Saddle up and fly
If you think in-flight leg room is tight now, let’s hope the latest airline seat design doesn’t make it to the skies.
Called the SkyRider, the new-style seat is set at an angle with no more than 23 inches between a passenger’s seat and the one in front.
According to the manufacturers, it would give passengers an experience akin to flying while seated on a saddle.
According to a report by USA Today, it’s a design that could appeal to low-cost airlines that have floated the idea of offering passengers standing-room tickets on short flights.
The SkyRider isn’t headed for an airplane cabin immediately, but Italian designer, Aviointeriors, says several airlines have expressed an interest.
"We feel extremely confident that this concept will … have great appeal to airlines for economic purposes," Dominique Menoud, director general of Aviointeriors Group, told the newspaper.
The SkyRider could be its own class of seating, like business or coach, Menoud says.
Passengers would likely pay lower fares, but airlines could boost their profits because the narrowly spaced seats would allow them to squeeze more on board.
"For flights anywhere from one to possibly even up to three hours … this would be comfortable seating," he said.
"The seat … is like a saddle. Cowboys ride eight hours on their horses during the day and still feel comfortable in the saddle."
By TravelMole USA
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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