The ‘standing’ plane seat is back – and testers claim it’s like a ‘torture chamber’

The prospect of “standing seats” in economy class has moved another inch closer to reality, with the third incarnation of the now-infamous Skyrider being showcased to airline bosses. Italian design firm Avio Interiors used the Paris Air Show to show off its Skyrider 3.0, promising “ultra-high density” seating to carriers looking to squeeze as many passengers as possible into its planes. The concept would make it possible for aircraft to have 20% more seats, with “low maintenance costs”; so a typical Boeing 737 could have 227 seats instead of 189. The latest version of the seats did not win over all its testers. Andreas Speath, an aviation journalist based in Germany, where the seats were first unveiled in April, said the seats were a “no-go for over 10 minutes". Another described the furniture as a “torture chamber”. <br/>