New Narrow Body Business Class Seat Features Doors & Direct Aisle Access

It looks beautiful but I’m hesitant about the doors, I think it’ll feel a bit cramped.

I'd happily try this -- and nice to see the option of doors, too.

Could this be JetBlue's new mint seat? Curious timing with this public announcement and B6's first LR rolling off the assembly line as we speak.

It seems to me that the final frontier for single-aisle business class could be 2 x 2 Apex Suites with doors rather than these cramped configurations that limit shoulder and foot space.

Could this be the modified QR Q Suite that has been flagged for the A321 XLR?

Why would a herringbone be worse on a narrow body? With a door a herringbone would enable your head to be closer to the fuselage / window, further away from all the people cramming the plane while boarding, allows easier access to exit the seat to the aisle, and prevents your head being near the aisle as passengers move to the galley. Narrow body business class will cause you to rethink what works best for seat design.

Looks nice, but from my experience with BA Club Suites, the seat in reality feels more cramped than on pictures and this seat already looks tighter than Club Suites.

Magic space - there is no such thing. These seats are meant to maximize the use of space by narrowing the aisle width. That, by definition means these seats have to be offset at a greater angle to the fuselage. That, by definition means the entry is gonna be narrower. It is what it is.

JBR's suggestion is interesting tho. Is there enough width to do Apex suites in a 2 x 2 config on a narrow body?

footwell looks huge!

@AK- Korean Air has 2 x 2 Apex Suites (albeit without doors) on the upper deck of their 747-8, which I believe has a similar cabin width to that of a 737. And the cabin of a A321 is about 5 inches wider than a 737, so it seems possible to me at least in theory provided the doors and walls of the suites are pretty thin.

I honestly don't understand the fascination/ obsession with doors.

Just another thing that can and will break and make the seat in-op.

Jeff +1.

Any seat that places me by the window is better. Wouldn't care about a door then!

The Thompson looks better for larger passengers, aka Americans

I've only ever seen the Thompson seat (business class facing outwards) on a Cathay Pacific widebody flight between Hong Kong and Manila. It was a strange experience. And quite narrow. This was in January 2012 as I recall.

For better and for worse, I think this space is where we're going to see a lot of innovation in the coming years. It will be interesting to see what type of "enhancements" carry through to delivery on a wide scale.

Small question (to anybody, really...) – do you think the etiquette changes when you have a door in business class? No, the doors aren't tall enough that it's acceptable to change in your seat, but I'm thinking nail clipping, spraying perfume, etc.

Doors, schmoors. No rational person cares about doors. Only creeps do. Whatever you're doing in there with your door shut, STOP IT, and save it for the privacy of your home.
Ewww.

I’d fly it but if I had to choose between the AA 321T First Class design without the doors and this one, I’d take the AA option. This one looks tight and I’d rather have extra space than a door.

Can someone explain what the doors are supposed to help with? I absolutely love my private space as in e.g. a private sleeper compartment in a night train. But these low doors don't really seem to provide much privacy at all.

Great news ! Many thanks !
Key question, since I'm not 'wide' but long (i.e. 6'7" skinny guy) ...:
How LONG are these flat bed seats ?
Thanks,
Mark

@Alvin - I saw the photo of the woman spraying herself with perfume and immediately felt a migraine coming on. For me, no seat provides enough etiquette for perfume - and I'm not even going to think about nail clipping!!

Is a door really necessary on a reverse herringbone design, when the door is barely above waist level?

Also, why do they need a new seat for a narrow body? Even the narrower B737 has an interior cabin width that is more than half of the B787, so whatever seat that can be fitted on the B787 in 1-2-1 config can be fitted on a B737 in 1-1 config. Am I missing something?

@Jeff, because there are still some of us that actually like to face the window for viewing. Watching earth from 35,000 feet is still a wonder and not to me. Those who immediately close the shades a la coffin are a mystery to me.

@Timo is correct. Closed window shades make the cabin seem like a coffin.

Can anyone say @virginaustralia ? They need to do something one the east west where they are only using 737’s ...