All Nippon Airways' New Business Class Is a Step Change in Comfort, Says Victoria Foy

In the ever-competitive landscape of premium air travel, All Nippon Airways (ANA) has unveiled what may be one of its most significant evolutions in passenger experience to date: “THE Room FX”, a next-generation business class seat designed specifically for the Boeing 787-9.

Revealed at the 2025 Paris Air Show, this new seating concept signals not just a product refresh but a marked shift in long-haul business class standards.

Developed in partnership with Safran Seats and British design house Acumen, THE Room FX expands on the award-winning design DNA of ANA’s Boeing 777-300ER product, “THE Room,” introduced in 2019.

The result is what Safran Seats CEO Victoria Foy calls “a step-change in comfort, versatility, and innovative design.” It’s a bold claim and one that may prove difficult to dispute.

Designed for mid-sized aircraft, THE Room FX aims to bring a wide-body, wide-space experience to the Boeing 787 platform, a challenge both technical and aesthetic.

The seat features a fully enclosed private suite with a thinner privacy door, reconfigured curved backrests, and an alternating seat orientation that maximises cabin space and privacy.

According to ANA, this creates a spatial experience comparable to larger aircraft, without compromising density or sustainability.

What sets THE Room FX apart isn’t merely its size, though ANA describes it as “the world’s largest seat in its class” for mid-sized aircraft, but its thoughtful mix of form and function.

The seat offers sofa-like reclining, allowing passengers to relax in multiple lounging positions before converting the space into a full-length flat bed.

Improvements to in-seat technology include wireless charging, USB-C ports, Bluetooth audio, and a monitor that’s 40% larger than ANA’s current 787-9 business class offering.

Sustainability is also integral to the new seat. Through lighter privacy doors and structural components, ANA has kept the overall seat weight comparable to its existing 787-9 business class model, a notable engineering feat given the added features and space.

For ANA, this product launch represents more than an upgrade; it marks the first refresh of its business class seating on mid-sized aircraft in over a decade.

As Tomoji Ishii, Executive Vice President of Customer Experience at ANA, put it, the airline is “investing in the future of the most advanced and comfortable travel.”

The gradual rollout of THE Room FX on international long-haul routes beginning in 2026 underscores the carrier’s ambitions to consolidate its position among the world’s most forward-looking airlines.

THE Room FX is also a strategic collaboration, a fusion of Japanese service ethos, French engineering, and British design innovation.

As Ian Dryburgh, CEO of Acumen, noted, the project is the outcome of “years of trust, creativity and innovation.”

In an industry where true breakthroughs in business class comfort are increasingly rare, ANA’s new approach may indeed raise the bar.

And if Victoria Foy’s words prove prescient, THE Room FX could be remembered as a redefining moment in the design of the modern premium cabin.