British Airways Files Patents for Unique New Seats Across All Cabins

British Airways has filed another set of patents for airline seats, unveiling potential designs for futuristic in-flight products.

British Airways could once again be leading the competition in aircraft seating if another round of patent filings come to fruition. Skift reports the U.K. flag carrier has submitted a number of designs for patent protection, with the possible intention of utilizing them in the near future.

The three designs were created in-house by British Airways’ design leader Peter Cooke. The designs outline new product ideas for economy, premium economy and business-class seats. The concept for economy seats offers a completely new vision that appears to be inspired by Scandinavian designs, with each seat offering retractable privacy screens and extra-wide armrests.

In premium economy, the design team created a concept in which seatmates would face opposite directions. In order to offer more space and privacy, one seat would face forward, while the other would face aft. If installed, the premium economy seats would appear more like cubicles than traditional airline seats.

For business class, the team drew inspiration from other luxury carriers and designed two different products. The first product is a self-enclosed space offering seating to four passengers, all facing a table in the middle. The second product is a business-class seat that is longer and built in a forward-aft configuration. Offering lie-flat seats and privacy screens, the new business class would maximize passenger space on aircraft.

The patent applications come seven months after British Airways applied for its first business-seat patent, which featured a herringbone layout and seats with 43 inches of pitch. Neither the designer nor the airline has commented on when or if these products will be installed.

[Photos: British Airways Patent Application via Skift]