The FINANCIAL -- Japan Airlines (JAL) has won a coveted Good Design Award in 2008 for its international premium economy seat, the JAL Sky Shell Seat.

Sponsored annually by the Japan Industrial Design Promotion Organization (JIDPO), the Good Design Award is Japan's only comprehensive design evaluation and commendation system. The JAL Sky Shell Seat won an award in this top Japanese design award program in the product design category of mobility and networks.

According to JAL, this is the fourth Good Design Award Japan Airlines has won for its innovatively designed seating. In 2002, the airline won the award for its international first class seat, the New Sky Sleeper Solo. This was followed in 2003 with an award for the airline’s international business class seat, the JAL Shell Flat seat. The next year, JAL also won a Good Design Award for its domestic business class seat, the class J seat.  

The JAL Sky Shell Seat, the world’s first shell-shaped seat in premium economy class, was first introduced on the airline’s daily flight between London and Tokyo from December 1, 2007. With 20% more legroom than available in economy class, the JAL Sky Shell Seat’s clever shell-shaped sliding seat-back design ensures that passengers’ private space is maintained throughout the flight, undisturbed even when the seat in front is reclined.

Every seat comes with its own power outlet suitable for personal computers, and a seat tray that can easily accommodate a fully opened A-4 sized laptop. Passengers can enjoy the latest movies, music and games on their own personal 9-inch TV screen, using JAL’s state-of-the-art audio-visual-on-demand (AVOD) in-flight entertainment system.

In addition to the London route, the seat is now available in JAL Premium Economy on direct flights linking Tokyo to Amsterdam, Frankfurt, New York, Paris and San Francisco route, and on the Osaka- London route.

JAL Premium Economy featuring the JAL Sky Shell Seat will also be introduced on the MOSCOW - Tokyo route from November 29, 2008, on the Paris - Nagoya route from December 6, 2008, and the Tokyo - Chicago and Los Angeles routes in the fiscal year starting April 1, 2009.  

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