Aspire Pre-Flight Hospitality has collaborated with Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London to design a new signature lounge chair concept
Aspire Pre‑Flight Hospitality, Swissport International’s airport hospitality brand, has unveiled a new lounge chair concept following a competitive design brief with BA Product and Industrial Design students from Central Saint Martins.
Research from Aspire Pre-Flight Hospitality has revealed that a comfortable seat is what best defines luxury at the airport for over a quarter (28%) of travellers, while 39% say comfort is their biggest motivator when paying for travel upgrades. The brief invited around 20 student designers to develop a solution which challenged conventional airport seating customs and pushed the creative envelope.
The concepts were presented to Aspire in a two-part judging process onsite at Central Saint Martins, showcasing the incredible vision and creativity of tomorrow’s design leaders.
Redefining what comfort means
After going through the melee of check-in, security and the terminal floor, what travellers crave most is a sense of personal space. The ability to always see their luggage. A surface to work, eat or simply rest a screen on. Light they can adjust to suit their mood, the hour, or the task at hand. And finally, somewhere that looks and feels like a place worth settling into.
By considering both the physical and psychological factors that impact travellers’ ability to truly unwind before a flight, Aspire is transforming how they experience their pre-flight downtime.
The winning design
The winning design, by Aya Maria El Omeira, addresses all these elements, comprising a modular, curved multi-seat lounge system that combines luxury, ergonomics, and durability. The chair brings together privacy, intelligent luggage storage, an integrated table, charging capabilities and adjustable lighting.
Built on a reinforced steel frame, the design leverages the high-quality materials including solid walnut wood and sumptuous cushioning. The outside of the chair is upholstered in Italian ‘intrecciato’ leather, a technique originating in Tuscany and Venice, where thin strips of soft leather are meticulously interlaced by hand to create a pattern that is at once flexible, durable and extremely luxurious.
“At Aspire, we’re on a mission to redefine what comfort means. It’s so much more than a place to sit while waiting for your flight; it’s the feeling of being genuinely looked after. Aya’s design embodies this ethos perfectly,” said David Collyer, Global Senior Vice President of Aspire Pre‑Flight Hospitality. “This project is part of our ongoing commitment to delivering the highest quality guest experience in our lounges and we’re thrilled to be working with Central Saint Martins, their incredibly talented students, and Aya in particular, to bring this vision to life.”
“This collaboration with Aspire and their dedicated team has given our students a valuable opportunity to work on a live design brief that places experience and comfort at the centre of the brand’s vision. The furniture designed by the BA Product and Industrial Design students has impressed us through its close consideration of people, culture, environment and use, from questions of manufacture through to the quality of interactions Aspire wants to create for its customers and staff,” said Jeff Doruff, Stage Leader BA Product and Industrial Design, Central Saint Martins. “With Aspire’s encouragement and support, our diverse and talented students have developed the skills, knowledge and real-world experience that will help them excel in their future careers.”
“I designed for both physical and psychological comfort, anticipating guests’ needs to significantly elevate their lounge experience. Another key feature of the design is its modularity, which means it can be deployed in different configurations depending on the lounge and space available. This has been such an interesting and thought-provoking project, and I’m thrilled that my chair has been chosen as the winning design,” said Aya Maria El Omeira.
Aspire’s UK expansion continues at pace this summer, with a refurbished lounge plus new Luxe and Suite tiers launched at Birmingham Airport, and a 300-seat lounge opening at Manchester’s Terminal 2 in late August – alongside the recently announced Aspire lounge coming to London City Airport in early 2027.
