A lot of airlines have been thinking for a while: how can we make flying even more efficient? Or in other words; how can we fit even more people on a plane? The closest solution seems to lie in standing flight. Italian manufacturer Aviointeriors is the first to design and produce a standing version. What are the reactions to it?
Last week, reports appeared in various media that we can start getting ready for standing air travel. Aviointeriors, an Italian company, has designed and marketed the first real standing aircraft seat. There seems to be interest among several airlines, although no seat has actually been sold yet.
More and more airlines are looking for ways to make flying cheaper for passengers. One of the few ways to do this is to ensure that more people can fit on a plane. Standing aircraft seats obviously leave more space (about 20% more) to accommodate extra passengers. Airbus was already entertaining the idea of standing flight in 2003, while Ryanair was talking seriously about it in 2010.
Aviointeriors' seat, the Skyrider 2.0, was presented at a trade fair in Hamburg earlier this month. The yellow seats (not entirely coincidentally the colour of Ryanair, according to connoisseurs) stand so far upright that passengers are, as it were, standing on the ground. The seats weigh a lot less than normal airline seats, which also helps the maximum occupancy of a plane.
Horse saddle
The design is based on a horse saddle used by riders and, according to a top executive at Aviointeriors, this is no coincidence. He states that cowboys spend "eight hours a day sitting comfortably in the saddle". Well, the seat is not designed to sit/lean against for a long time. These are short flights, and the biggest benefit for passengers is that airfares can be further reduced if more people can be brought on board. Ryanair indicated a few years ago that tickets with standing flights could become as cheap as €6.
The company Aviointeriors itself is hopeful that the seats will be sold to airlines, but also says it could take some time. No seat has been sold at the moment. Experts argue that the increase of passengers on the same floor space might become a problem for the speed of evacuations. They also touch on the question of passenger safety.
For now, no airline has announced the use of the Skyrider in the near future.
Comments
To say the least, the reactions from consumers have not been kind. Clearly, many passengers do not see this as a good idea. For instance, someone wonders how to cope with very small or tall people, people who are less mobile, children, elderly people. "People are not all the same size." Another person argues that this idea is not feasible at all because aircraft must have a certain number of exits in case passengers need to be evacuated. Yet another does not see so many problems. "We also sometimes stand in a crowded train for an hour or more. Then this is not so bad for a short flight, is it?"
Patents
Incidentally, there have been several proposals and patents filed by airlines in recent years for aircraft seat designs that should be able to fit more passengers in a plane. For instance, Airbus came up with seats that are stacked on top of each other, Boeing came up with a seat in which you can lean forward against a cushion and sleep, and Zodiac Seats French suggested the idea of seats facing each other alternately (avoiding eye contact thus becomes more difficult). Airbus is also the one who suggested a completely new aircraft design where passengers sit in a circle.
By: Kelly BakkerSource: AD.nl/Facebook
Photo: European Patent Office
