Could pod seats be the future of air travel?

We found the following article of interest due to our recent participation at the World Passenger Symposium. At the symposium prizes were given away for new innovations. This year first place was awarded to the Butterfly seating concept which is a passenger seat that can instantly transform between premium economy class and a business class flatbed – allowing airlines to shift the cabin configuration in real-time and in response to changing market conditions. Could this new seating concept be a thing of the recent future?

STORY:
Plane cabins of the future could do away with traditional seating plans in favour of radical pod-style options made possible by 3-D design, a firm has suggested.

London-based Factorydesign is behind the Air Lair, which sees single seats stacked on top of one another in a "honeycomb-like" manner. It created a prototype for Zodiac Seats, a company that supplies first- and business-class seating for airlines. FULL STORY