the whole row to make it happen. It’s not a deranged sleeping pill induced fantasy at 33,000 feet, it’s a reality already flying around the world and it’s soon to take off on a flight near you. Air New Zealand did it first with it’s revolutionary “Sky Couch”, but thanks to a new, inventive design and a whole lot of people who hate the way it feels to fly economy, flying flat is taking over, better than ever.
The Piuma Sofa from Geven looks to elevate the economy “couch” creating more comfort, less effort and a cost effective solution to catching sleep on a plane, minus the champagne. Unlike Air New Zealand’s Sky Couch, featured on just a few rows, and requires pre booking, the Piuma Sofa will be plane wide, allowing any row to be either pre booked or upgraded up to the last minute, in the event that a lucky traveler finds no one else sitting around them upon boarding.
For pre booking, a single traveler or couple together could pay as little as $199 to secure the row to themselves and the flat bed experience at the time of booking or any time before the flight. For last minute “upgrades”, crew would be able to sell you the flat experience right on the plane, turning a bit of luck into a world of luxury, minus a few of the frills.
Don’t worry, this back, neck and sanity saving seat won’t disappear into internet idea history. Major airlines have already signed letters of intent, confirming the rather obvious demand for a seat that passengers don’t genuinely despise. I’d expect that list to grow rapidly. Until then, you’ll have to make due with your eye masks and ridiculous travel accessories…
