This funky new sofa-bed concept wants to overhaul how business-class seats work

Based on photos from the 2023 Aircraft Interiors Expo posted by the Runway Girl Network, the seat features many of the perks airlines today configure in business class — pod-like seats with or without doors in a 1×2×1 layout, fit with a large TV, power ports, and a lie-flat bed.

The configuration ensures all passengers have direct aisle access, unlike those on Air India's notoriously dated business class, for example.

Business class has evolved over the decades to have lie-flat beds that adjust using an electronic panel, like the Club Suite on British Airways and "The Room" on All Nippon Airways.

This makes it easy for passengers to set up their bed for sleeping. However, Optimares' design takes that one step further to give customers even more space to lay in any position, including their side, back, front, curled up in a ball, or fully stretched out.

According to Optimares, the seat weight is about 110-132 pounds, depending on the package. That doesn't include the inflight entertainment components, any power or lighting parts, the seat belts, or the life vest.

Those fewer pounds mean less fuel burn, saving airlines money.

The seat connects to a cushioned leg rest with a second cushioned ottoman stored underneath, which can be manually accessed via a pull tab to create the wide bed — no button required.

This design makes it easier for blind or visually impaired passengers to put together the bed, rather than relying on systems that don't have a tangible response, like buttons and touchscreens, the Runway Girl Network reported after touring the concept at AIX.

The materials that Optimares uses for its business class are acquired from sustainable sources and will be recyclable, it says.

And because there are fewer overall parts to build SoFab, Optimares said there will be a "considerable reduction in the manufacturing of such items" that would lessen the supply chain and result in "less energy during component manufacturing and shipping time costs."

According to the company, its SoFab bed measures 78" long and 40" wide. Qatar Airways QSuite, which Startrax named the world's best business class of 2023, has a 21-inch wide bed, though it stretches to 79 inches long.

Other fan-favorites, like Singapore Airlines Airbus A350 business class and ANA's "The Room," stretch 28 and 24 inches across, respectively. These two are already considered above industry standards.

"You pull out this simple mechanism to get into a bed space," he said. "The result is: all of the space you have is yours to use, whereas a traditional reclining seat, although you might have space around you, you can't really use it."

When not in bed form, the seat features a curved back and armrest, almost shaped like a teardrop.

"This results in the removal of risk that there will be a seat malfunction resulting in the blocking of a seat for sale," Optimares says on its website. "This ensures a high level of risk-free seat availability and little on-board maintenance."

This includes a large tray table, a few storage planes, power outlets, a privacy divider between the middle section seat, and an up to 21-inch fixed television.

According to Optimares, the tray table folds to become a side table when not used for drinks and is flexible enough to allow a passenger to get up from the seat without storing the table.

Many modern business-class products have been designed with more storage space for travelers, like the full closets on Air India. British Airways and Singapore Airlines, for example, have cubbies that fit into the armrest next to the bed.

However, leisure premium passengers — which Optimares appears to be targeting in some of its aircraft products — may not rely so heavily on storage for laptops and the like.

The length and seat pitch will differ plane-to-plane, but Optimares said the wider sofa bed does not impede aircraft space.

"The cabin layout ensures a passenger count that meets current market standards in terms of density and revenue generation whilst still enabling a luxurious travel experience," the seatmaker said on its website.

Privacy doors are slowly becoming the norm in business class. American Airlines is launching its new flagship business this year with full sliding doors, same with Air New Zealand.

Air India added the perk to its product this year, too.

In 2022, Finnish flag carrier Finnair debuted a seat that doesn't recline, called the AirLounge. Manufactured by Collins Aerospace, the AirLounge is similar to the SoFab in concept, but it still uses electronic components to adjust the seat into a bed.

In a review written for Business Insider, freelance journalist Paul Oswell said he slept well in Finnair's AirLounge, and the space was private thanks to the wide wings of the seat shell.

Air New Zealand's business class seats need to be manually flipped over and set up either by the passenger or the flight attendant. Same with Singapore Airlines' A350 business class, though the latter is much easier.

Both, however, still have buttons to adjust certain parts of the seat, like the recline.

Optimares signed its deal with Hawaiian Airlines back in 2015 to revamp its leisure-focused business class, representing one of its first big-stage projects.

Partnerships with luxury companies, including the private travel arm of Four Seasons and the all-business-class airline Beond, followed — both equipping their planes with Optimares seats.