These SkyRider aeroplane seats scare me. I mean, they’re built more like a saddle than a seat. Aeroplanes already aren’t comfortable – do we really need to push the limit?
The SkyRider seats will be unveiled next week at the Aircraft Interiors Expo Americas conference in Long Beach. It’s intended to be seating for a new budget “class” (below Coach obviously) and airliners are supposedly interested. I hope it’s not serious because the SkyRider seats only give 23 inches of leg room. Here’s what the director behind the design group has to say about the Skyrider seats:
“For flights anywhere from one to possibly even up to three hours … this would be comfortable seating,” he says. “The seat … is like a saddle. Cowboys ride eight hours on their horses during the day and still feel comfortable in the saddle.”
OK dude, yeah. A cowboy can do that because a cowboy is badass. I am not that badass. I want some semblance of comfort on a flight. Take away my free blanket and pillow, nickel and dime me for luggage, and don’t give me in-flight meals, fine, but don’t make me saddle up for an aeroplane ride. Please. [USA Today via Pop Sci]
Adz
Monday, September 13, 2010 at 10:48 AMLooks like a baby high chair, but with a tall backrest.
Nodeity
Monday, September 13, 2010 at 11:05 AMJesus,… talk about cattle class! If the person in front of you farts, they won’t be able to deny it :0
Cameron
Monday, September 13, 2010 at 11:12 AMThis is just ridiculous now. As it is I already can’t sit in normal economy class seats, how would I ever be able to sit in these?
Janaka
Monday, September 13, 2010 at 12:28 PMWhy? Are you too wide or too tall? My issue is height in economy – for long flights – I can never sleep – but for short flights its not a big deal (under 3 hours – easy) Saddle seats are actually quite comfortable because there is less pressure on the underside of the thighs – meaning that your blood will flow more freely too!
Cameron
Tuesday, September 14, 2010 at 8:26 AMI’m too tall, I can’t fit comfortably in a normal economy seat on pretty much every plane I’ve been on. My knees are pressed right into the seat in front, so much so that I’ve had people turn around telling me off for kneeing their back so much. I can’t even use the tray table and the person in front of me cant recline their seat.
But these present a new problem. I would need to adjust the height of these looking at how that lady is positioned, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to even get low enough to sit down.
dfoolish1
Monday, September 13, 2010 at 11:27 AMDon’t be so quick to discount the design. Bambach Saddle seats make similar seats to this to improve posture and ergonomics… you might get off the plane feeling better than ever before.
Though… if the plane was to crash, i don’t think i’d be flexible enough to get my head down to my knees if my knees were that low….
John
Monday, September 13, 2010 at 11:48 AMi’d rather stand.
RB
Monday, September 13, 2010 at 12:13 PMthose seats take up too much room… remove all seats from short distance flights and make them like a bus…
surely if you pack enough people into a confined space, they should be able to absorb any sudden movement from take-off / landing / turbulance naturally… like a flying mosh pit :)
Shane
Monday, September 13, 2010 at 12:14 PM“Standing room only”
Why don’t they just put a harness on us and string us up from the roof!?
gman
Monday, September 13, 2010 at 12:21 PMjust look how comfy she is??
LGB
Monday, September 13, 2010 at 12:24 PMObviously this guy has never ridden a horse for any lenghth of time. And I can tell you that 8hrs in a saddle isn’t a walk in the park even 2 or 3 especially if your not used to it.
So that staement is absolute rubbish.
Also judging from this photo it doesn’t really cater for large, small or obese people.
Could you imagine for example a dwarf trying to sit in that thing let alone children?
It’s ludicrous….
Adam
Monday, September 13, 2010 at 12:26 PMjust give everyone bar stools and then we will be happy!
Rob
Monday, September 13, 2010 at 12:53 PMI really can’t see this idea taking off….
Nick Lo
Monday, September 13, 2010 at 1:14 PM“Cowboys ride eight hours on their horses during the day and still feel comfortable in the saddle”… On horses that move around. On leather saddles that have moulded to fit their rider perfectly and have stirrups that the rider can lift onto to ease their sore butts. Hardly comparable to these insipid vinyl things that don’t even look vaguely comfortable. Besides, what about the phrase “saddle sores”?!
Mind you it’s a good spin on “cattle class”: No, no, you’re not the cattle, you’re the cowboys(/girls)!
noway
Monday, September 13, 2010 at 1:18 PMThe look on the face of the model says “this seriously can’t be for real”.
ash
Monday, September 13, 2010 at 2:18 PMnot that i am for this… but it would stop the problem of having that obscenely fat person either in the seat next to you or in front of you… hell it’d probably stop old people being able to sit next to you as well… as one of dieing species known as skinny people, i could agree with these seats from that side of this… but yes, they do look horrendously uncomfortable.
matt
Monday, September 13, 2010 at 2:34 PMI never thought swimming would be a viable option…
Damo the Brave
Monday, September 13, 2010 at 2:46 PMI would have thought it was more about weight than space taken. Squashing an extra 30 people on to a plane will weigh an extra 2100kg (roughly).
Cameron
Tuesday, September 14, 2010 at 8:28 AMOh don’t worry about that, they’ll just reduce your baggage weight limit, and charge you for it.
Matt
Monday, September 13, 2010 at 2:59 PMWhy bother with seats at all. Why not just have full body harness slings dangling from the ceiling. And better yet, faecal tubes dangling from your arse
Craig
Monday, September 13, 2010 at 3:00 PMThose chairs are a joke. They rob the passenger of any semblance of dignity. Not only that, they are ergo fail for anyone who has long legs, short legs – and if you’re overweight, you can forget about it.
Also, as a guy, I wouldn’t want to be sitting on that bump for an hour or two as it would put pressure on your perineum. Perhaps they’ll offer cut out version of the Skyrider? While they’re at it, they could get rid of the toilet That’s about 3 x skyrider seats right there and beneath the cut out, they could have a mini porta potty. Human dignity? The bonehead that came up with this disgrace is obviously misanthropic.
I’d never fly in a plane that had these installed. At least with current fit out of budget airlines and with overcrowding, you can still fool yourself it’s a form of luxury. That has a value all in itself. These seats would rob any perception of value the airline would have left.
attila
Monday, September 13, 2010 at 3:34 PMWhy not just strap us upright to a wooden board? Sheesh.
Stuart
Monday, September 13, 2010 at 4:04 PMEven the model looks uncomfortable!
DK_Son
Monday, September 13, 2010 at 4:05 PMThis wouldnt work for me because I’d prolly get my bollocks squished at some point. That saddle looks like it could ride up between your legs and leave nowhere for my nuts to go but into some sort of pancake form.
They say “up to three hours … this would be comfortable seating” but did the creator of this seat actually sit in it for 3 hours. I’ve found A LOT of furniture to be heaps comfortable when I’ve been in/on it for 5 minutes. But after that 5 minute mark it has become painful and depressing and makes me wish I was never conceived.
Ben2
Monday, September 13, 2010 at 4:21 PMFrom the pic, it seems the babe is having a good time.
Salmonpie
Monday, September 13, 2010 at 4:24 PMLove to see a supersize person trying to slide into that seat and not get stuck!!
Chris McCorry
Monday, September 13, 2010 at 4:45 PMFuck. This. Fuck you airlines, this is not a seat.
Tweak
Monday, September 13, 2010 at 5:15 PMpancake’d people if the plane crashes ?
i give it a few years soon there will just be one of those triangle rail things like they have on the trans and buses.
standing room only.