Tiffany Gomas, a marketing executive who went viral for her outburst on an American Airlines flight, publicly apologized on Sunday evening for her conduct.
27.07.2023 - 18:37 / smartertravel.com
Eight years ago, seat maker Avio showed off an airline “seat” that supported passengers but didn’t really seat them. Instead, passengers would lean against a padded backrest and tiled semi-seat attached to a vertical pole, but they’d still support some weight on their feet. Dubbed the Skyrider, the seat would allow passenger rows with a front-to-rear spacing, or pitch, as low as 23 inches, compared with the minimum of 29 inches for today’s worst economy cabins and 30-31 inches for most giant lines.
The benefit to airlines? More passengers in each plane. The advantage to passengers? Lower fares. The original announcement was greeted with much derision and amusement, from both consumer and industry sources, with lots of jokes—but no long-term interest.
Related:Ride Standing Up in a Plane? Are You Kidding?Now, in 2018, Avio is back with Skyrider 2.0, again showing off at the Airliners Interiors Expo in Hamburg what it claims is an “improved” product. And the business is again buzzing with both “why” and “why not” questions.
Why Standing Airline Seats Might WorkLow fares are now irresistible. Air travelers have already demonstrated their willingness to accept a really terrible seating product if fares are low enough, and Skyrider doesn’t look a lot worse than what you get today on bottom-feeding airlines. At least it’s better than the unsupported standing room that many big-city rail commuters face every day? At low enough fares, Skyrider might well attract a sizable market for short-haul flights of maybe an hour or hour and a half or so.
Why Standing Airline Seats Might Not WorkSafety issues are a challenge. The number of passengers a commercial plane can hold is limited by the ratio of passengers to exit doors, and today’s jets are already at or close to those limits. In addition, it’s hard to see how the design could pass the 16G impact requirement of today’s seating. Also, Skyrider would probably be limited to relatively short flights, and airlines could install it in only a small dedicated fleet of very-short-haul planes that couldn’t be used elsewhere—a big problem for most airlines.
Related:The New Airline Seats from Hell What Happens NextIndustry mavens can and will debate the pros and cons of Skyrider for years, but a true test would be definitive. Could Avio get a low-fare airline to install Skyrider in one test plane and see how the real-world market reacts? Interesting, but unlikely.
I’d put the chances of actual Skyrider installations at less than 50 percent. If any, the first installations will likely be in Asia or Europe. Still, as often noted in the airline business, nothing catches on as fast as a bad idea.
More from SmarterTravel: The Safest Seat on the Plane Should Airlines Get RidTiffany Gomas, a marketing executive who went viral for her outburst on an American Airlines flight, publicly apologized on Sunday evening for her conduct.
On Monday 14 August, when the tide is right, an antique sailing ship will manoeuvre through the lock of Plymouth’s historic Sutton harbour and point herself south-west towards the Canary Islands. It will be the start of a two-year voyage around the world taking in 32 ports and involving thousands of people in a groundbreaking geographical project, Darwin200, which aims, among other things, to inspire the environmental leaders and scientists of the future.
‘Slipping through my fingers all the time / I try to capture every minute …,” mourns Meryl Streep in Mamma Mia! as we drive along a dusty road lined with goats and olive trees to Kefalos beach. I glance over at my girl – rosy cheeks, sun-kissed hair, phone glued to hand – and I’m overcome with emotion and involuntarily snort tears down my face.
It’s a bird; it’s a plane; it’s a flying restaurant? Acclaimed Dutch Chef Angélique Schmeinck has created quite a stir with her popular CuliAir Skydining, the world’s first hot air balloon restaurant, where lucky diners enjoy a three-course meal while floating in the skies above Holland.
Ever dreamed of packing up everything and moving to another country? Here are the most livable cities in the world, according to a study by The Economist.
Looking for a new museum to add to your travel to-do list? TripAdvisor (SmarterTravel’s parent company) has released the Travelers’ Choice Top 25 Museums of 2018, including the top 10 worldwide and the top 10 in the United States, with some surprising frontrunners. The findings also highlight bookable ways to see each winner—think VIP tours and scavenger hunts—with some offering the added perk of allowing you to skip the lines to get in.
Airline trade sources are reporting that the founder of JetBlue, David Neeleman, is getting ready to launch a new low-cost domestic airline. Neeleman is by far the world’s most proficient and successful airline-starter. The proposed airline, originally named Moxy (which is likely to change), will reportedly fly 60 Bombardier C300 jets on routes connecting secondary airports near major U.S. cities. The service could begin as early as 2020.
I don’t suppose that most travelers choose their trip destinations based on a country’s happiness index. On the other hand, if they knew that Country A scored near the top of the happiness index and Country B scored near the bottom, it seems probable they’d be inclined to book their flights to Country A. Who wants to spend their vacation among unhappy people?
AirHelp, the online service that files complaints against airlines on behalf of passengers entitled to compensation for air delays or cancellations, knows a thing or two about air travel. Because it’s hard for the average person to understand air passenger rights and pursue a legal claim when they’ve been wronged, AirHelp is always going toe-to-toe with airlines and airports—and reveals once a year which ones that treat their passengers for the better (or worse).
In this time of isolation, businesses and individuals around the world are sending out messages of hope. Discover, in photos, how we’re keeping our spirits up during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Review and booking website Tripadvisor (SmarterTravel’s parent company) is out with its annual list of the most popular tourist attractions in the world. It’s dominated by iconic attractions, some of which you’re guaranteed to wait in a two-hour line for unless you can purchase skip-the-line passes. It’s also worth noting that almost every attraction on the list is in Europe.
For the sixth year in a row, Finland has claimed the top spot in the World Happiness Report. The annual report, compiled by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, surveys residents in over 150 countries to determine which nations are the happiest.