Could Aer Lingus select the AirLounge seat for business class?

Eagle eyed frequent flyers and aviation enthusiasts can glean much information from airline job advertisements. Sometimes these hint as to what might be coming down the line as they try to select the right candidate.

Last month, Aer Lingus advertised for an Aircraft Interiors Specialist. In the role profile, a line read – “Cabin Projects include the management of the definition of the new economy, premium economy and business class and the retrofit of existing aircraft to align them to the new company standards.” Oh-ho!

Aer Lingus Business Class

At present, business class on the Irish carrier is the Thompson Aero Vantage seat, customised to add extra space. These seats were introduced at the beginning of 2015, making them almost 10 years old now. I reviewed both a day flight and an overnight flight that same year and enjoyed the new seat.

There is nothing wrong with the seats, and they continue to be introduced on new aircraft deliveries. They’re spacious and comfortable enough for the 6-12 hour sectors that Aer Lingus operates between Ireland and the UK to the USA, Canada and Barbados.

Could Aer Lingus Select the Collins AirLounge?

Perhaps the most interesting and comfortable business class seat I’ve tried lately is the Collins AirLounge. These seats are used exclusively by Finnair and I really found it excellent when I tried it out.

The AirLounge is a much more spacious seat than what Aer Lingus currently have. I decided I’d have a look to see if the Irish airline would lose many seats if they switched. Luckily both airlines operate the Airbus A330-300, so it was simple to compare and the difference is two seats, 30 and 28. Thank goodness for aeroLOPA and their scale seat maps! Aer Lingus does have a massage function in the Thompson seat, but one aspect of the AirLounge that seems to be a winner is the lack of motorised moving parts. This apparently reduces weight and maintenance, potentially reducing costs for the airline. For passengers, the AirLounge offers oodles of space, meaning you can sit cross legged in the seat or any which way you please. It’s truly outstanding from a spaciousness perspective.

Overall Thoughts

It is time for Aer Lingus to select the future business class seat. Nowadays seats with doors are all the rage, as is aisle access for all passengers – two things the Irish airline’s current seat lacks. While doors are not necessary (AirLounge doesn’t have one, but it’s very private due to the design), having seats in pairs is generally considered old hat.

Considering the Irish airline operates both widebody and narrowbody aircraft across the Atlantic, would the seat be suitable for both? This is the conundrum that the new Aircraft Interiors Specialist will have to grapple with. Either way it is going to be interesting to see what comes out of this at the other end.

Which seat do you think Aer Lingus will select for its new business class? Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.

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