As part of the alliance's
joint purchasing efforts, Star Alliance carriers Air China, Austrian Airlines
and Lufthansa plan to launch a common long-haul economy seat on 59 aircraft in
the next two years. Other Star members are expected to follow.
Ten Star members, including
those three launch customers and United Airlines, funded the development of the
seat with B/E Aerospace.
Though all Star members have
signed off on the "base architecture" of the seat, according to Star
Alliance vice president of legal and corporate services Jeffrey Goh, there is
room for customization, including fabric colors and inflight entertainment
options. Furthermore, only those three launch carriers have fully committed to
using the design, as there is no obligation for Star members to deploy the
seats.
Still, Goh expects many
other Star members to follow the launch customers, particularly those members
that funded the seat's development, including Scandinavian Airlines System and
Egyptair.
Goh suggested the common
design defrays development costs, eases certification and speeds production.
"Our aim is that this development cost will be paid just once, so you
don't have to do it again," he said.
As airlines tend to be more
proprietary about premium class seating, Goh indicated that Star does not have
a similar effort underway for a baseline premium product.
The base design of the
economy design comprises a 31-inch seat pitch, a touch-screen inflight
entertainment system and what Star executives characterized as lightweight
materials.