Panasonic’s Waterfront seat is here to revolutionise business-class air travel

Vaughn Highfield January 7, 2016

Panasonic may be known for its display technologies, but at this year’s CES it unveiled its vision for the future of business-class air travel.

Dubbed “Waterfront”, Panasonic’s new passenger experience uses the same reverse-herringbone seating configuration seen in many first- and business-class sections on the world’s biggest airlines. Designed in collaboration with the Formation Design Group and TEAGUE, the Waterfront is made to not only revolutionise a passenger’s in-flight experience, but also their comfort on long-haul trips.

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Panasonic worked with anthropomorphic data taken from its economy-class seat design Jazz (which was shown off last year), and the company claims that Waterfront’s back and bottom cushions are made for maximum passenger comfort. If that wasn’t enough, each pod also sports a 24in 4K display, a wireless charging area and lay-flat reclining seats.

Panasonic’s luxury pods also contain individually adjustable heating elements in each of the seating cushions, as well as the footwell and walls. Basically, if you like to sit and relax somewhere that’s as hot as the sun, Panasonic will let you do that.

Wireless charging and the edge-to-edge 4K touchscreen display are clearly the most interesting aspects of Panasonic’s plane seat. But it’s great to see that, while many are looking to maximise plane space, Panasonic is also trying to improve passenger comfort. Who knows, perhaps the next time you head out on a business trip you’ll be sitting in a Waterfront.