DESIGN: ‘Unam One’ from Uman Aircraft Seating – Finalist in Crystal Cabin Awards

Over the next few weeks, I will feature some of the more interesting innovations proposed – as judged by me – in the shortlisted entries for the annual Crystal Cabin Awards. This creative playfield is where designers, engineers and visionaries plan the future of the aircraft passenger experience. Returning as an in-person event on 14 June 2022, the Awards will see an international expert jury at Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg decide who will win the aviation industry’s trophies this year.

Uman One: a new business approach

Unum Aircraft Seating want to be the most trusted aircraft seating supplier in the world; setting new benchmarks for consistent on-time delivery and inspiring design that is both passenger focused and responsible.

Unum One is our first product, designed in conjunction with Acumen Design Associates. It delivers an extraordinary passenger experience; full lie flat bed, direct aisle access, best in class seat dimensions, DOT compliant privacy doors at all pitches, generous side furniture with well thought out storage, a large single piece table, easy egress and our unique Zero G seat mechanism.

In an industry first, Unum One delivers a consistency of passenger experience across both narrowbody and widebody aircraft types.

Unum One redefines the outward facing herringbone seat.Entry document from Uman

2PAXfly Takeout

This is another timely reminder to wear your seatbelt when seated. Holding you close to your seat will protect you from the sort of injuries sustained on this flight, when unsecured passengers flew to the ceiling of the aircraft, and then came crashing down once the ‘drop’ ceased.

The hope will be that this is an anomaly – a ‘freak accident’ in casual parlance. If it is a systemic error either mechanical or electronic, then this is a larger concern for the airlines that fly Boeing Dreamliner 787 aircraft. Let’s hope it isn’t. If it is, it will pile on the woes to Boeing’s existing stack.

This seat initially looks like every other reverse herringbone business seat you have ever seen. And to an extent it is. However, it appears to have a sharper angle to the hull and is designed to be fitted with a door. It is also designed to work on wide, and narrowbody aircraft, which may be its advantage. Direct aisle access doesn’t appear to be inhibited by the tray table, which is an advantage over some other designs. Unfortunately, the entry fact sheet provided doesn’t give you any more detail that that published above.

Maybe some airline will take it up their ‘unique Zero G’ mechanism, and we will be able to see all its advantages.