The modern seating developed by Italian designers Avioninteriors were released on the company’s website, and are somewhere between a regular chair and a padded support saddle-something akin to that of a bike seat. The elements are to be attached to a pole which stretches ceiling to floor, forcing its user into a near-standing position. The new streamlined, seat is also expected to take up even less room than a standard economy seat already does, boosting passenger occupancy and ultimately ticket sales for air carriers. However, experts have suggested that the seats may be a bad idea.
While the current economy seat offers between 31 and 32 inches of leg room, Avioninteriors have not yet confirmed how much this figure would reduce by.
The seat could provide a financial boost for airlines, allowing them to sell an additional 20 per cent more tickets, bringing in more from every journey.
The designer has also boasted “easier maintenance” for the seats, with minimal components likely to break or require deep cleaning.
It’s not all bad news for passengers though, while the seats will financially benefit the airline, they will also see passengers paying a reduced price for travel too.
The Skyrider 2,0 where initially unveiled last year at the Aircraft Interiors Expo, and would most likely just be used for short-haul travel since they offer no tray table or space for in-flight entertainment.
They have since undergone an update, with the 3.0 version removing the pole holding the seats together an introducing a coat hook to boost storage.
Avioninteriors have also suggested only introducing the seat to flights three hours or less.
Despite the small perks, the chair hasn’t had the best reviews from experts who have suggested that the savings won’t be enough to warrant the uncomfortable journey.
Travel blogger The Points Guy tried the seat out in Hamburg earlier this year, and spoke out about how the seat’s comfort compared to a regular seat.
He said: “My knees were firmly planted against the seat back for the entire time in the rear row. Perhaps that discomfort distracted me.”
However, the blogger pointed out that the amount of time spent in the seat would ultimately determine whether it was worth it for the savings.
He added: “Spending 10 minutes sitting in the saddle seat really didn’t seem to be bad.”
With health experts often urging passengers to stand up more on long haul journeys, perhaps these seats could be the solution, though they are still undergoing rigorous health and safety tests.
One passenger recently discovered her own way of staying healthy on long-haul flights, from the comfort of her regular economy seat.
The woman was caught on camera showing off her flexibility from the comfort of her seat.
The video, which was posted to the Instagram account @PassengerShaming, shows the woman taking part in a high-intensity yoga routine while in her seat, much to the dismay of her surrounding passengers.
