VIBEQUEST shapes conversations on comfort with seat overlay
This is a special feature from the October 2026 MRO Europe issue of PAX Tech, on page 34.
Brandon Capps, Founder and CEO of VIBEQUEST
Even the most well-designed Economy Class seats tend to lead to passengers shifting in search of a more comfortable position, seeking personalized support in the most populated cabin.
“Comfort on an aircraft has always been sold one way. For many travelers, upgrades are out of reach,” Brandon Capps, Founder and CEO of VIBEQUEST tells PAX Tech. “Because Economy seats are the same for everyone, the only comfort product an airline can really sell to this demographic is space, and space is finite.”
VIBEQUEST (VQ) is a portable, premium, patent pending seat overlay that rests on any seat in the cabin by body weight alone, with zero modification or attachment to the seat. Built for overall comfort from the tailbone up, the adaptable inflatable lumbar support allows passengers to customize the support they want in any position, at any time.
Capps says the inspiration for the product stems from his mother’s 32-year career as a flight attendant.
“She always said, the happier the passengers are, the more fun and easier her career was,” he says, noting that his common discomfort when flying came to a head last year.
After visiting four U.S. states and three time zones in 10 days, Capps first sketched VIBEQUEST on a cabin cocktail napkin, focused on his own lower back discomfort, his inability to sleep and general comfort in the seat.
“A seat will never be able to address each unique individual's comfort. A portable and customizable unit can,” Capps says. The product was built by a U.S. firm that specializes in aerospace and automobile seating for some of the largest companies in the world.
VQ made its North American introduction at FTE Global EXPO 2025 and returned to FTE Global 2026 in Dallas, Texas, this year
From Dallas to Singapore
VQ made its North American introduction at FTE Global EXPO 2025 and returned to FTE Global 2026 in Dallas, Texas, this year.
“Comfort in the aircraft is now a trending topic, and we walked into that hall with a comfort product that costs an airline nothing and earns from the first flight,” Capps says of the ancillary revenue model VQ proposes.
He likens the model to a duty free concession: the seat is the shelf, and VIBEQUEST supplies and replaces worn stock, with neither party buying the other’s inventory. Passengers rent VQ per flight, with pricing based on sector length and launch tiers agreed with each airline partner to suit its market.
While FTE Global 2026 began VQ’s proof of concept (POC) discussions for 2027, next month’s APEX FTE EXPO in Singapore will introduce VIBEQUEST to the APAC market, where Capps says he hopes to secure a regional POC with an airline and potentially an airport or lounge. With long-haul sectors well suited to the product’s comfort and sleep benefits, the company will demo VQ on real aircraft seats at stands 1013 and 1015, where it looks forward to meeting stakeholders responsible for ancillary revenue, cabin and inflight services.
