Fully flat bed seats came to British Airways business class in 2000. It remained industry-leading for some time. In 2002, Singapore Airlines introduced the SpaceBed and that was still an angled seat.
Singapore and United Airlines both began to go fully flat in 2006. These were very dense products. United’s were eight seats abreast on a Boeing 777.
Now the basic standard is:
- fully flat seats
- direct aisle access from each seat, no climbing over anyone
- and doors for privacy
Not everyone has doors! United is just now introducing those on new delivery Boeing 787-9 aircraft. They were an incredible innovation in first class two decades ago. In business class the doors aren’t usually as high and don’t provide as much privacy. Anyone walking down the aisle can look down at you. But they provide some privacy, but more importantly the illusion of privacy, especially as you’re lying down.
American Airlines has doors on its new Airbus A321XLR. Air Canada chose the same seat, the Collins Aurora, and decided not to put doors on them even though it was more work not to offer them – it meant additional design and certification work not to have doors, according to the airline’s Chief Operating Officer Mark Nasr.
American Airlines Airbus A321XLR Business Class
And that’s had me thinking about the necessity of doors, when they make sense, and you give up too much to have them. According to Nasr, by removing doors from their spec:
- they got a bed that’s 2 inches longer on either side
- the cabin aisle is 5 inches wider at elbow level
- and the oversized Airspace bins come down so far from the ceiling that the doors can’t be very tall, and don’t provide much privacy anyway
Air Canada Airbus A321XLR Business Class
They put doors on their new Boeing 787-10 business suites, but not these planes. They think it’s a better experience in business class without it.
It all comes down to the tradeoff of inches in a narrowbody aircraft – the same reason for the herringbone seat that faces away from the window.
I think a door is less important at your feet (on a herringone seat facing into the aisle) than it is along your side (the way most business class products are angled). I prefer the Stelia Opera and Safran Vue seats that give you forward or more traditional window views. Those take up more space in the cabin than the herringbone Collins Aurora. And once your feet face the aisle it just seems like the door gets you less.
- I want a door on a standard business class seat
- I want it less when my feet face the aisle, and the door closes at my feet
- I want a door that’s as tall as possible (Air France first class has curtains from the ceiling to the floor)
- When there’s more space, on a widebody, it’s probably a good use of space. On a narrowbody the space might be better used in other ways.
British Airways Airbus A350 Business Class
The value of business class is space and privacy (really, not seeing a sea of people around you). Doors help to create a cocoon. They cordon off personal space and leave you less likely to see the people around you.
To be sure many of those doors are half-height, and some first class products provide greater privacy as cabin crew walk down the aisle.
Emirates A380 First Class
Etihad A380 First Class
The point of the exercise, though, isn’t to give you so much privacy that nyou can do you-know-what. Instead it can be as much about your own perception of the cabin around you – what you see and do not see – as about who sees you. With the herringbone layout, which is almost coffin-like, you’ve got the without shielding your feet.
I’d also add, though, that doors help in most layouts:
- shield you from lights and entertainment screens coming from other seats
- protect you from getting bumped by passengers and crew as they pass down the aisle
Doors have become something of a standard, like direct aisle access had been, and fully flat before that. But I wonder when doors are real value, and when they’re a gimmick – and whether Air Canada’s business class brand will suffer ‘because they don’t have doors’ on their narrowbody business class seat, or whether the actual lived experience in the seat will be better and that’s what will drive their reputation.
Fundamentally doors are a choice. If you don’t care for them, keep yours open. If you want it closed, close it. Offering doors in business class lets passengers better custom tailor their experience. Most people close their doors. The problem is when those doors come at a cost inside the suite itself, and make the aisle too narrow to be comfortable as well.
Do business class seats need doors at all? Do they always need them? What do you think?
For me, a door is 100% a gimmick. In all my years in business class (first time was 2009), I never once thought “I wish I had a door, too”
And what extra “privacy” does one need in business class? What exactly is someone doing in that seat that they feel the need to hide out?
I’ve flown with doors and without, but I’d always vote for a wider and longer bed.
@tommyleo – It’s not that people “do things that make them feel a need to hide out,” it’s that very often the J configurations put you almost directly face-to-face with other passengers, which can be extremely awkward when you’re sat that way and essentially trapped for up to 17 hours straight.
Privacy theater. Who really wants a slightly more confined space?
Harder to get out of the seat and feels claustrophobic unless on an 380
Get better food and a comfortable seat with great plushness so I don’t feel I’m lying on an
ironing board for 15 hours
For me more space > door in J
Total gimmick and the new United seats are a downgrade from Polaris 1.0 in most ways. Stupid.
I like the door, helps me forget about others around me especially during boarding process. Also lowers distractions for me and allows me to sleep easier for some reason. I’m 6’1″ and don’t find it to be different with / without them.
Gimmick. It’s bad enough that J now looks like cubicles from a Dilbert cartoon but with the doors, it would feel like a coffin to me. Even without the doors, it’s a bit claustrophic for my taste. Personally, I just don’t get the attraction.
Gimmick
I like the Doors. No one “needs” the Doors. We *want* the Doors. Besides, ‘Light My Fire’ is a classic. ‘Try to set the night on, fire!’ *organ solo*
Definitely a gimmick. Would rather have the extra space without the doors.
Doors serve a social purpose, and many people who benefit from it aren’t aware of it. A closed door communicates to the people outside of it that privacy is desired, and most people will act accordingly. This is why a closed glass door is effective in any way.
Get rid of a door, and you can expect many more interruptions.
No doors. At 6’5” give me a longer bed.
Rather have the space than the doors . Also would like longer leg room
The door concept is an innovative and excellent decision of carriers.
By having the doors, it provides for passengers who are …..
1 . corporate and business travellers who wish 100 per cent privacy in order to work, think and create without any obstacles (ie: passengers walking; standing in the aisle; noise).
2 . leisure travellers are offered total privacy. afterall, they are paying extra for this luxury.
With this in mind, i am ”pro-doors”.
I think the doors are more of a gimmick and not critical. That said, I do think they reduce ambient light and may baffle noise slightly. But as everyone else points out, I would prefer more space.
Love the doors and the privacy it provides !
No doors, they are not needed. I would rather have more interior space.
I don’t need a door either. At 6′ 3″ I want space. Current Polaris is nice but a bit cramped for me. Preferably wider footwells too.
Aesthetically speaking, the doors on DL One make the space look like an ice cube tray. 🙂
For plebs like me its the only way i can ever experience a semi-private space on an aircraft. So yes to doors. Wish they were higher.
I don’t want someone stepping into my space. Period end of story. A door is a great solution.
Gimmick use the weight for better things
Doors are added weight. Not green. There are other ways to improve privacy.
I vote for doors, so I don’t have to look at the peasants across the aisle.
I understand why people used to the old cramped designs with no privacy wanted some privacy.
I do not really understand doors. I travel with my wife, and she needs a window for nausea. I end up sitting across the aisle from her (she could probably not fly that Air Canada seat facing away from the window). I cannot remember I time I could see her when I’m seated without specifically leaning forward to get her attention or whatever.
Also I’m 6’1″ so while I can fit reasonably in most lie-flat seats, I can also appreciate more space.
I really don’t get the obsession with doors. Seems like a small minority getting a marginal benefit that’s trading off with space.
As long as I don’t have to stare at someone I am good. Flown forward, backwards, with door and without. Personally the “pod” on the new AA 787-8 s are my fav. The forward / backwards BA seats (which are going away) are my least fav (except when up in the hump of the 747, it was AWESOME!).
@sunviking82 — Have you experienced the ‘coffin’ rear-facing 2-4-2 on UA’s 772?
@1990 we already have enough organ solo reports here, thanks.
I like the idea of a door but only if it reaches the top of the cabin. Otherwise it’s just a sliding panel.
@cr — *guitar solo* (for real, that song is a masterpiece.)
My experience several years back. There is absolutely nothing worse than as a woman flying business overseas than waking up to men who walk the plane in the middle of the night and run their fingers lightly over a sleeping woman as they are doing their evening walk to stretch their legs. I screamed when I felt his fingers running down my arms and onto my torso and he claimed he lost his footing as he was sleepy (yet walking around and no turbulence) and must have accidently touched me. The crews acknowledged that it happens more frequently on flights in geographic sectors such as Middle East in which I was flying. I literally did not sleep that flight albeit the female crew members relocated me to area where they could always have eyes on me and would prohibit men from walking through business class. Door please always or a squirt gun that shoots horrible smelling perfume shot so I can find the #$%^ on the plane
@W — That’s awful. Sounds like we do *need* The Doors after all.
@ W. Seek help.
I don’t need no stinkin’ door!! I’m not hiding from the paparazzi. I’m just trying to find a sleeping position that doesn’t involve my elbows hitting the walls. I’d happily trade the ‘suite life’ for a wider bed, a two-pillow minimum, and a cabin that doesn’t double as a daycare center.
Gimmick…just like the pajamas or the piano bar on AA 747’s. (that was a real bonehead idea)
Absolutely NO door, especially on the 787, which is too narrow and doored seats are like coffins. Can’t imagine it would be any different on a narrowbody.
Lots of great doorless solutions to give you privacy, which are all far superior to the space wasted by doors.
UA is definitely the leader in recognizing this!
Forget doors. A gimmick for the amateur traveler.
Instead, focus on the amount of personal space. Those of us who have spend 40+ years in J will thank you.
@ joel bassman — I don’t see alot of work occurring on long-haul transoceanic flights. People sleep, watch movies, eat too much, drink too much, surf the web, etc.
I’ve never been a fan of the doors, regardless of configuration. There’s no real privacy, unless it goes above standing eye level. Meanwhile, equivalent perceived privacy can be achieved through shields.
Most importantly, I assume the doors add weight to the aircraft, resulting in higher fuel consumption/cost.
Finally, the only partition I’ve ever loved is Air France’s La Premiere curtains. Pure, cozy bliss.
@OftenGenerous — Then. Leave. The. Door. Open.
My number #1 wish: wider footwells – I couldn’t care less about doors.