Is this your new business class seat?

Is this your new business class seat?
By Hannah Edensor


The competitive world of business class just got snazzier, with the DoveTail seat launching overnight.

According to Australian Business Traveller, the new seat is aimed at the upper end of the business class market, and features a twist on the familiar ‘reverse herringbone’ seating layout seen in Cathay Pacific’s and Qatar Airways’ latest business class.

Jamco and JPA Design have added a stagger to the rows to help balance privacy with what they’re calling a ‘dense’ design, meaning that airlines can fit more seats in, while still keeping the popular 1-2-1 layout.

The 54.6cm wide seat converts into a fully flat bed, with a usable length of almost 2 metres, with the seat allowing for a 47cm video screen, which features a touchscreen controller tucked away in the console, and a mirror inside the remote’s door.

DoveTail seats

In addition to the now-mandatory AC and USB power sockets, there’s the option for airlines to add an inductive charging pad so that devices like the new Samsung Galaxy S6 can be charged just by placing them onto the flat surface, according to ausbt.

Seats are adjusted using an intuitive touch control, while an ottoman at the foot of the seat allows space for a standard-sized cabin bag.

Headphones and tablets can be placed above the side console, and coloured dividers slide up and down between the centre seats.

“Throughout this process and to get the design absolutely right, we have built a series of mock-ups, honed the ergonomics with subjects from around the world, refining elements on feedback to ensure that the final product is right,” JPA Design’s managing director Ben Orson told ausbt.

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The new DoveTail seat is pushing for attention among other newcomers, according to ausbt, including Zodiac Aerospace’s Fusio and Thompson Aero’s Vantage XL, which formed the basis for the Qantas Business Suite.

The DoveTail is built with twin-aisle jets in mind, ranging from the favourite Airbus A330 and Boeing 777, to the new A350 and Boeing 787 jetliners, and naturally, the big boys Airbus A380 and Boeing 747-8I.

The new DoveTail seat is yet to be picked up by an airline.

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