It’s no secret that airline seats have got smaller over the years. When you fly on a budget airline, you’re pretty much expecting to be uncomfortable and cramped. It’s the price you pay for a cheap flight. But there has to be a limit right? Our behinds are not getting any smaller, so they couldn’t possibly reduce the size any more could they?
Oh yes, actually they can! Let us introduce the Skyrider 2.0 seats. Don’t they sound great? The name suggests some amazing new first class luxurious seat, but don’t be fooled. These seats are more akin to the seats on a roller-coaster, where you simply sit in them for a couple of minutes while whizzing around upside down. With the Skyrider 2.0, you barely get a seat. Well, you can’t really sit on it in the traditional sense. You’re simply resting on the ‘seat’. Half sitting, half standing, as if you’re waiting for a bus. Imagine that for several hours! With your legs dangling down, the seat pitch can be drastically reduced. So your nose is up close to the back of the seat in front of you.
Is this the seat of the future?
These seats were created by Italian manufacturer Aviointeriors and it’s their second attempt to come up with a space saving seat. The original Skyrider seat failed to get approval from the FAA. This second version has extra padding, and poles attached to the ceiling of the aircraft. Aviointeriors state that these seats provide ‘adequate comfort’ whatever that means!
Money saving for the airlines
It’s hard to see many benefits of these tiny seats other than of course profits for the airlines. These seats are half the weight of a standard economy seat, and you can fit 20% more seats into the average plane. They are also low maintenance, so all this will boost the profits for the airlines.
Other issues with the Skyrider 2.0
Comfort aside, there are also some other issues with these seats that have been highlighted. There is neither a seat pocket, not anywhere to store baggage under the seat. With the seats being so close together, there’s also no opportunity for an in-flight entertainment system which would be a welcome distraction from your uncomfortable chair! There’s also nowhere to put a drink or meal, so eating or drinking on these flights would be limited to small snacks, and then you’d be left holding your rubbish until someone took it off you!
Emily is an avid writer with a passion for the travel industry. She also loves learning and writing about nutrition and healthy living. Emily is based in the UK.
