ANA Announces Redesign of Domestic Premium Class and Economy Seats

Japan’s All Nippon Airways (ANA) has unveiled what it describes as “comprehensive changes” to its domestic seat products over the coming years.  The aircraft slated for the retrofitted Premium Class and economy class seats include eight Boeing 777-200 and 11 787-8, and will also increase the size of the premium cabins.  The 777-200s will go from 21 Premium Class seats to 28, while the 787-8s will go from 12 to 28.

The new seats will be made of an advanced fabric to increase comfort, and according to the airline the design “distributes pressure evenly throughout the body to make sitting more comfortable.” In addition the layout offers an ergonomic storage space below the monitor for storing personal items.

“Few things play as big a part in passenger comfort as the seat,” said Hideki Kunugi, executive vice president of ANA. “These changes will allow ANA to meet shifts in demand while ensuring unrivaled comfort and convenience for our passengers.”

Passengers in the Premium Class cabin will have a larger 15-inch seat-back touchscreen, along with an expanded in-flight entertainment library. Complementing the new seats will be a rotating table and a retractable side table as well as a privacy partition between seats. All seats will also come equipped with a PC adapter and USB power outlet.

The redesigned economy class seat by automotive seat designer Toyota Boshoku is the same seat that is already installed on six of the carrier’s 767-300 aircraft. These seats will also have a larger seat-back touchscreen – 11.6 inches – and a beverage holder.

The airline is also expanding its onboard WiFi entertainment service, enabling passengers to watch videos on their own devices via the ANA app. In-seat USB and power outlets will also be available across all seats.

The overhauls are set to begin this fall and are expected to be completed by the first half of the 2022 fiscal year.