VIBEQUEST's new approach to inflight comfort

VIBEQUEST (VQ) – a Gold Sponsor of APEX FTE EXPO – lets any passenger, in any seat, rent their own comfort for the flight. “I came up with the idea during a night flight where my back, neck and tailbone hurt and I couldn’t sleep,” explains Brandon Capps, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, VIBEQUEST. “I have been obsessed ever since.”

VQ is a premium and portable seat overlay that lies over the existing seat and stays in place under the passenger’s own weight, so there’s no aircraft or seat modification and no aircraft downtime. Customisable inflatable lumbar support adjusts to each passenger, and the head and neck cradle support lets them rest in four ways: back, left, right, and forward with the head down, without the jolt that wakes you the moment your head drops.

“The business model works like a duty free concession,” says Capps. “We own the units, we replace them, and the airline never pays for them. The passenger rents one for the flight, and the airline earns a significant share of every rental from day one. The same model works for airports and lounges. Comfort has always depended on your seat. Getting more of it meant upgrading to more legroom or a different cabin. That’s always been a pure capital cost: years of engineering, new seats, and aircraft sitting on the ground while the work is done. Some carriers are now putting up to $7 billion into new cabins, The Business Times reported in October. Once the aircraft flies again, the seat itself earns nothing on its own, and the cycle repeats every seven to ten years. VQ needs none of it. We hand comfort to the passenger instead and the seat itself becomes a place the airline can earn, so every seat in the cabin becomes a potential profit centre instead of a cost. Legroom sells space. VIBEQUEST sells comfort. The two stack together rather than substitute.”

Brandon Capps, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, VIBEQUEST: “VIBEQUEST is a premium and portable seat overlay that lies over the existing seat and stays in place under the passenger’s own weight, so there’s no aircraft or seat modification and no aircraft downtime.”

At Booth 1013, you’ll find a row of real aircraft seats from Asia. “You can’t judge a comfort product by looking at it, so come and try it,” says Capps. “A live demonstration takes one minute.”

The feature VIBEQUEST is most looking forward to showing in Singapore is forward sleep. You lean forward, rest your face on a soft mask, and you’re held gently in place with real support. “Anyone who’s attempted to sleep face down on a tray table like I have will understand immediately,” Capps shares. “We’re bringing two products, one for traditional seats and one that sits beneath the large built-in headrests on newer seats. If you’re wondering how it would work on your aircraft, that’s exactly the conversation we want to have. We want operations teams to stop by also. Ordering, delivery, collection, stowage, handling, and airport and lounge integration are all on the table, and airport and lounge teams can talk through how a passenger would collect one before boarding. Bring the hard questions. We look forward to answering them face-to-face.”

APEX FTE EXPO 2026 marks VIBEQUEST’s third participation at an APEX Future Travel Experience event. “We keep coming back because of the relationships we’ve built here and the willingness to share ideas,” says Capps. “The people who decide whether a product like ours reaches the passenger work in ancillary revenue, customer experience, onboard product and inflight service. At Marina Bay Sands, they’re under one roof.”

VIBEQUEST’s goals for APEX FTE EXPO are clear. The first is the medium- and long-haul sectors. “We created VQ for the passenger who’s uncomfortable on a flight and wants to sleep well, whether for a few hours or for eight,” Capps explains. “Many of the world’s longest flights start or end in this region. The second is to have the cabin, operations, and the revenue conversation at the same time, because our product and strategy live between the three. The third is the ground. FTE Global 2026 in Dallas showed us that airports and lounges see this as clearly as airlines do.”

VIBEQUEST is in discussions about proof of concept programmes and is in the selection process now. “We want Asia included, because VQ was built for its medium- and long-haul routes,” Capps shares. “Each carrier will set its own targets. If we miss them, VIBEQUEST removes every unit at its own cost, and the airline keeps the data and its full revenue share. We’re the ones saying it works, so the risk stays with us. The first carriers to run a POC will set the standard their passengers come to expect, and give those passengers a reason to choose them again.”

In September, an independent aviation engineering firm reviewed VQ under U.S. airworthiness rules and determined in writing that it’s a carry-on item outside the aircraft’s type design, for use inflight but not during taxi, take-off or landing. “Every airline will make its own assessment. That letter gives their engineers a clear place to start,” says Capps. “At FTE Global 2026 in Dallas, carriers on five continents asked us to follow up, and the question we heard the most was ‘Can I buy one right now?’ Airports and lounges asked how they may be able to get involved as well. Singapore is our APAC debut. We’re now an APEX supplier member, and this region can try forward sleep for itself at Stand 1013. Everything else waits for the POCs. That’s where the real milestones and excitement live.”

Making passenger comfort the next frontier for airline retailing

Capps is participating in a key conference session at APEX FTE EXPO focused on ‘How the latest ancillary revenue trends are redefining travel booking, loyalty, engagement and experiences’. He will emphasise that ancillaries aren’t simply add-ons anymore. “In 2025 they grew nearly twice as fast as airline revenue overall, and the conversation has moved from fees to retailing: offering the right thing to the right passenger at the right time,” Capps explains. “Bags, seats and branded fares built much of that business, and they’re now standard across the industry. Comfort during flight is always desired and I think the next growth engine comes from adding value the passenger never had.”

Second, every touchpoint can sell, and the one with the most untapped potential is the seat itself. “Airlines already sell well at booking, in the app, at the airport and in the lounge,” says Capps. “But most passengers sit outside the premium cabins, and very little they can buy changes how their own seat feels. Comfort sold by the flight, in any seat, fixes that. It fits loyalty too, as something members can spend points on or a benefit for top-tier members.”

Third, the best ancillaries are the ones passengers are glad they bought. “Those are the ones they buy again, and that’s how a sale becomes loyalty and earns repeat business,” says Capps.

Fourth, timing. Airlines are refitting cabins on a large scale, including several based in the Asia-Pacific region, and much of that money goes to the front of the aircraft. “A retrofit moves one aircraft at a time over years, so a passenger’s flight is only as good as the aircraft they happen to board,” Capps shares. “Comfort sold by the flight needs no capital, no new seats and no aircraft on the ground, so it doesn’t have to wait for next year’s plan. An airline can start when it’s ready, on its newest aircraft and on the ones still waiting for their turn.”

Looking ahead, Capps is eager to participate at APEX FTE EXPO, where he is most looking forward to two things: who’s in the room, and how honest they are. “Decision-makers walk this floor, and they come looking for something they haven’t seen. That’s exactly where we want to be,” says Capps. “The honesty matters more. After Dallas, a visitor took a unit on her flight home. An executive from an airline we’d met at the show was on the same flight, noticed, and asked her afterward whether she’d rent one. She said yes. That was more powerful than anything I could have said. In Singapore I want more of those conversations, with long-haul carriers, cabin crew, airports and lounges. I also want to see what the companies here are building in connectivity and digital retail, because that’s how a passenger will one day order comfort from their seat.”

APEX FTE EXPO attendees can find out more at Booth 1013. Capps’ concluding message is simple: “Airlines are giving more of the aircraft to premium cabins because comfort pays. But space is finite. Comfort is not. Comfort can now be sold by the flight to any passenger, in any seat, at no capital cost to the airline. When a passenger chooses real customisable comfort and rest, the airline earns too. It’s rare for the two to line up this closely. Please don’t take my word for it. Stop by and have a seat.”

Learn more about VIBEQUEST in the Tech & Innovation Tour focused on Airport Technology & Pre-Travel, which takes place in the APEX FTE EXPO exhibition at 15:00-15:30 on 18 November 2026. Our popular Tech & Innovation Tours on the exhibition floor allow attendees to join guided tours and meet exhibitors with relevant products, services and concepts to learn more about the subjects they are most interested in.

Hear more from VIBEQUEST at APEX FTE EXPO (Singapore, 18-19 November 2026). Brandon Capps, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, VIBEQUEST, is participating in a session titled ‘How the latest ancillary revenue trends are redefining travel booking, loyalty, engagement and experiences’.