Iberia Airlines Iberia Plus - Iberia chooses EADS Sogerma for its new J class seats

EADS Sogerma has confirmed an order from Iberia for its premium business-class seat Solstys. The seat will be retrofitted on the carrier’s A340 fleet and linefitted on the new A330s Iberia has on order from Airbus. Deliveries should begin in late 2012 to support linefit activity on the new A330 fleet at the Airbus final assembly line in Toulouse. The retrofit programme is scheduled to begin at the end of 2012, fully supported by Iberia’s engineering team.

“This is a very important win for us in 2011, it is an exciting programme and we are delighted to support the development of Iberia and the International Airline Group, one of the leading airline groups of the world,” said Jean Michel Leonard, president and CEO of EADS Sogerma. “For us in 2011 this was a crucial campaign and I am very pleased that we were successful."

For people who aren't sure what the Solstys seat is like, it is just like Etihad's and Emirates J class

http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/rr252/luxuryairandsea/solstys.jpg

Oh my, that looks way too much like the Club World J config... coincidence? Iberia 'just' introduced Business Plus in 2006! Not THAT long ago... Next thing we know they're going to rename it to Club Mundo... Looks good nevertheless!

I believe AZ Classe Magnifica has the same seats on their 330-200s?

The seat looks comfortable and well-equipped. But I will miss the sense of spaciousness that the Business Plus cabin has now. (I'm sure that is exactly the point - to get more seats into the same space.)

Interesting! Thanks for sharing.

I am sure we will see more BA-IB convergence in the future under the AIG ownership.

A good spot. More info on this link here

http://www.sogerma.eads.net/Solstys

Now will they be fitting AVOD is the question, or just have done with it and hand out iPads because they are more reliable and have better screens anyway.

Oh my, that looks way too much like the Club World J config... coincidence?

Looks better

With AIG in the Captain's seat, Avios, et al, no major surprises in that. But at least we will all have untrammeled access to the aisles.

Oh my, that looks way too much like the Club World J config... coincidence? Iberia 'just' introduced Business Plus in 2006! Not THAT long ago... Next thing we know they're going to rename it to Club Mundo... Looks good nevertheless!

I believe AZ Classe Magnifica has the same seats on their 330-200s?

The original poster said:

"Meanwhile, the company is also working on a new design and new fittings for its long-haul Business Plus class as of 2012."

Has anyone heard more about this? Have they started the new design for 2012?

The original poster said:

"Meanwhile, the company is also working on a new design and new fittings for its long-haul Business Plus class as of 2012."

Has anyone heard more about this? Have they started the new design for 2012?

Here is more information:

http://www.aircraftinteriorsinternational.com/news.php?NewsID=34280

http://www.sogerma.eads.net/Solstys

Wow, these seats are awesome. I just wish I knew when "late 2012" is. Is that September? October? December?

I think these seats are a downgrade. They are being used by EY long time ago and also TG is planning to install them soon.

I think the current IB seats are much better. These seats are just outdated.

According to an email reply and tweet from Iberia, these new seats will start appearing early 2013 with their new planes.

Rather than leave this discussion in the obsolescent Business Plus going to lie-flat announcement thread from 2009, the discussion on the new seats coming end of 2012 (or more likely 2013) it has been moved into the existing Sogerma announcement thread for discussion on the coming product

JDiver, Senior Moderator

FlightGlobal (non-copyrighted) states:

Spanish flag-carrier Iberia is to equip its fleet of Airbus A330/A340 widebodies with EADS Sogerma Solstys business class seats.

The contract covers the design, manufacture and certification of the Solstys seats, said Sogerma. Deliveries will begin in late 2012 to support line fit installation of the seats on Iberia's on-order A330 fleet at the Airbus final assembly line in Toulouse.

The retrofit programme for the International Airlines Group-owned carrier's A340s will also begin at the end of 2012, supported by an Iberia engineering team.

Jean Michel Leonard, president and CEO of EADS Sogerma, said: "This is a very important win for us in 2011. It is an exciting program and we are delighted to support the development of Iberia and the International Airlines Group.

"For us in 2011 this was a crucial campaign and I am very pleased that we were successful," he added.

According to Flightglobal's Ascend database, Iberia operates 19 A340-300s and 17 A340-600s, and has eight A330-300s on firm order.

globalste and Txolo have provided the link (above) to the EADS Sogerma page on Solstys: http://www.sogerma.eads.net/Solstys

Airliners.net has some brochure photos of the Solstys seat system provided Singapore Airlines:

http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/3858/brochuresolsyts1.jpg

http://img22.imageshack.us/img22/5632/brochuresolsyts3.jpg

http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/680/brochuresolsyts4.jpg

I imagine IB will have its own design factors included, rather than use SQ's, EY's, etc. I like the shoe locker idea, though I'd have hoped for a closer option on the IFE screen.

Is it excitingly new? No.

SOLSTYS®, BEST BUSINESS CLASS SEATS WORLDWIDE
With two awards, the latest EADS Sogerma business class concept, received the 2006 World Travel Award for the best bed, and in April 2009, with Etihad Airways, the best business class seat worldwide award at the “Aircraft Interiors” Exhibition held in Hamburg.

Solstys was launched in 2008. It was unveiled for the first time in the Aircraft Interiors Exhibition held in the Middle Ease (AIME 2008).

FlightGlobal (non-copyrighted) states:



globalste and Txolo have provided the link (above) to the EADS Sogerma page on Solstys: http://www.sogerma.eads.net/Solstys

Airliners.net has some brochure photos of the Solstys seat system provided Singapore Airlines:

http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/3858/brochuresolsyts1.jpg

http://img22.imageshack.us/img22/5632/brochuresolsyts3.jpg

http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/680/brochuresolsyts4.jpg

I imagine IB will have its own design factors included, rather than use SQ's, EY's, etc. I like the shoe locker idea, though I'd have hoped for a closer option on the IFE screen.

Is it excitingly new? No.

Singapore Airlines is the user name of someone on airlines.net
to my knowledge SQ does not use this seat, but I believe Thai does

Alitalia on the other hand use this seat

http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/runway-girl/Alitalia%20A330-200%20Magnifica7.JPG

similar to what OZ has as its new J

https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/812788_602324866450587_278206768_o.jpg

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=602324866450587&set=a.132839503399128.23596.128647720484973&type=1&theater

https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/537157_602711496411924_1707273408_n.png

And economy

https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/521645_602711499745257_1745197944_n.png

Video of the new seats.
http://www.businesstraveller.com/news/iberia-unveils-new-long-haul-seats

Video of the new seats.
http://www.businesstraveller.com/news/iberia-unveils-new-long-haul-seats

Did I see the video wrong, or are the privacy screens much larger than on other versions of this seat?

Did I see the video wrong, or are the privacy screens much larger than on other versions of this seat?

Actually, they look pretty big to me (you may have confused between the remote, which also has a small touch screen - around the size of an iphone, and the TV itself)

A330 debut postponed to 20 February, and operation plans for February and March:
http://airlineroute.net/2013/01/30/ib-333-feb13update2/

Planned S13 operations:
http://airlineroute.net/2013/01/24/ib-333-s13update2/

Commercial for new seats:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dwxlZrmouc

Does anybody know which song they use in the commercial?
And does anybody know where and when the A330s will go in W13/14?

Does anybody know which song they use in the commercial?

The song used in the video is an instrumental version of a song called 'Life's a holiday' by Saturn Missiles

are there already any trip reviews ? looking forward to reading them and of course, try the new product !

The current business class must give one of the most spacious impressions of all airlines. I really like this about the product and still remember vividly what my thoughts were when I saw it for the first time... Something along the lines of "outrageous use of space". The difference between something like the all business class LH A380 upper deck and Iberia couldn't be bigger. But the new seat looks good and I am sure that I will enjoy it, too.

My question is about the A340-300s. 330s will be line-fitted, 340-600s retrofitted, but what about the 340-300s? Will the move to the eternal hunting grounds?

A343s won't be retrofitted, 330s are supposed to retire part of that fleet.

I booked an MAD to ORD flight for July. Booking management doesn't show me if it's a 330 or 340 and won't let me pick seats. It's a Tuesday flight, so, according to the schedule, is not planned to be served by the 330, but I guess things are in flux at this point.

as far as I understood, all A 340-300 will be taken out of service and in the future for long haul there will be only the A 330-300 and retrofitted A 340-600.