No sane person will tell you that coach seats on airplanes are fine just they way they are. Cramped, awkward, and unsuited for different body types, these poor excuses for furniture just beg to be upgraded. British design firm Seymourpowell believes it has the answer in a new seating system it calls Morph.

The name is apt, as the seats are designed to, well, morph in all types of ways. Each seat can be narrowed or widened to allow for larger or smaller people to fit comfortably. And, thanks to Morph’s clever taut fabric construction, it rids the world of that annoying moment when the person in front of you reclines his seat by keeping that action within the chair itself. In fact, Morph seats can be adjusted in all types of ways to make them more comfortable for passengers.

Sounds great, right?

We thought so too, until we learned that Morph will essentially allow airlines to bankrupt travelers with even more “upgrade” pricing. As the introduction video (below) explains, Morph allows the “aircraft to be arranged by people’s willingness – and ability to pay – for space.”

Seymourpowell says this feature will have the affect of “blurring the boundaries between the classes” – rather than have a section of rich people and business travelers in their own special section, Morph-equipped aircraft will mix everybody together. Those who pay more will just have a bigger seat.

Considering airlines already charge people “coach deluxe” rates for having a seat in the first 10 rows of the back cabin, or for window or aisle seats, we don’t think it outlandish to believe that these companies will simply use Morph to gouge us even further. Want an extra inch of space? That’ll be $25. Need six inches to fit your giant rear in the chair? Why, that’s only $100 extra – but it’ll feel luxurious. On and on.

Of course, this design could be a godsend for parents traveling with children (who take up less room, thus costing less money for a spot), or for particularly giant humans. But we can’t shake the feeling that average folks will end up losing out on this one.

What do you think – is Morph a better or worse way to fly?

[via The Verge]