Featured image credit: Aviointeriors
To say that Filipinos love to travel is a big understatement. In fact, we will do just about anything to fly to our dream destinations in the most economical way possible. But what if it costs us to “stand”, and squeeze ourselves with our carry-ons into cramped seat rows? That’s basically the idea of this new invention, now popularly known throughout the Internet as “standing seats”.
The Skyrider 3.0, as it is officially known, was introduced at the Aircraft Interiors Expo 2019 held on 1 Apr 2019 in Hamburg, Germany. It was created by Aviointeriors, an Italian seat manufacturer.
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Ironically, the standing seats would still require passengers to sit, or at least lean, on a small raised T-shaped chair, similar to riding a horse. There’s also very little legroom provided. According to Aviointeriors, the idea behind Skyrider is to save on space inside planes, allowing airline companies to accommodate more passengers than usual. Last year, its predecessor, Skyrider 2.0, also made headlines because of nearly similar features.
Within a few hours since the expo concluded, photos of the standing seats went viral online once more, drawing a mix of responses among travellers from across the globe. One of the posts was made by aviation blogger, Sam Chui, via his official Facebook page.
In the caption, he referred to the standing seats as the “future of air travel”. A photo of him trying one of the chairs was also attached to the post. Some of the comments posted described the seats as a “prison in the skies”, “inhumane”, “unsafe” and even “stupid”.
Sam Chui’s post was also shared in the public travel group, Travel Philippines (Byaheng Budgetarian – Project 81), by a user named Jp Licudan. Members of the group were also quick to share their thoughts on Skyrider.
Some said the seats might not be comfortable for elder passengers, travellers with a bad case of claustrophobia and those travelling with children. Other users, on the other hand, said that they would be willing to try the standing seats as long as it’s only for a short-haul flight and the price is reasonable.
What do you think of the Skyrider 3.0? Would you go as far as booking a flight with these seats to save on flying costs?
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