Finnair unveils new business class seats – but they don’t recline

Seats can still be transformed into beds using infill panels

An airline has surprised frequent flyers by revealing swanky new business class seats that don’t recline.

Finnair unveiled its new Airlounge seats, designed to create “more of a residential environment”, last week.

The idea was inspired by living room furniture, with wide, contoured seats offering high backs (51 inches) which curve around on the aisle-side for added privacy.

There’s a raisable footrest so passengers can spread out, and the whole seat can be converted into a 78-inch long lie-flat bed using infill panels and mattresses.

Seats have a fixed, contoured design (Finnair)

Developed by Collins Aerospace, the Airlounge seat is “designed to maximise your comfort, space, and freedom to move during a long-haul flight,“ and “to look and feel more like a piece of classic Nordic furniture than a simple airline seat,” said the carrier.

“We used a 3D contoured shell to effectively carve out more living space for the customer and create a bigger seat space that they can then interact with,” says David Kondo, head of customer experience and product design at Finnair.

“There are a lot of positions and ways that you can use our seat that you can’t with other business class seats.”

Wide seats are set up for relaxing (Finnair)

Every passenger will have direct aisle access thanks to a 1-2-1 configuration once Finnair's A330 and A350 aircraft are kitted out with the new design.

There’s also a removable divider between the two middle seats, so pairs travelling together can get a bit more sociable if they like, plus a moveable table that can be set up as a workspace.

Other elements of the revamped business class cabin include luxe new duvets and pillows designed specially for Finnair by Finnish design house Marimekko, and tableware created by Finnish homeware brand Iittala.

Airlines are constantly evolving their seating designs, often with the ultimate goal of saving space and packing in more passenger capacity.

Seats can still be arranged as lie-flat beds (Finnair)

In 2019, a “stand-up” plane seat had a mixed reception at the Paris Air Show.

The latest iteration of the the Skyrider 3.0 seat, designed by Italian firm Avio Interiors, featured a “saddle” seat.

More upright than a standard plane seat, the Skyrider requires passengers to perch rather than sit, with their legs straddling either side.

The seat had a pitch – the space between one seat and the seat in front – of just 23 inches. Most traditional plane seat pitches in economy are around 30 inches. The 23-inch pitch is of “acceptable comfort for the passenger”, said Avio Interiors at the time.