UK designer and manufacturer Acro has come up with a solution to boost passenger comfort in the middle seat.

The seating specialist aims to improving passenger comfort in economy class with its Six Series, which features a curved back.

Mark Wescott, Key Account Manager USA for Acro Aircraft Seating, explained how the manufacturer was improving the “worst seat in the triple”. He said: “On certain platforms, such as the Airbus platform, we try to give the centre seat a wider berth. So instead of going first sort of standard across, we try and offer 18 inches on the two exterior seats and then a 19 inch packs on the middle.”

Creating a “hugging feeling”

The team take inspiration from leading furniture designers when designing seats which are classed as cabin equipment.Westcott said: “We take a number of things from furniture, so Charles Eames was a big inspiration for our designers originally and in sort of make what is deemed equipment within the aircraft industry is seating and apply the same furniture statics and principles that you would do in your home your office or your car.”

“So we curved the seat back for a start, which gives that hugging feeling you’ve got like you would do in a normal office chair or as a chair you sit around the table at home with and it gives you more space in the seat itself so you can sit further back, it gives you the lumbar support that you wouldn’t get from a straight seat back and then if you’re a taller person, like I am, then it also gives you the knee room on either side of the seat in front of you where that curvature sits.”