Airplane business class doors offer new levels of privacy. Here’s why they might not be a good idea

(CNN) — The business class is becoming increasingly luxurious, spacious and private. Whether it’s custom-designed seat and bed cushions, plush accessories and furniture, or co-branding with the biggest names in luxury, business really is the new first class on many planes.

That’s especially true of the business class mini-suite with doors, which debuted 10 years ago aboard JetBlue’s Mint Premium planes and is now available on dozens of carriers, including Delta, All Nippon Airways, British Airways and China Eastern. It comes out every year.

Doors make the business class experience better in two ways: first, they add privacy, and second, they avoid what airplane seat designers call a “brush past,” where a passenger walking down the aisle or a crew member bumps into a seated passenger.

If you’ve traveled in business class, you’re probably already thinking of some seats where that would be especially useful.

One could be a variety of staggered layouts where some seats are next to the aisle, but others are further out of the way across from a small console table. Another angle-shaped herringbone position can be where the seats face the aisle and at the end of the flight you have to avoid eye contact with the person on the opposite side.

Privacy shells

Doors obviously help to avoid that. But while these mini-suites with doors are more private than most first-class seats, the word “mini” appears in their name for a reason; Space for each passenger, while huge compared to economy, is still less than first class.

Adding an inch or two to include the door will affect the amount of space available for your seat.

That’s a good problem to be sure, you and I think about from our 17-inch-narrow seats in row 54, but every fraction of an inch is used, and on some midsize aircraft like the Boeing 767 or 787 and the Airbus A330 or A330neo, This can make a real difference in how spacious the seat feels.

So why do airlines choose doors even on some mid-sized planes?

Alastair Hamilton, vice president of aircraft seat sales and marketing at Collins Aerospace, said: “From first class to business class where Emirates’ full-altitude suite has been upgraded, there is no doubt a move to increase the privacy of aircraft.

“Most business class seats have had privacy shells for a few years, which put other passengers out of your line of sight when everyone else is seated. The addition of doors reinforces this sense of isolation, closing them off from the aisle, especially when lying down. Flat on the bed position.

“So are doors necessary? It’s not clear. But it improves privacy and is a benefit for passengers who rest and sleep on long flights.”

Weight and space compared to income

Hamilton adds that doors can add cost, weight and complexity to a seat, but they can also bring in more revenue.

“From a passenger’s perspective, being able to close the door and have ‘my space’ is always considered an advantage,” he says. “The more the aisle is in line of sight, the greater the benefit, especially when the passenger is sleeping. As airlines move toward doors and enhance the passenger experience, they are increasing privacy overall.”

Some airlines are saying no.

Quentin Munier, executive vice president of strategy and innovation at Safran Seats, told CNN that door requirements often depend on comfort requirements or seat layout.

However, Munier’s Jean-Christophe Gaudeau, vice president of marketing, says demand appears to be increasing.

“Gates have been missing for a few years, and year after year we’ve seen an ever-increasing share of airlines asking for gates in our surveys or actual quotes — to the point where more airlines are asking. Now they’re asking.”

“The question is becoming less about whether or not there is a door, but how to deliver it intelligently and effectively.”

The question is whether non-door options can meet the need for privacy as well as save weight and space.

Safran has the option of a thick, horizontal, magnetically bonded, spring-loaded roller blind that extends over the door. Other options include a curtain like the one Air France uses on its first class seats, dividers that extend and retract like a hand fan, or panels that don’t completely replicate the door but add maximum privacy.

Is it time to go?

All of these have trade-offs, which is why Chris Brady, industry veteran and founder of startup seat maker Unum, says airlines are divided on the issue.

“You realize that all doors are difficult and complex … with a lot of hidden complexity because of the certification requirements,” Brady says.

“I think it’s fair to say that the doors can enhance the passenger experience, but for the outward herringbone at 40-ish degrees plus, where you look away from the aisle, your contribution is minimal.

Such a seat at a large angle away from the aisle on single-aisle aircraft such as the Boeing 737 or Airbus A320 is the first such seat Unum is creating, along with other seat makers both launched and established.

“I was a little confused,” Brady said. “As a passenger, I love the door. Flying is an incredibly unpredictable experience and I enjoy the solitude, and the door helps. As a citizen, I know they are heavy,” which means more carbon emissions.

He added, “In my personal view, perfection is achieved not when there is nothing to add, but when there is nothing to take away, it should be removed.”

The door question will continue as more airlines and more seat makers weigh the benefits.

But, Brady says, “A brave airline should cancel them and cancel them.”