Could ‘Super Economy’ become the next airline cabin class?

Airlines could soon have a new way to upsell passengers who want more comfort without paying premium economy prices.

UK-based Paradigm Aerospace has unveiled a “Super Economy” seat concept that gives passengers more room without taking space from the person behind. 

Paradigm Aerospace’s BlueSky SuperEconomy concept is designed to offer up to 40 degrees of recline, around 12 inches of additional usable floor space and up to three inches more knee and legroom, without increasing seat pitch.

The concept is based on changing how the passenger uses the space already available to them, rather than reducing the number of seats in the cabin to create more space.

What is Paradigm Aerospace’s Super Economy seat?

Unlike a conventional economy seat, where the seatback moves backwards into the space of the passenger behind, BlueSky keeps the outer seatback fixed. 

Using this seat, the passenger would recline within their own seat space, creating additional usable space in front of and around them without requiring the airline to increase seat pitch.

Paradigm says the design could therefore give airlines a way to introduce a more comfortable product without making the changes to cabin density.

The concept is designed to let passengers recline without moving the seatback into the space of the person behind. 

Its fixed outer shell and internal reclining mechanism allow the seat to transform into more of a lounger, giving passengers additional room while maintaining the same seat pitch.

What are the seats made from and how can they be used to improve the passenger experience?

The seats are made using lightweight alloys and carbon composites, with the basic design weighing around 6.3kg per passenger. 

Paradigm says the weight saving could give airlines the option of carrying additional cargo or extending the aircraft’s range.

The British company also claims the design provides greater access to the space beneath the seat, full lumbar support and reduced DVT risk. 

The concept has received a Diamond Award in the British Invention of the Year competition.

Paradigm has also developed a cabin layout management system that can be linked to an airline’s booking system. 

This would allow carriers to vary the proportion of Super Economy and conventional economy seats according to demand, while giving passengers the option to pay for a comfort upgrade when booking, checking in or even on board.

Creating a new seat type between economy and premium economy

The company is proposing that airlines market seats equipped with the system as “Super Economy”, creating an additional product between standard economy and premium economy.

That offers airlines another option to generate ancillary revenue from passengers, while retaining much of the existing seat capacity.

The system is also designed to give airlines flexibility over how many Super Economy seats they offer. 

Rather than permanently allocating a fixed section of the aircraft to the product, Paradigm says the number of upgraded seats could be varied according to demand.

An aircraft could offer more Super Economy seats on a long-haul flight or during a period when demand is high, for example.

Whether airlines embrace the concept remains to be seen. But as carriers continue searching for new revenue opportunities – and passengers look for greater comfort without paying premium economy prices – Super Economy could be the answer.