All Nippon Airways will boost its already impressive THE Room business class product with the introduction of THE Room FX on retrofit 787-9 planes. The new seat, designed in partnership with Acumen and delivered by Safran Seats, builds on THE Room business class cabin, introduced on ANA‘s 777-300ER fleet in 2019. The updated design aims to optimize cabin space for increased passenger comfort.
The new seat is a “sofa style” offering, meaning the seat back does not recline. A central segment of the base does flip up to convert to bed mode, so it is not entirely without actuators. But the design delivers a lighter, simpler solution than the prior generation while also offering the widest 787 business class seat to date.
ANA is dedicated to providing the highest level of a customer experience and is investing in the future of the most advanced and comfortable travel with the new ‘THE Room FX’ seat. This seat represents our commitment to exceeding expectations and shaping the future of luxury flight.
– Tomoji Ishii, Executive Vice President, Customer Experience of ANA
Speaking on the sidelines of the product unveiling, ANA’s Director of Cabin Products and Services Katsunori Maki shared that the carrier initially considered a simple shrink of the current THE Room product, and it was possible to fit it on the 787, even with the 15″ narrower fuselage.
That option came with too many other compromises in comfort and other challenges. Instead, the company started from a fresh design, allowing it to develop the “Future Experience” FX model.
The Specs
The seat checks in with a 51.5″ pitch (the forward/aft-facing pairs are 103″) while the lie-flat bed offers 76.5″ of sleeping space. The tapered foot well is noticeable, but also less narrow at the point than some other designs.
THE Room FX officially measures 27″ width at the waist level. But the sofa end of the lounger measures 41.5″ wide, reminiscent of the ultra-wide Singapore Airlines business class seats of yore.
Read more: United Launches Polaris Studio, Refreshed 787-9 Cabin
A 24″ HD monitor ties in to the aircraft’s inflight entertainment system, with Bluetooth pairing available. The seats offer USB-A and USB-C charging, as well as a universal AC plug. The charge points are concealed in the small storage cabinet beside the screen.
This could present challenges for cable routing and keeping the cabinet closed, though some are less convinced that will be an issue. The side table also offers a wireless charging point.
First Impressions
I was able to get inside a mockup of the seat in Safran‘s booth at the 2025 Paris Air Show. It is incredibly wide in the upright position, almost too much so (though as a passenger I’d never suggest reducing the available space).
There are some subtle design elements that help guide travelers towards one side of the seat, making it a bit more cozy.
Read more: Exploring American Airlines’ new 787-9P Cabin
Both in the upright and the bed modes the seat is exceptionally comfortable. I was able to lay flat on my stomach in sleep mode and not hit any edges of the bed space. That is uncommon for me with modern business class seats.
Much like with the Finnair AirSpace Lounge from Collins Aerospace, it remains to be seen how passengers adapt to the sofa-style design when searching for a non-bed recline. At least THE Room FX has the adjustable calf rest for some flexibility on that front.
One other tip from the event, though not explicitly noticeable in testing: The aft facing seats offer slightly more overall sleeping space. Alas, unfortunately for me, on the window pairs the aft-facing seat is the one closer to the aisle, not the window.
Overall, THE Room FX is a substantial upgrade to the now decade-old 787-9 offering. The new seats will join updated economy and premium economy seats from Recaro – announced at AIX in Hamburg a couple months ago – on the aircraft as part of the retrofit. They are expected to fly starting in 2026, pending completion of certification work, on three new aircraft deliveries. Retrofits of 16 additional frames are planned from 2027.
Of note, at that unveiling in Hamburg an ANA executive quipped that the new seats were so nice that “I’m scared people are going to downgrade from business class because economy is so comfortable.” While obviously a joke, ANA nonetheless invested significantly in the premium cabin to ensure its improvements keep pace with the rest of the aircraft.
The new layout will feature 206 total seats in a 48J/21W/137Y configuration. That is a relatively low number of total seats on a 787-9, but also just one economy class row short of today’s 48J/21W/146Y layout. By comparison, United’s new premium-heavy configuration is 64J/35W/123Y for 222 total seats. American’s is 51J/32W/161Y for 244 total seats.
More news from the 2025 Paris Air Show
- Eve Projects Three Billion eVTOL Riders Over 20 Years
- Safran, Greenerwave Team for Metasurfaces ESA Development
- "THE Room FX" Brings Business Class Update to ANA’s 787s
- Qatar Airways Pivots to PAC’s Converix, Astrova for 777X Digital Experience
- JSX Pitches Premium Turboprop Play
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