 |
James Thompson (born 1966 in Newry, Northern Ireland) is a Northern Irish patent holder known for his innovative research and development in airline seating. Thompson holds over twenty patents, most of which have been brought into production. He is best known for his staggered seating design which increases comfort and aircraft capacity.
Thompson lives in the small coastal town of Kilkeel in County Down. He is founder of Thompson Aero Seating (formerly Thompson Solutions), which specialises in the design and engineering of aircraft seating. [1] [2] He retired in March 2014 after selling all his shares in Thompson Aero Seating.
In 2003, Thompson began developing a lie flat business class seat called Vantage which is a fully horizontal flat bed. This design offers no loss of seats compared to the old "lie flat at an angle" style seating. The seating layout, also known as the Thompson Vantage configuration, is staggered, row by row, and implements a wide console which is the footwell for the passenger behind.
In February 2008, Delta Air Lines announced that they would be installing the Vantage sleeper suite product designed by Thompson on their Boeing 767-400ER aircraft, engineered and manufactured by Contour Premium Aircraft Seating [3] in a multi-million pound deal with Thompson Aero Seating. [2] Delta later announced that they would also install the Vantage on their 767-300ER fleet, which is scheduled for completion in 2013. More recently Thompson Aero Seating secured deals for the Vantage seat with some of the world's largest airlines on various aircraft types, including Qantas (Airbus A330), American Airlines (Boeing 767-300), Air Canada (Boeing 777) and Etihad Airways.
Thompson's long-awaited Cozy Suite has passed its 16G H.I.C. Development Test and after having conducted a number of customer comfort trials, Cozy Suite has been ready to enter service in 2011 although no airlines have purchased the seat to date leading to the company ceasing development of the seat type. [4] The Cozy Suite economy seat offers a distinct horizontally stepped seating layout which eases egress, provides a shoulder width as wide as business class, a dedicated sleeping area and more legroom. [5]
In March 2014, Thompson sold all his shares in Thompson Aero Seating and left the company. His shares were purchased by co-owner Sam Rusk.
Customers of Thompson Aero Seating, all of which have bought the Vantage business class seat, include Contour Premium Aircraft Seating, [6] as well as All Nippon Airways, Delta Air Lines, Swiss International Air Lines, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, American Airlines, JetBlue, Edelweiss Air, Air Canada, Air Astana, Qantas, Finnair, Oman Air, Malaysia Airlines, SAS Scandinavian Airlines, Aer Lingus, Philippine Airlines, and SriLankan Airlines. [6]
The Boeing 767 is an American wide-body aircraft developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The aircraft was launched as the 7X7 program on July 14, 1978, the prototype first flew on September 26, 1981, and it was certified on July 30, 1982. The original 767-200 entered service on September 8, 1982, with United Airlines, and the extended-range 767-200ER in 1984. It was stretched into the 767-300 in October 1986, followed by the 767-300ER in 1988, the most popular variant. The 767-300F, a production freighter version, debuted in October 1995. It was stretched again into the 767-400ER from September 2000.
Qantas Airways Limited is the flag carrier of Australia and the country's largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations. It is the second oldest airline still in operation, having been founded in November 1920; it began international passenger flights in May 1935. Qantas is an acronym of the airline's original name, Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services, as it originally served Queensland and the Northern Territory, and is popularly nicknamed "The Flying Kangaroo". Qantas is a founding member of the Oneworld airline alliance.
Delta Air Lines is one of the major airlines of the United States and a legacy carrier. One of the world's oldest airlines in operation, Delta is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline, along with its subsidiaries and regional affiliates, including Delta Connection, operates over 5,400 flights daily and serves 325 destinations in 52 countries on six continents. Delta is a founding member of the SkyTeam airline alliance. As of the end of 2022, it had 90,000 employees.
Emirates is one of two flag carriers of the United Arab Emirates. Based in Garhoud, Dubai, the airline is a subsidiary of The Emirates Group, which is owned by the government of Dubai's Investment Corporation of Dubai. As of 2019, it was also the largest airline in the Middle East, operating over 3,600 flights per week from its hub at Terminal 3 of Dubai International Airport. It operates to more than 150 cities in 80 countries across all continents through its fleet of nearly 300 aircraft. Cargo activities are undertaken by Emirates SkyCargo.
The Boeing 757 is an American narrow-body airliner designed and built by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The then-named 7N7, a twinjet successor for the 727, received its first orders in August 1978. The prototype completed its maiden flight on February 19, 1982 and it was FAA certified on December 21, 1982. Eastern Air Lines placed the original 757-200 in commercial service on January 1, 1983. A package freighter (PF) variant entered service in September 1987 and a combi model in September 1988. The stretched 757-300 was launched in September 1996 and began service in March 1999. After 1,050 had been built for 54 customers, production ended in October 2004, while Boeing offered the largest 737 NG variants as a successor.
The Boeing 717 is an American five-abreast single-aisle airliner produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The twin-engine airliner was developed for the 100-seat market and originally marketed by McDonnell Douglas as the MD-95. It was a shortened derivative of the company's successful airliner, the MD-80, and thus the fourth generation of the DC-9 family. Capable of seating up to 134 passengers, the 717 has a design range of 2,060 nautical miles (3,820 km). It is powered by two Rolls-Royce BR715 turbofan engines mounted at the rear of the fuselage.
Japan Airlines Co., Ltd., also known as JAL (Jyaru) or Nikkō (日航), is an international airline and Japan's flag carrier and largest airline as of 2022, headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its main hubs are Tokyo's Narita International Airport and Haneda Airport, as well as Osaka's Kansai International Airport and Itami Airport. the JAL group of which it forms part include Japan Airlines as well as J-Air, Japan Air Commuter, Japan Transocean Air, and Ryukyu Air Commuter for domestic feeder services, and JAL Cargo for cargo and mail services.
All Nippon Airways Co., Ltd., also known as ANA (Ē-enu-ē) or Zennikkū (全日空) is an airline in Japan. Its headquarters are located in Shiodome City Center in the Shiodome area of Minato ward of Tokyo. It operates services to both domestic and international destinations and had more than 20,000 employees as of March 2016.
Ansett Australia was a major Australian airline group, based in Melbourne, Australia. The airline flew domestically within Australia and from the 1990s to destinations in Asia. After operating for 65 years, the airline was placed into administration in 2001 following a financial collapse and subsequent organised liquidation in 2002, subject to deed of company arrangement. The last flight touched down on 5 March 2002.
Condor, legally incorporated as Condor Flugdienst GmbH and stylized as condor, is a German leisure airline established in 1955 with Frankfurt Airport being its main base. Condor offers scheduled flights to leisure destinations and operates, from Germany, medium-haul flights to the Mediterranean Basin and the Canary Islands as well as long-haul flights to destinations in Africa, Asia, North America, South America and the Caribbean. Whereas medium-haul flights are operated from many German airports, long-haul flights usually depart from Frankfurt, with a few rotations operated from Düsseldorf and Munich. Condor also operates charter flights.
Virgin Australia, the trading name of Virgin Australia Airlines Pty Ltd, is an Australian-based airline. It is the largest airline by fleet size to use the Virgin brand. It commenced services on 31 August 2000 as Virgin Blue, with two aircraft on a single route. It suddenly found itself as a major airline in Australia's domestic market after the collapse of Ansett Australia in September 2001. The airline has since grown to directly serve 32 cities in Australia, from hubs in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.
EVA Airways Corporation, of which "EVA" stands for Evergreen Airways, is one of the two largest airlines of Taiwan, at Taoyuan International Airport near Taipei, Taiwan, operating passenger and dedicated cargo services to over 40 international destinations in Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America. EVA Air is largely privately owned and flies a fully international route network. It is a 5-star airline, rated by Skytrax. It is the second largest Taiwanese airline. EVA Air is headquartered in Luzhu, Taoyuan City, Taiwan. The company slogan is "Sharing the World, Flying Together".
China Eastern Airlines Corporation Limited, also known as China Eastern, is an airline headquartered in the China Eastern Airlines Building, on the grounds of Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport in Changning District, Shanghai. It is one of the "Big Three" airlines of the People's Republic of China, operating international, domestic and regional routes. Hongqiao airport, along with the larger Shanghai Pudong International Airport, are China Eastern's main hubs, with secondary hubs in Beijing Daxing, Kunming, and Xi'an.
Business class is a travel class available on many commercial airlines and rail lines, known by brand names which vary, by airline or rail company. In the airline industry, it was originally intended as an intermediate level of service between economy class and first class, but many airlines now offer business class as the highest level of service, having eliminated first-class seating. Business class is distinguished from other travel classes by the quality of seating, food, drinks, ground service and other amenities. In commercial aviation, full business class is usually denoted 'J' or 'C' with schedule flexibility, but can be many other letters depending on circumstances.
Premium economy class, also known as elite economy class or economy plus class, is a travel class offered on some airlines. It is usually positioned between standard economy class and business class in terms of price, comfort, and available amenities. In 1991, EVA Air was the first to introduce Evergreen Class, becoming the first airline to offer this class of service. It was widely acknowledged that the premium economy class has become a standard reflection of what the economy class was like several decades ago. In some countries, this class has emerged as a response from governments and companies requiring economy class for travel done by staff.
Patrick Lindon is a Swiss industrial designer best known for his Business Class seating and cabin interiors for Swiss International Air Lines. He began designing and building furniture in 1980 and opened his design office in 1983. He has been producing his own line of modular furniture since 1998. The ‘T71 System’ is sold worldwide and is part of the collection at the Museum of Design Zurich.
B/E Aerospace, Inc. was a manufacturer of aircraft passenger cabin interior products for the commercial and business jet aircraft markets. B/E Aerospace had leading worldwide market shares in all of its major product lines and served virtually all of the world's airlines, aircraft manufacturers and leasing companies through its direct global sales and customer support organizations. Based in Wellington, Florida, the company was capitalized as a $4.2 billion corporation as of January 2016.
First class is a travel class on some passenger airliners intended to be more luxurious than business class, premium economy, and economy class. Originally all planes offered only one class of service, with a second class appearing first in 1955 when TWA introduced two different types of service on its Super Constellations.
Qantas operates a fleet of Airbus A330, Airbus A380, Boeing 737 and Boeing 787 making a total of 124 aircraft. This list excludes subsidiaries Jetstar, Qantaslink and Qantas Freight.
Thompson to invest £5.2M http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/10432752.stm
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
