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Budget airlines are constantly trying to find ways to keep their costs down, whether that’s removing in-flight meals or charging extra for cabin bags, but now it seems they could go one step further by bringing in standing-only seats.
A handful of European budget airlines are reportedly planning to remove some of their economy seats to swap them for standing seats, according to Euro Weekly News. Known as the Skyrider 2.0, the new seat design, which is shaped like a saddle, is an improvement from the original that was first touted in 2018.
The re-designed seats, which would see customers leaning at a 45 degree angle, have reportedly met safety requirements and regulations, and could be in use in planes as soon as 2026.
The silver lining is the ticket price is predicted to be very low, although prices haven’t been shared yet. The compromise is not only having to stand, but also endure a much reduced amount of space. Currently, a traditional economy seat has what is known as a pitch of around 30 inches, referring to the amount of space you your legs. But with a Skyrider 3.0, customers will have just 23 inches of space.
Standing-only seats first made headlines in 2018 when a plane seat manufacturer introduced them at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg, offering them up to the industry as a space-saving solution that would allow airlines to pack more passengers into the aircraft.
The original prototype, known as ‘Skyrider’, was designed by Italian company Avio Interiors is more upright than a standard seat, allowing passengers to perch or lean, rather than sit down completely.
Avio Interiors estimated in 2019 that airlines could accommodate 20 per cent more passengers with this new seat.
“Evolving market environment in short-haul routes is steering Avio Interiors to the new design of the Skyrider concept,” the company said in a statement that year.
The seats would not work for long-haul flights, as passengers wouldn’t be able to position themselves almost upright for hours on end.
There are some positives to introducing the seat into aircrafts though, such as allowing more passengers on the plane and therefore selling more boarding passes.
Avio Interiors also said that the new seat weighs 50 per cent less than normal seats, and has fewer components, making it easier to maintain.
While some passengers could potentially cope with not sitting down properly for a few hours, the seats have drawn criticism since they were showcased at the expo.
On an Instagram post from 2018, the manufacturers posted a picture of the seats, and was met with backlash.
“Whoever designed this should only be allowed to fly in seats like this,” one person wrote.
“I will ride trains the rest of my life, if y'all use these abominations,” another said, tagging various airlines.
Meanwhile, the seats were also labelled as “torture devices” and “human coat hangers” under another post.
Avio Interiors was not the first to come up with a stand-up seat idea, as back in 2003, plane manufacturer Airbus looked into creating a vertical seat, but abandoned it shortly after.
Michael O’Leary, CEO of low-cost airline Ryanair, has also previously floated the idea of standing seats on his aircraft from as far back as 2010, likening them to “bar stools with seatbelts”.
He even expressed doubts that seatbelts were needed on a flight, as he vouched for standing areas on planes that could be sold cheaply.
A plane is “just a bloody bus with wings”, he said in 2012. “If there ever was a crash on an aircraft, God forbid, a seatbelt won’t save you. You don't need a seatbelt on the London Underground. You don't need a seatbelt on trains which are travelling at 120mph.”
While Ryanair’s plans never materialised, other airlines have never made the leap to add vertical seats, and none appear to be gearing up to introduce them in the future.
The Independent has contacted Avio Interiors for comment.
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