As a frequent flyer I was astonished when I came across the new "Skyrider" chair. It is a saddle-style airplane seat which allows airlines to squash more passengers into cabins. The poor passenger will have to perch on a "seat" that has more in common with a horse-saddle than a comfy chair.
The new seats are due to be launched next week at the Aircraft Interiors Expo Americas conference in Long Beach, by manufacturer Aviointeriors. They’re intended to introduce a new cabin-class, below economy. It should probably be called cattle-class.
As you can see, part of the passenger’s weight is taken on their legs, and the legs are tucked under the seat in front. Just how close are the seats? Aviointeriors says that the seat-pitch is just 23-inches. Seat-pitch is the distance between the same point on two seats, and the smallest seat-pitch on economy-class flights is around 31-inches. Even low-cost carrier Southwest has a pitch of 32-33 inches on its planes.
No airlines have yet committed to using the SkyRider, but it can’t be long before companies like Europe’s Ryanair, notorious for wanting to charge passengers to use the toilet, puts these things into their planes. But would this be so bad?
I would say overall YES it is bad. If the passenger is 100% fit and can stand sitting like that bearing their weight on their legs for more than an hour.....then the seat is fine. How many people fit into this category? Sitting in this position restricts passengers with back problems, knees, hips, the elderly, children, tall people, larger people and what about the disabled??? How would someone with no use of their legs sit in this awful chair?
It is sad how far a company will go to save money. Okay yes the tickets with such companies are cheap but to put in a chair that can barely be sat on is ridiculous.
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