To change seating to business class, all the airline has to do is flip one of the seats down, forming a flat surface. Presto: You now have a private suite for one with a seat and side couch.
And when the business-class passenger wants to go to sleep, he or she flips over the aisle seat as well to form a bed that’s 77 inches long and up to a maximum 44 inches wide at the hip area. Paperclip describes this new result as “a large sleeping surface long enough for passengers to lay flat diagonally across” (of course, the question is how many of us would be comfortable sleeping diagonally).The business-class arrangement offers passengers the opportunity to convert the side couches back to seats, in case there are two seatmates who want to get close. But it appears that economy-class passengers won’t be able to adjust their seats to the lie-flat configuration. The one exception: Paperclip says that airlines may decide to activate the couch on an economy seat to accommodate a child who’s having trouble sleeping, in order to “bring tranquility to the people around.” In other words: Do what you have to do to quiet that screaming baby.
While the Butterfly is winning kudos, whether you’ll ever see it on a plane is an open question. It has yet to be snapped up by a seat manufacturer, much less an airline. But given its built-in practical advantage — allowing airlines to maximize their profits by adjusting their seating classes to fit demand — don’t be surprised to one day see this Butterfly take flight.
Article Appeared @http://nypost.com/2014/10/31/this-new-airlines-seat-turns-economy-into-business-class/