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Inside the entrance to Tangerine, a small design agency in Southwark, south London sits a historic object. It is an example of the first lie-flat business-class airline seat, introduced by British Airways 25 years ago, an innovation that was revolutionary at the time but is now commonplace.
Aviation has moved on and BA, which once called itself “the world’s favourite airline” needs to regain its halo. The airline is hoping to improve service quality and restore prestige with a £7bn investment programme. Much rests on a tangible symbol of its commitment to luxury: a new seat for first-class passengers on some routes, which was also designed by Tangerine.
The new BA suite has a wide seat that converts to a 2 metre-long bed, enclosed behind a curved wall with a recessed wardrobe to hang clothes and store a wheel-on suitcase. The suite, which will roll out on its Airbus A380 aircraft next year, was engineered and is being made by Collins Aerospace in Northern Ireland, with leather and fabrics from various UK suppliers.
BA is not alone in investing more in first-class travel and joining the “seat-to-suite” offer to its wealthiest customers pioneered by Gulf airlines such as Emirates. Air France last week unveiled its new first-class suite called La Première, which extends for five windows, with an armchair and a chaise longue that converts to a bed. There will be only four of them per cabin.
BA’s choice of design partner is confirmation of the influence in aircraft seat design of a cluster of London studios, including Tangerine, Acumen, PriestmanGoode and JPA Design. They compete with others such as Teague in the US and Design Investment in Switzerland, which worked on the Air France suite, but the UK is still the leader in this curious business.
That might reflect a British affinity for folding products, such as Brompton bicycles, and for tricky puzzles: aircraft seat design involves getting a lot into a small, curved space. “Some countries are more flamboyant, but British design is incredibly ingenious,” says Matt Round, Tangerine chief creative officer. London is also known for its design universities, notably the Royal College of Arts.
But the city’s geography and BA’s role in the London to New York route is the crucial factor, particularly for business and first-class seating. Nearly double the number of premium travellers fly to and from London daily than New York or Paris (more than 300 BA flights were due to land at Heathrow on Friday, when a fire temporarily shut the airport for flights).
BA gave a boost to agencies such as Tangerine and Acumen, which designed its first flatbed first-class seat 30 years ago. They are experienced in working with airlines, manufacturers and regulators, that is hard for new entrants to match. Seats not only have to be comfortable and luxurious but pass rigorous safety and crash tests.
It is only when talking to aircraft seat designers, as I did recently at Tangerine, that one gets a sense of the intricacy of their task. The sliding door is placed well forward of the passenger to convey a feeling of privacy; the suitcase space in the wardrobe juts invisibly beneath the armrest of the seat; a fold-out table stows at 45 degrees to remain clear of a crucial air vent.
First-class suites can cost more than £300,000 each to make and install, not counting the development costs: it is a big investment for a product that few customers will experience. But the halo effect is bright: Etihad’s 2015 “Flying Re-Imagined” campaign for its “The Residence” first-class cabin, partly designed by Acumen, changed its image.
Will BA’s new first-class suite have a similar impact to that of its Club World seat a quarter century ago? That is unlikely, given that those of some rivals, including Air France’s La Première, are already bigger and more luxurious. “This is a nice product that gets a lot of the basics right, not the world’s best,” says Ben Smithson, senior writer for The Points Guy, a travel guide.
But it need not change the world this time. Gulf airlines had to push the limits of luxury to convince passengers to fly through their hubs, but a subtle suite with “thoughtful British touches” may be enough for BA. “This is about setting a stage for impeccable service, not having the widest seat,” says Dan Flashman, the suite’s lead designer.
Meanwhile, the halo effect of premium flying benefits the UK’s industrial design studios as well as airlines. Tangerine has now created seats for East Japan Railways’ next Shinkansen bullet train from Tokyo to Morioka. London’s design niche has travelled far.
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