The transforming seats, dubbed the Butterfly Flexible Seating Solution, took the top prize earlier this month at the International Air Transport Association‘s Passenger Innovation Awards in San Diego.
The Butterfly Seats, designed by James Lee of Hong Kong-based Paperclip Design, are getting buzz because they give airlines the ability to adjust their seating configurations at will: On one flight, an airline could opt for more premium economy seats; on the next flight, the airline could rework its cabin to have more business-class seats. It sure beats having to switch out planes.
Paperclip’s website has an illustrated description of its Butterfly seating concept. The premium economy configuration offers a potential end to the armrest wars. It has a staggered design, with one seat positioned slightly in front of the adjacent seat, giving seat neighbors maximum width and better access to both armrests.