Foldable Airplane Seat Aims to Revolutionize Air Travel in Economy Class

Universal Movement has your back. And your neck and shoulders, and general wellbeing. The London-based design firm has unveiled a concept for an airplane seat for economy class that would, for the first time ever, puts the flier’s comfort over everything else.

No one likes flying economy: there is little space to stretch your legs and you can barely turn your neck without looking into your seat neighbor’s neck or jowls. Universal Movement, a subsidiary of New Territory, plans to change that with a concept for a seat that claims to “revolutionize” air travel.

As planes are getting more crammed through airlines’ policy of reducing seating space, Universal Movement is thinking outside the box: if you can’t change the design of the actual seat to create more space, you can create that space out of foldable flaps. Enter the “Interspace,” the concept seat that was presented to the bosses of several major airlines at the end of last week.

“Interspace” may sound fancy, but the idea is pretty simple: you can create your own personal bubble through the use of cushioned wings. The backside of the seat can open laterally, and the padded flaps offer you both privacy and whatever support you might need to get some rest on a long-haul flight.

The premise of the flaps is that, on a long flight, you need to shift in your seat and you don’t have actual support for that.

“What people crave is the ability to rotate and redistribute weight within their seat, which is why you often see people leaning on the window of the aircraft using makeshift pillows,” Universal Movement says.

“Universal Movement and Interspace have been born from the fact that not enough time, thought and resources have been invested into the back of the aircraft cabin,” Luke Miles, Founder and Chief Creative Officer at New Territory, says. “We believe that comfort, good posture and wellbeing is a human right irrespective of financial status or social class. If you consider the psychology of the cabin, its linear, grid-like form is restrictive and as a result, seats have been designed for what is essentially an unnatural posture and seating position. The time has come to seek designs, products and services which tackle this subject head-on, creating affordable solutions for those businesses who share the same values and desires.”

Miles says that Universal Movement has more such designs in the pipeline and, while they have exactly zero orders for “Interspace” as of the time of writing, he’s positive it will change the aviation industry.