Airlines are notorious for trying to squeeze as many passengers as possible onto aircraft, but a new seat design could up the ante even more.
A forward-thinking manufacturer has unveiled an updated prototype of its stand-up seat, the Skyrider 3.0.
The space-saving design has a reduced pitch, meaning passengers are in a more upright position, rather than sitting as normal.
Italian company Avio Interiors showed off its latest model, which, unlike earlier versions, includes a coat hook and a seat pocket or table, at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg.
Avio Interiors says the Skyrider will enable carriers to fit 20 per cent more passengers into the cabin, with legroom slashed from 28 to 23 inches.
The seats could be fitted into the Airbus A321 and A320 and the Boeing 737, said the brand, and are designed to be used for short-haul travel.
“Evolving market environment in short haul routes is steering Avio Interiors to the new design of the skyrider concept,” the company said in a statement, adding that the seats offered an “acceptable” level of comfort for the passenger while saving room.
Avio Interiors says the new seat design also weighs 50 per cent less than a standard economy seat and has fewer components, making it cheaper and easier to maintain.
It follows a number of stories of airlines reducing legroom in recent years.
In 2017, British Airways hit headlines for reducing legroom on some short-haul flights on Airbus A320s to 29 inches: the same as easyJet but an inch shorter than Ryanair.
The same year, American Airlines slashed seat pitch by up to two inches in its 737 Max jetliner fleet, with some seats also reduced to 29 inches of legroom.
