“Please remain seated and fasten your seat belts.” This is a common instruction on airplanes and it is difficult to imagine anything else. However, the Daily Mail reports that low-cost carriers could soon introduce a new, previously unseen service.
These are semi-standing seats. Manufacturer Aviointeriors has introduced upright, saddle-style seats that would allow passengers to recline at an angle, without having to sit completely and classically. The Skyrider 2.0 seats were first introduced in 2018 in Hamburg at the Aircraft Interiors Expo, and could be certified next year. The Skyrider 2.0 seats have solid supports that connect each row of seats to both the ceiling and the floor using rods, unlike classic seats whose frames are attached to floor rails. The seats were described in the following way when they were introduced in 2018: “Skyrider 2.0 is an innovative seat. It enables ultra-high density in the aircraft cabin. Skyrider 2.0 opens up the travel experience to a wider market of passengers, creating a useful space for the introduction of mixed classes boarding the same aircraft. (…) Its main feature is the original floor that ensures an increased upright position of passengers, allowing the installation of seats at a reduced inclination, while maintaining appropriate comfort.”
The introduction of such a type of seat would allow carriers to increase the number of passengers per flight by 20 percent. Also, the said seats are half as light as standard economy class seats and their minimum maintenance costs are lower. All of the above would allow airlines to increase profits by offering even lower ticket prices to passengers who would choose to travel in this way.
Although the CEO of a European low-cost carrier once expressed his desire to introduce a similar mode of travel, no airline has yet officially confirmed plans to introduce this cost-saving venture. Passengers on social media are divided on the issue of introducing semi-standing seats, despite the money-saving potential. Some passengers are unhappy with the idea and are even calling for a boycott of this potential mode of travel.
Time will tell if a new future of a different travel experience in flight is coming. If a low-cost carrier decides to introduce the aforementioned type of seat, it could be offered by airlines on flights of up to two hours as early as 2026, when their certification could be carried out.
