By Francesca Street, NCS
(NCS) — The double-level airplane seat idea is back, this time in what designer Alejandro Núñez Vicente calls the “ultimate, final statement.”
Premiering first as a college project in 2020, then as an early prototype in 2022, over the previous a number of years this dual-level design — known as Chaise Longue — has impressed frequent social media frenzy, memes aplenty and fervent dialogue all over the place from late-night chat exhibits to web remark sections.
But for Núñez Vicente, the double-level airplane seat isn’t “some joke on the internet that started five years ago.” It’s his profession — a ardour venture he stays enthusiastic about over half a decade since he first sketched out the concept in his school bed room.
The Chaise Longue idea envisages eradicating the airplane’s overhead cabin to permit for 2 rows of seating, a high and a backside stage, with the backside stage designed to permit passengers to stretch out and revel in additional legroom.
Prospective vacationers have expressed claustrophobia fears (fears echoed by NCS Travel after we examined the design in 2022 and 2023) and eyerolled at the concept the design is a ploy to cram extra passengers into the cabin. Núñez Vicente says growing passenger capability has by no means been his goal, however admits it’s a possible draw for airways. The designer’s at all times been adamant his goal is to make flying extra snug.
He’s spent his twenties fine-tuning the idea alongside his life and enterprise accomplice Clara Service Soto (“It makes us feel kind of old,” Núñez Vicente says of the years which have handed since Chaise Longue first made waves). The couple often seek the advice of with airline CEOs and aviation insiders, whom they are saying see actual potential in the design, regardless of web naysayers.
Now Núñez Vicente has returned to Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg, Germany, considered one of the world’s largest aviation exhibits, to showcase the newest full-scale mock-up of his design — which he says is the finest model of the idea but.
“This is the ultimate mock-up that we can create at our level of a startup,” Núñez Vicente tells NCS Travel in an unique first take a look at the new mock-up over video name from Hamburg. “This is our best.”
Tackling privateness and area points
While Núñez Vicente laughs off social media jokes specializing in upper-level vacationers passing wind as “banter and fun,” he does scan feedback for constructive criticism, and he famous privateness and space-focused issues have been frequent refrains.
With that in thoughts, the latest model of the idea focuses on bettering privateness and growing seat pitch for lower-level vacationers. Chaise Longue’s newest mock-up features a panel that stretches out behind the seats on the high stage, that means higher separation and lowered chance of anybody dropping something on anybody else.
And whereas earlier mock-ups have included a tighter decrease stage — doubtlessly excellent for vacationers who simply wish to stretch out and sleep, much less interesting for anybody else — the new design imagines a a lot roomier backside part.
“It has changed quite a lot from the narrow distance that you used to see before,” says Núñez Vicente. “It was kind of claustrophobic in the beginning.”
Concerns the seat design wasn’t accessible have additionally been taken under consideration. The entrance row of the idea is now geared toward individuals with lowered mobility, impressed by in-the-works designs that enable wheelchair customers to stay of their private wheelchairs for the period of a flight.
“We want to create space on our own concept for these kinds of innovations also, because we think it’s really important to include all passengers,” says Service Soto.
Walking round the mock-up on video name, Núñez Vicente demonstrates how the seat pitch is now spacious sufficient for passengers to do standing hamstring stretches. He even sees potential for a lie-flat mattress in the center seat and the new mock-up exhibits how which may work.
Budget versus premium design
Making the design extra roomy does imply doubtlessly sacrificing the seat’s funds class credentials. Núñez Vicente was a broke school pupil when he first designed Chaise Longue. At 6 ft 2 inches (1.88 meters), Núñez Vicente was used to struggling for legroom in cramped economic system seats, and began dreaming of an affordable, snug seat providing area to stretch out.
“But we have been moving the concept towards more of a premium economy experience,” says Núñez Vicente. “We have met directly with airlines and airline executives, CEOs and their customer experience departments, and they told us exactly what they wanted — and they wanted this seat to be something more than just economy.”
In 2024, Núñez Vicente additionally showcased an “elevated class” concept at AIX, a barely totally different, top notch idea that retains the dual-level idea however opts for lie-flat beds and couch-style seating all through. But making his authentic idea a extra premium providing is a departure from Núñez Vicente’s preliminary imaginative and prescient and this was initially a “tough” tablet to swallow, the designer admits.
“Obviously we wanted this to be for everyone,” he says. “At the end of the day, you want to go from point A to point B. And normally, if you are in the 99% of the population in the world, you just want to get there and pay as little as possible. We wanted people who cannot afford to travel better to actually get a better experience and more space.”
It’s laborious, he says, to shift the aviation business mindset that innovation occurs nearly solely in the premium cabins. Airline economic system courses are largely similar, whereas enterprise class and top notch come in additional different, swanky kinds — from Singapore Airlines’ double bed suite in the sky to Emirates’ virtual reality windows.
Several years in, Núñez Vicente is extra clear-eyed about this business actuality.
“In this day and age, with this industry and airlines, they are not going to give passengers in the economy more space — it’s going to lean more towards premium economy, and that’s what we have seen,” says Núñez Vicente.
But he hopes this premium economic system idea is the “revolution that leads to the evolution” — and if a pricier double-level design bought off the floor first, he figures it’d result in a extra funds model finally.
Either manner, Núñez Vicente doesn’t suggest common airplane seating exit the window all collectively. The concept, says Núñez Vicente, is Chaise Longue’s premium economic system seats in the center of a wide-body plane cabin, flanked by common economic system seating on both aspect.
An extended technique to go
Exactly how any of this may work is as much as airways and aviation firms, none of whom have dedicated to producing the seat. Retrofitting plane is costly and time-consuming, and security and regulation procedures to approve new designs are longwinded and sophisticated, so it’s unlikely you’ll see the Chaise Longue seat on an airplane close to you anytime quickly.
But business bigwigs proceed to smell round the idea — final 12 months, an Airbus representative told NCS Travel that “Chaise Longue is exploring some early stage concepts with Airbus on two-level seating solutions for Airbus commercial aircraft.”
Calling this present mock-up the “final statement” for Chaise Longue’s present iteration as a start-up, Núñez Vicente says he hopes he would possibly safe companions at AIX 2026 and be capable to showcase a pre-production prototype at subsequent 12 months’s plane inside expo, calling that end result “the ideal scenario.”
“Pre-production means that it’s already been manufactured using the techniques and the manufacturing methods that you would use on the final aircraft seats,” he explains, noting the present mock-up is for demonstrative functions and is made out of supplies that can’t fly.
The designer is additionally at all times experimenting with different concepts behind the scenes too.
“I’m on 20 different projects at the same time,” he explains. “This one is the biggest one, for sure. But at the same time, during the past two years especially, we have developed some side quests.”
Sticking with one most important idea for a number of years — particularly one which’s not with out its controversies — is generally a “rollercoaster,” says Núñez Vicente. But he says bettering the passenger expertise and persevering with business affirmation is what retains him going.
He additionally enjoys seeing potential vacationers interact in the idea, each on and offline. Chaise Longue spent a lot of 2025 passenger testing in Núñez Vicente’s house metropolis, Madrid, getting vacationers’ takes on the execs and cons.
“We always learn from constructive feedback. It doesn’t matter if it’s an airline CEO or someone in Australia that just comments on it and gives you something that you have to think about,” says Núñez Vicente.
And Núñez Vicente laughs alongside with the humorous feedback — which he says don’t appear to be offputting to the aviation business.
“If the industry hasn’t rejected us because of these funny comments on social media, then it might be because we have something actually good going on behind the scenes,” he says.
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