THE NEW SKYRIDER 3.0

The Italian company specializing in the design of cabin interior – Aviointeriors – presents, for the third time in the Aircraft Interiors Expo 2019 (AIX) in Hamburg – Germany, version 3.0 of the SkyRider. This design was proposed for the first time in 2010, but had some structural problems, the second version was released in 2018 and evolved in the design with a stabilizer bar to keep the seat in place.

The new Skyrider 3.0 features innovations such as a coat rack, a modular backrest, a work table and a large pocket. In addition, Aviointeriors maintains that this type of seats has a low maintenance cost and its installation does not require a structural modification of the cabin.

It should be noted that despite all the changes that have been made to the Skyrider, it still does not comply with the current regulations that establish that the minimum space for legs in the economy class is about 71.12 centimeters, and they offer 58.42 centimeters.

Aviointeriors engineering consultants emphasize that it is not about creating a “class of livestock” and cramming as many passengers as possible into the cabin, but rather, creating a configuration of several classes. This means that in the same cabin, you will have a standard economic class, economic premium or ultra-basic executive and economic class (this would be Skyrider), which is an innovation for the airline and the passenger.

For now there are two major doubts when knowing the design of the Skyrider, the first is the comfort of them, because the way it was designed, is like riding on the seat of a bicycle. The creators have declared that the experience is not necessarily pleasant and that, therefore, it is intended for short air routes that do not exceed 3 hours; and the other is whether these types of seats actually comply with the basic safety regulations for their passengers or if, on the contrary, installing them would imply adapting the regulations to their specifications.

Skyrider is just a project since no giant of the aeronautics, such as Airbus or Boeing, have shown interest in this innovation for their cabins, the company says it could be a great opportunity to offer more tickets at lower cost on short routes and so on, more profit for airlines.

Are we facing a solution for the traveler who seeks to pay a lower cost? or Will it only remain as an invention?