Airlines continue the comfort vs space debate

LONDON — Sit on a bike while in a plane? That could be a reality if the latest seat designs from Airbus see the light of day.

The aircraft manufacturer has sought a patent for an airline seat that resembles a bicycle saddle, in an apparent effort to cram more passengers on board. The seats, which fold away when they’re not being used, would offer “reduced bulk, for example, in an aircraft”, said the patent application.

The device is designed for short flights, it stated, rather obviously considering tray tables are non-existent, there is no sign of in-flight entertainment and seats don’t appear to recline.

“Reduced comfort remains tolerable for the passengers in as much as the flight lasts only one or a few hours,” said Airbus. “It is now no longer possible to further reduce the seating width, particularly in economy class. It is (also) difficult to continue to further reduce (the) distance between the seats because of the increase in the average size of the passengers.”

Therefore, to increase the number of cabin seats, “the design of the seats has to be optimised so that they present the smallest possible bulk”, it said.

But travellers needn’t worry — yet. A spokesman for Airbus said it was “unlikely” the seats would be used on passenger planes. “We file hundreds of patents each year and it’s all about protecting ideas,” he added.

Airlines are constantly looking at ways to save space, and a similar design — albeit with a more substantial backrest — was unveiled in 2010. The Skyrider, by Italian design firm Aviointeriors Group, offered fliers 23 inches of legroom — around seven inches less than the 30 inches typically offered by budget airlines.

This trend will only continue. At the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg in April this year, Airbus revealed plans to squeeze an extra 35 to 40 seats into its A380, while a Florida-based manufacturer of aircraft interiors recently unveiled designs for a smaller plane loo for the Boeing 737, which would allow airlines to squeeze in four more seats. THE DAILY TELEGRAPH