New seats are hopping onto Air France Regional Affiliate HOP E190 as part of HOP!’s cabin renewal program. The Expliseat TiSeat 2X base seat is designed to be lightweight, weighing 8kg (17 lbs) providing the airline with weight reduction while still maintaining passenger comfort.
Expliseat, a French seat manufacturer known for the world’s lightest aircraft seats, has introduced its latest model, the TiSeat 2X, at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg.
Air France HOP is making approximately a 20 million Euro investment to update the E190 cabins. At some point, HOP’s E190 will also be equipped with WI-FI.
Fabien Pelous, SVP Customer Experience at Air France, emphasized the strategic alignment with Air France’s goal to enhance its short and medium-haul services. He noted, “This investment of around 20 million euros will significantly improve our customers’ travel experience with enhanced comfort and design.”
Expliseat TiSeat 2X Features, Design Inspiration & Construction
Developed by automotive and aeronautical designer Andrea Mocellin. Andrea Mocellin has worked with clients such as Ferrari, Pininfarina, Lilium, & Expliseat.
Expliseat TiSeat 2X Features
Andrea approached the design of the TiSeat 2X by experiencing existing seats from a passenger perspective and then incorporating improvements to address common pain points.
The TiSeat 2X offers practical functionalities, such as an enlarged tray table compatible with multiple laptop formats, transparent pockets for storing documents, and a PED holder with USB A and C ports for convenient device usage. Additional features include cup holders, a QR code for flight information, and a ribbed surface for stable phone or tablet placement. The seat’s design has integrated armrests, footrests, and an invisible headrest mechanism.
The TiSeat 2X focuses on providing a premium passenger experience for short and medium-haul flights. The seat’s construction includes an ultra-light all-carbon and titanium structure, recycled components, and minimal plastic usage, making it 30% lighter than traditional seats. Each seat is equipped with leather and ergonomic foam to enhance passenger comfort. includes an ultra-light all-carbon and titanium structure, recycled components, and minimal plastic usage, making it 30% lighter than traditional seats. The seat is equipped with leather and ergonomic foam to enhance passenger comfort.
Amaury Barberot, Chairman and CEO of Expliseat, highlighted the significance of this innovation, stating, “The TiSeat 2X combines sustainability, comfort, functionality, and robustness, promoting a unique human-centered design using lightweight technology.”
The seat is expected to be in HOP’s operation sometime in Fall 2024 for the E190 fleet.
Expliseat TiSeat 2X Analysis
Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to sit in the seat, but I felt it was very well designed and seems to have checked all the boxes from both the airline and passenger perspectives. Such as reducing weight in turn reducing fuel burn. This has a nice advantage of reducing fuel expenses, the largest expense for an airline.
I hope to hop onto an Air France HOP! flight one day to do a flight review over this seat!
