Everybody’s talking about Avioninteriors, the company that’s itching to sell its new model of stand-up plane seats. Deemed the “SkyRider,” the seat is really more of a place to lean, with proper indentations for legs and a place to rest your arms.
But don’t grab your air sickness bags just yet – they’re not exactly upstanding after all, and they aren’t likely to leave the ground.
The seats began development in July, after Michael O’Leary, head of Ryanair unsurprisingly announced that he’d like to get as many passengers as possible into a plane in order to make more money. Boeing wasn’t all that pleased with the idea, and neither was the rest of the traveling public. (No one was thrilled with their attempted charges for the use of in-flight toilets, either.)
The Italian company is talking big of its product now, mostly saying that it will allow for cheaper fare options and more capacity on board. It plans to demonstrate the product at the Aircraft Expo Americas Conference in Long Beach, California next week, but most experts doubt that the design will either meet FAA requirements or be cost effective.
The seats are controversial at best. Even with charging very little per passenger (potentially £4 each way) it still only allows 23 inches of pitch – five inches less than the average 28 inches for economy seats. If folks are paying more for legroom these days (Jetblue offers a legroom upgrade for an additional $10) how likely are they to sign on to a flight with less personal space and the extra hassle of standing?
Officials aren’t expected to love these, but stay tuned for an update on the seats’ reception after the Aircraft Expo Americas Conference next week.
