--- title: "The Future of Air Travel Is Apparently the Final Circle of Hell" description: "Economy travel may just get worse. Meet the Chaise Lounge Airplane Seats, a bunk-like, double-decker situation that, well, looks like an utter nightmare." date: "2022-06-16" modified: "2022-06-16" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/the-future-of-air-travel-is-hell" categories: - "Advanced Transport" tags: - "air travel" - "airplane" - "flying" - "the digest" --- # The Future of Air Travel Is Apparently the Final Circle of Hell ![Economy travel may just get worse. Meet the Chaise Lounge Airplane Seats, a bunk-like, double-decker situation that, well, looks like an utter nightmare.]() *\Image: Alejandro Nuñez Vicente/Delft University of Technology\* ## Nightmare (Jet) Fuel Close quarters. Armrest battles. That one passenger who chooses evil by eating eggs in a flying metal can. For most, flying coach is not exactly a great time. But just you wait! Economy travel may just get worse. Meet the Chaise Lounge Airplane Seats, a proposal for a bunk-like jetliner layout wherein one passenger sits in a fairly comfortable-looking seat a few steps up, while an unlucky joe suffers the flight in a L-shaped space below, their face just a foot or so away from Top Bunk's derriere. It also appears as if working on a laptop or even reading a book would be uncomfortable or even impossible, due to the lack of arm room. The double-decker hellscape was presented this week by its creator, 22 year-old Alejandro Núñez Vicente, at the 2022 Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg, Germany, [*CNN Travel* reports](). Honestly, we're not sure this is a humane future of air travel. https://twitter.com/ambernoelle/status/1536905925893685250?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1536905925893685250%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fslate.com%2Fhuman-interest%2F2022%2F06%2Fdouble-decker-airplane-seats-economy-fly-unconscious.html ## Flying Vibeless The Chaise Lounge monstrosities — which debuted for the first time last year and, unfortunately, was received [extremely well by airline execs]() — were originally designed to suit the cutting-edge [Flying-V jetliner](), an innovation [still many years away]() from mass use. Alas, according to *CNN*, the double-deck designer says that these seats need not await the experimental aircraft — they could be outfitted for the Boeing 747, Airbus A330, and other wide-bodied planes. Cheers. Despite the criticisms leveraged against the model — of which the young innovator is well-aware, *CNN* reports — Núñez Vicente is intent on making his claustrophobic cocoons a reality. He's actually refreshingly candid about why the negative judgement doesn't really phase him — and likely won't phase any airlines looking to buy in. "One of the phrases I get a lot, is 'if it's not broken, why change it?'" Núñez Vicente told *CNN*. "If passengers still fly in the worst economy class seats, why are we going to give them a better option? It makes money. That's the goal of the airline at the end of the day, not to make your flight better." Hard hitting! Given our experience of money-saving travel, this checks out. We gotta say, though — while we appreciate an honest take, pushing people to the limits of discomfort because they can't afford more, especially as [plane ticket prices continue to rise](), maybe isn't the best line to live by. **READ MORE:** [*A Horrifying Proposal for Airplane Seating Confirms the Future of Coach Is Being Knocked Unconscious*]() \[Slate\] **More on flying travel that's better than this:** [*Inventor Unveils Flying Engine Powered by Eight Jet Engines*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()