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1 / 16Jenny Carlino (R) who is a regional manager for the Italian company Aviointeriors S.P.A, tries out her firms new 'Skyrider' seat.AFP
2 / 16Jenny Carlino who is a regional manager for the Italian company Aviointeriors S.P.A, tries out her firms new 'Skyrider' standing seat which aims to allow airlines to cram more passengers onto budget flights.AFP
3 / 16A man tries out Italian company Aviointeriors' new 'Skyrider' seat which has just 23 inches of legroom.Reuters
4 / 16Melvyn Koh (C) tries out Italian company Aviointeriors' new aircraft 'Skyrider' seat.Reuters
5 / 16Ddier Resendiz tries out Italian company Aviointeriors' new aircraft 'standing seat' which has 23 inches of legroom, instead of the current economy class average of 30 inches, at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Long Beach.Reuters
6 / 16Jenny Carlino who is a regional manager for the Italian company Aviointeriors S.P.A, shows her firms new 'Skyrider' standing seat.AFP
7 / 16Aviation journalists try out the Italian company Aviointeriors S.P.A, new 'Skyrider' seat.AFP
8 / 16Marion Dinicola from New York tries out the SkyRider seat.Reuters
9 / 16Jenny Carlino who is a regional manager for the Italian company Aviointeriors S.P.A, shows her firms new 'Skyrider' seat.AFP
10 / 16Airline industry insiders try out the Italian company Aviointeriors S.P.A, new 'Skyrider'.AFP
11 / 16John Jackson tries out Italian company Aviointeriors' new aircraft 'standing seat' at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Long Beach, California.Reuters
12 / 16Marion Dinicola from New York tries out Italian company Aviointeriors' new aircraft 'Skyrider' seat.Reuters
13 / 16Saddle up ... Aviointeriors seat design offers just 23 inches of leg room. Airline economy class typically offers 31 inches or more.Supplied
14 / 16Aviointeriors says the passenger's seating position is 'similar to that of a touring motor-scooter rider'.Supplied
15 / 16Aviointeriors says its design is for an ultra-high density seat designed and engineered to offer the possibility to 'further reduce ticket prices' through the creation of a new basic class - below economy.Supplied
16 / 16Ryanair has already raised the possibility of 'vertical seating' - standing room berths on short-haul flights.Supplied
If you find economy class seats too cramped for comfort, we have bad news: they may be about to get even smaller.
Italian airline seat and interiors manufacturer Aviointeriors has designed a saddle-like seat with just 23 inches of seat pitch (the space between seats) – significantly smaller than the average 32 inches in economy class. Even the highest-density airline seating normally offers 28 inches of seat pitch.
Aviointeriors says its design, named the 'SkyRider', is for an ultra-high density seat designed and engineered to offer the possibility to “further reduce ticket prices” through the creation of a new basic class – below economy.
The seats would allow more passengers to be crammed into aircraft. The design also allows for partial overlapping of seating between rows, allowing even more seats to fit in.
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Aviointeriors says the passenger's seating position is “similar to that of a touring motor-scooter rider”.
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It says the seats have been engineered and have reached the stage of final testing.
The seats were being unveiled at Aircraft Interiors Expo Americas 2010 in Long Beach, California this week.
The announcement comes as low-cost airlines continue to seek ways to increase profits by adding ancillary charges and increasing the number of passengers they can fly on aircraft.
In July, Ryanair raised the prospect of 'vertical seating' – a proposal that would see the back 10 rows of its short-haul aircraft converted to standing room space.
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In Australia, Tiger Airways' managing director Crawford Rix has said he would consider all options to keep fares low, including vertical seating.
Craig Platt is the digital editor of Traveller and has had responsibility for the travel content on the Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Brisbane Times and WAtoday digital products since 2007. He has worked in journalism for more than 25 years. Craig has a strong interest in aviation and airlines, as well as wildlife tourism and (increasingly) family travel. He has visited every continent, including once visiting six of the seven in a single year (he missed Africa).
Craig Platt is the digital editor of Traveller and has had responsibility for the travel content on the Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Brisbane Times and WAtoday digital products since 2007. He has worked in journalism for more than 25 years. Craig has a strong interest in aviation and airlines, as well as wildlife tourism and (increasingly) family travel. He has visited every continent, including once visiting six of the seven in a single year (he missed Africa).