Can Qantas’ new designer revolutionise inflight comfort?
The man behind Finnair’s controversial AirLounge business class aims to reshape Qantas’ inflight experience.
By David Flynn, September 3 2024
Finnair’s ‘AirLounge’ business class is both innovative and divisive – a revolutionary ‘fixed shell’ design that’s more like a sofa instead of a conventional seat that converts into a bed – and now the man behind the AirLounge is joining Qantas.
David Kondo will step into the newly-created role of Executive Manager of Qantas’ Inflight Experience in November, with responsibility for “the design, development and delivery of the complete experience in the air.”
“I look forward to continuing the incredible work with the team and leading the next generation of product including the introduction of Project Sunrise and the direct Sydney-London/New York flights,” Kondo has shared on LinkedIn.
With those Project Sunrise A350 flights now slated to take off in the second half of 2026, this puts Kondo on a relatively tight timeline – but it’s one he will no doubt relish.
Kondo is perhaps best known in the industry for launching Finnair’s AirLounge business class during his time as the airline’s Senior Manager of Customer Experience and Design Strategy.
Finnair's AirLounge business class.
“This is not a traditional aircraft seat, it’s furniture… a home away from home, a kind of nest that you adapt to your liking,” Kondo observed at the launch of the ground-breaking product.
That ‘sofa seat’ is now being flown by Qantas on a pair of leased Finnair jets on the Sydney-Singapore and Sydney-Bangkok routes.
And it’ll be a welcome homecoming for Kondo, who grew up in Australia and gained his Bachelor of Aviation degree at Melbourne’s Swinburne University of Technology.
“My dad’s Japanese, my mom’s Canadian, I grew up in Australia and I travelled constantly,” Kondo explained to Aircraft Interiors magazine in 2022.
“So whenever anyone asks ‘where did you grow up?’, I say a Boeing 747, because that’s the memory of my childhood… I was always on a B747 flying between Australia, Japan, Canada and other places.”
Kondo previously worked at Virgin Australia, where he was involved in the renewal of its Boeing 777 interiors as part of the airline’s rebranding from Virgin Blue, before moving to Qatar Airways as a product research & strategy specialist, where his portfolio included the A380 and A350 program and the Qsuite.
Kondo also had a stint at Jetstar in a product-related role before joining Finnair in 2017.
09 Feb 2021
Total posts 15
Betteridge's law of headlines is an adage that states: "Any headline that ends in a question mark can be answered by the word no."
This article appears to be an example of the above.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
10 Oct 2013
Total posts 111
OMG - Qantas what are you thinking? - the Finnair seat is an amazing bed - but a sofa? Really? It’s hard to get comfy on it at all - great bed - bad seat - just remember we need to sleep on a plane but also be comfortable when sitting - something this seat is not!
23 Sep 2015
Total posts 49
I had no problem with the seat on a trip to Singapore and then back overnight from Bangkok. Even at 6ft3, there was plenty of room to stretch out
Aegean Airlines - Miles & Bonus
16 Jul 2019
Total posts 31
Interesting. The seats for the A350 P Sunrise flights have already been chosen and marketed heavily. Curious to see what David Kondo will add? Perhaps updated cutlery (I really dislike the current design) and china and other onboard features? Is David Caon still in the picture?
04 Sep 2024
Total posts 1
I recently experienced the Finnair 'AirLounge' business class seat on flights between Helsinki and Tokyo. While the seat may be 'novel', I found the design 'naïve' and thought maybe the brief was to create a minimalist, low-cost business class seat.
A business class seat on a long-distance flight needs to be functional foremost ('form follows function'). This seat has obvious functional flaws, which could have been avoided by applying a bit of attention to detail. Here are a few issues: no semi-declined seat position, exposed screen (not flush) causes frequent bumping into, tensioned safety belt when lying down makes it hard to turn, no easily accessible water bottle holder, storage box lid has an exposed lock element which scratches against a passenger's hand when reaching into the box casually, and so on.
I enjoyed the Finnair meal service and crew attentiveness, but the seat is probably one of the worst business class seats there is.
If Qantas - who have a record of award-winning seats (for both, their design AND function) - want to go down this road, that would be quite disappointing.
03 Nov 2023
Total posts 5
Recently went RTW on a Finnair business class ticket - I found the seats AWFUL. Please QF, do not replicate
03 May 2013
Total posts 680
I too recently experienced this seat. Horrible. Give me an electric recliner any day. It felt like a low cost carrier business class seat in terms of comfort and functionality. Older pax on the flight didn't find it at all comfortable. Even the crew told me they get more negative feedback than positive from Qantas pax.
If this guy wants to do something to maximise comfort - start with getting sizing right with in-flight PJ's AND offer S,M,L and XL. Not cheap hybrid sizing.
16 Dec 2016
Total posts 58
What a bunch of cynical farts. I love the seat and remember this guy was part of the Q-Suite design team the bagging Qantas for everything sport is really going too far here
Etihad - Etihad Guest
21 Jul 2019
Total posts 191
Have you gone outside your comfort zone and actually read why the vast majority in this thread (indeed in this entire website) dislike the Finnair seat? I'd say you're in the (very small) minority of fans. Because for every fanboy, there are 10 others who dislike it. To use a tech analogy: it's the Windows 8 of business class seats. And we all know what happened to Win8 and the team behind it..
05 Aug 2023
Total posts 15
Controversial seats?
Not really.
The more apt substituted word is "revolutionary", "bold", "unique"...
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
16 Jan 2018
Total posts 58
hear hear!
As an inherently restless person, I love the new Finnair seat, it has so much space to move around instead of constantly fiddling with endless buttons in traditional reclining seats.
I would appreciate a large European pillow though in addition to the 2 mini ones.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
31 Mar 2016
Total posts 33
All for it - love the Finnair J seats ! But they are divisive to some - and indeed improvement can be made. Look forward to what comes of it.
16 Jun 2023
Total posts 5
Etihad - Etihad Guest
21 Jul 2019
Total posts 191
I'm also firmly in the semi-reclined 'camp'. For me it's the most comfortable position to be in; so comfy I easily fall asleep just about every time. Now that's something I can't claim for bed mode(!). So to have only a hard upright sitting position OR bed mode is a deal breaker. Clearly Finnair forgot there is a 'transition' zone between sitting up straight and laying down flat. What a basic mistake to make!
03 Nov 2023
Total posts 5
NO! Please don't let him try and introduce his Finnair seats on QF - uncomfortable and awkward
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
21 Jun 2017
Total posts 39
Dear Mr Kondo,
Can you revolutionise Qantas by designing and implementing a power socket in every business class seat. Start there. I'll then start a go fund me to put a status of you outside the HQ at Mascot and we'll all come and put flowers on it and sing your praises.
Regards,
Everyone
09 Mar 2024
Total posts 1
Recently flew on the Syd - Sin route in business class on Finnair. The Finnair Business class seat is the most important reason why I would never travel on Finnair again. It felt like it had been designed by Ikea - simple and functional but not luxurious or comfortable in any sense - discount airline seating comes immediately to mind.
The seat is uncomfortable as it doesn't move (in any direction) and forces you to "sleep" at an angle as the allocated leg room is not straight ahead on the window seats.
Any change to Finnair seats going forward would be enough for me to move to Singapore Airlines. After years of bad service, poor crew experiences and terrible food, this might be the motivation needed to finally stop being loyal to Qantas. Not sure what Mr Kondo has in mind, but a customer survey might be a good first step before more customers depart.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
26 Jun 2015
Total posts 7
Oh no not the Finnair designed Business Class seat on QANTAS. It's bed is the most uncomfortable business class bed I have experienced in flight. Surely QANTAS cab do better.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
06 Oct 2016
Total posts 175
My god how many people have missed the whole point of his position!
Executive Manager of Qantas’ Inflight Experience
This is more about a new Soft product than a freaking sofa!
Hard product is set for the next 7-10 Years, but if you start to notice boarding music, new lighting programs…
20 Nov 2015
Total posts 477
Generally 'soft product' and the whole end to end 'experience' but I think one of his first jobs will actually be hard product for the international A321XLRs, which QF has previously said is being looked at and a decision would be maybe 6 months away, so I reckon Kondo will definitely weigh in on this even if it's outside his official brief. Anyway, good to see Qantas and Vanessa Hudson bringing some new people on board.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
14 Oct 2012
Total posts 46
Flew on the Finnair service recently to Asia and will be not be flying on this service again. as a tall person I found it incredibly uncomfortable...
Hi Guest, join in the discussion on Can Qantas’ new designer revolutionise inflight comfort?