72 / MATTRESSES
Time for bed
Airline seats are designed for sitting but increasingly passengers head onboard looking for their beds, Julie Baxter discovers how inflight suppliers are working to support restful sleep
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the aim of bringing `home´comforts onboard. That is what makes the difference."
Home comforts
She reports this becoming more of a priority and says: “Some airlines are now keen to invest in that feeling of home and if your airline is not, we believe you should take immediate action! If airlines can't afford a full retrofit, this kind of product allows them to compete with the established suite-business class services and dramatically improve the passenger experience.” She accepts there are challenges: “There is not a one-size-fits-all solution, as each seat is different and even within the same airline, you can find different types of cabins and seats. We aim to find the perfect combination of fabric, fillings and structures to keep the right temperature and the right thickness for comfort whilst also ensuring it’s all easily folded and stored. We also harmonise all the elements the passenger sees, to give a cohesive look and feel.”
MAIN IMAGE COURTESY OF KAELIS
ellbeing experts all agree. Sleep is absolutely key to both good mental and physical health. And for travellers messing with their body clocks, good sleep en route has become a top priority. First class seats, converted to beds, have led the way but now there is growing demand for seat liners and mattresses to add comfort solutions in Business too. Fernanda Veiga, at Kaelis, says: “A seat mattress provides that extra element of comfort that allows passengers to forget they are on a flight, and that is the key to ensuring good sleep. They help to improve the travel experience, making passengers feel more relaxed, especially on a long-haul flight. We approach each mattress and bedding project with
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5/23/19 09:26 PM