All about that space

Premium economy continues to expand

When Virgin Atlantic invented premium economy in 1992, the airline went to seatmakers Contour (now Zodiac) and ordered a cut-down, reduced-pitch version of the cradle sleeper seat that British Airways was then using in its Club World business class. Pitching it at 38in, the upward pressure from the new Mid Class helped drive Virgin to create the world’s first angled lie-flat sleeper seat for business in Upper Class in 1999 and the first business class flat bed offering direct aisle access in 2003.

But as the aviation industry has seen three generational shifts in business class – to fully flat beds, to fully flat beds with direct aisle access for every passenger, and to individual (and convertible group) suites with doors – the most recent premium economy seat unveiled retains the same basic pitch and width as the very first product when it was invented.