Wedging yourself into an economy-class airplane seat is one of the atrocities of our age, but there’s help on the way. The Cozy Suite is a revolution in airline seating, giving you more room to yourself while giving the airlines the opportunity to pack even more sardines into their pressurized tin cans. Sure, it's not as tricked-out as some of the latest business class seating, but it's a whole lot better then the disgraceful seats in steerage now.
Designed by Thompson Solutions, Delta Air Lines plans to place the “fixed cocoons” in its Boeing 777 and 767 economy classes by 2010. With the seats’ staggered arrangement, the design not only keeps that person next to you out of your face, you also end up with a comfy place to rest your weary head. You can also recline without smacking into that unfortunate soul behind you, and there’s a footrest along with an extra 2 inches of legroom. Another major advantage: the passenger in the window seat can get to the aisle without the other two getting up.
Of course, Delta's new merger mate Northwest Airlines (we call it "Northworst") will probably help the new combined company find a way to make these great-looking seats uncomfortable, too, cramming even more people into those horrid, stuffy (albeit safe) airborne rattletraps. See the gallery for more shots of the Cozy Suite, and also see Thompson’s other version (with the orange seats) using a diagonal arrangement that’s a bit less fancy.
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Thompson Solutions, via Salon
editor@dvice.com
By Sceptic at 3:09 PM ON 04/21/08
Look at picture number three and tell me how "Another major advantage: the passenger in the window seat can get to the aisle without the other two getting up." ?
Your still shoehorned in, there's just less chance that Sleeping Joe is going to fall over and drool in your lap before you get to Copenhagen.
By zermatt at 4:55 PM ON 04/21/08
These seats will make it hard to stretch out over three seats to sleep - when space is available. I was really hoping for seats with charcoal filters to deal with passengers with gas problems.
By nice guy at 5:18 PM ON 04/21/08
Tell charlie white that if he doesnt have something nice to say, shut the !@#$ up!!!
By RNB at 10:41 PM ON 04/21/08
Yeah, why would a serious news organization publish an article that was chock-full of gratuitous sneers and insults? Oh, wait -- this is DVice!
By CJW at 1:17 PM ON 04/22/08
I'm always excited to see new developments in air travel comfort. I wonder how long it will be before I ever get to sit on a plane with this seating configuration though. Even if they roll it out tomorrow, theres still a fleet of aging planes that I'm more likely to get a seat on.
By Gorsey at 12:51 PM ON 04/23/08
Don't take much comfort in the news that Delta is the first in line to install these newfangled seats in some of their planes. Here's a news clip.
Updated from 8:44 a.m. EDT, April 23, 08
" ... Delta Air Lines ... reported an adjusted $274 million first-quarter loss and missed analysts' expectations for the period.
....
After factoring in special items, Delta lost nearly $6.4 billion, which included a $6.1 billion noncash goodwill impairment charge ..."
If you're not going to be around, it's easy to install fancy seats, I suppose.
By norcalplanner at 1:04 PM ON 04/23/08
Tan ones look better - the orange ones will provide a new avenue for kids in the row behind to bother someone. The design will also allow more noise intrusion from conversations in the adjacent rows.
From a social perspective, this design seems to work best for single travellers. For two or more people who wish to socialize or work together, it will be much more awkward to interact. Hopefully at least some of the standard seating will remain in each plane.
Does anyone know if there's more hip room due to having passengers' hips staggered this way?
By Cinthia at 1:07 PM ON 04/23/08
will Continental follow too? or we will have to flight Delta for this new feature.
By kwilde54 at 3:20 PM ON 04/23/08
Now they came up with a new type of seat to make the cabin seating more screwed upthese engineers come up with give odds they never got down on ther bells and tried to install them, when they design them they never think how to make it easier to install them to the flooe for the mechanic doing the work, when the mount on the floor 18 inch apart, and getting to the Emergency Exits, look good on a a Mok up, it's hard enough with the seats they have now, Now putting off set seat in, these Engineers and Exec never talk to the mechanic who install these, some are lines are down to 29" pitch to get the great mighty DOLLAR, the seats are getting skinny too so you need to be 150 pounds or less to fly and 4 foot tall to fly, they never think if a person has long legs, or a bigger waist. they will just put them in the cargo compartment
By ShinyPlastic at 1:50 PM ON 04/24/08
Yes, no more snoring obese guys falling into my lap on long-haul flights!
By murray at 7:39 PM ON 04/24/08
Hey kwilde54, next time you post a comment, run it through a gibberish-to-English translator first, okay?
as Sceptic said, this will not make it any easier for the window passenger to get out without the other passengers getting up too.
By DickM at 9:07 AM ON 05/01/08
And the seat reclines how?? These will make Business and First Class my choice.