Airbus seeks patent for bicycle-like airline seat

[n2doc]

How far will the airline industry go to squeeze in more passengers per plane?

The question arises after France-based Airbus Operations submitted a patent in Europe for a new passenger seat that resembles a bicycle seat with a small backrest. It has no tray table, no headrest and very little legroom.

As explained in the patent application, the invention is meant to reduce the bulk of a typical airline seat, thus allowing an airline to pack more passengers onto a plane and, presumably, increase profits.

“In effect, to increase the number of cabin seats, the space allotted to each passenger must be reduced,” the patent application states.

more

http://www.latimes.com/business/travel/la-fi-airbus-seeks-patent-for-bicyclelike-airline-seat-20140711-story.html

[el_bryanto]

1. Ick. That's terrible. nt

[IDemo]

3. Or oars, more appropriately

Edited - copyright material (image of slave galley ship)

[delrem]

5. Hey, that's EXACTLY my immediate reaction! nt

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

4. These guys had very little leg room, no headrests or tray tables, very hard seats too

Are we eventually going to have passengers perched on stationary bikes pumping pedals turning chains hooked up to propellers and pay for the privilege?

[davidpdx]

54. It wouldn't surprise me a bit

Make the economy passengers (the 99%) peddle while the first class (1%) enjoy their drinks and nap.

[Turbineguy]

56. That Quintus Arrius guy

is one mean chief engineer!

[NV Whino]

6. They forgot the pedals

How's it going to get off the ground if you don't pedal?

[Initech]

7. First class gets luxury palaces in the air, we get hearded like cattle.

Even more so if this comes to pass.





Vs.:



At least they give us free TVs.

[REP]

57. I just flew first class. It was NOTHING like those photos

I've had three surgeries in the past year and I'm not forcing myself into coach, so after my mother died in May, I've had to fly back home twice and I flew first class. It was nothing like those ridiculous photos. It was just a slightly larger seat with "free" food and drinks (not really free because my ticket cost a little more) and a FA who only had 6 rows of people to tend to. No spas, no sleeper seats, nothing luxurious (and one flight was on a regional jet so the seat wasn't that much better than coach).

[sakabatou]

8. So fucking uncomfortable

[jmowreader]

9. Al Jaffee of Mad Magazine predicted this twenty years ago

One of his "Future No Frills Airline" gags was a plane with no seats at all - it had handstraps hanging down from the ceiling like a muni bus, and passengers had to stand the entire flight.

[geomon666]

27. We're one step closer to Lewis Black's airline stick

2:25

[riderinthestorm]

10. What's weird is that there are customers like me who would chose these if we could exercise

If it were possible to exercise while in flight I'd pick that in a minute, if they made it an exercycle.

Instead they've chosen a draconian seat without that option.

Bummer

[pnwmom]

11. That would be a GREAT way to increase the number of blood clots per flight.

Good going, Airbus!

[nilram]

42. And the number of wrenched backs during turbulence.

Clearly, they think they have too many passengers already.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

12. Not The Onion?

[pnwmom]

13. Also, how do the window passengers get out to go to the restroom? n/t

[arcane1]

14. Complimentary diapers, probably n/t

[ohheckyeah]

28. No, those will cost extra -

there is no longer complimentary anything with most airlines.

[msanthrope]

38. Depends. nt

[pnwmom]

39. LOL.

[RKP5637]

53. Particularly in some cases where they refused to let one use the restroom. Maybe

the floor will have grates so one can just stand and go, like a pet cage of sorts. I really hate flying now, never do it anymore, fortunately.

[mike dub]

15. Haha! Airbus really had me goin there for a second

Oh, wait?--are they Serious?!

[DirkGently]

16. Holy crap. Those should sell like cold cakes. n/t

[dixiegrrrrl]

17. To fly the airline , you have be THIS thin....

HOw is that idea going to work with the poundage problem we seem to have?

[Hekate]

18. no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no

no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no

[pnwmom]

21. But what do you really think, Hekate?

[pinboy3niner]

45. Blitzer just reported that Hekate's opinion is too close to call

[abakan]

62. Ok I'll take that as a...

NO!

[Nye Bevan]

19. I am absolutely fine with that kind of seat

on flights of 20 minutes or less.

[BainsBane]

20. Just when you thought flying couldn't get any more miserable.

[davidpdx]

52. I know

I'm going to the US soon and have two flights each way, one 10 1/2 hours and the other a domestic flight that is 50 minutes. Being stuck in a tin can is not my idea of fun.

[Blue Owl]

22. Oh that'll feel good during heavy turbulence

[Uncle Joe]

23. I can only imagine what the fatality rate on something like that would be! Where is Skittles?

Whoever came up with the idea needs a serious ass kicking.

Thanks for the thread, n2doc.

[Shankapotomus]

43. And just imagine if it crashes

The death toll would be even worse.

[Skittles]

44. I WILL KICK SOME PATENTED ASS

YES INDEED

[tblue37]

24. They will drive away their customers with this. People already avoid flying as much as they can

because of uncomfortable seats, bad service, and the nightmare of Kabuki security procedures. I know that I have reduced my flying drastically. I used to fly to visit relatives at least a couple of times a year. Now I go years between flights. Manypeople Iknow choose to drive rather than fly, because once you tack on the security process, delayed flights, layovers, etc., the time is not all that different for many trips, and for some trips the drive is less time-consuming.

It doesn't matter how many people they can pack into a plane if no one is willing to buy a ticket.

[HooptieWagon]

29. Yep, same here.

Used to fly several times a year, now go several years between flights. Its fucking miserable.

[geomon666]

25. Fuck that shit.

Do they really expect people to pay hundreds of dollars to fly for 3 - 10 hours on this shit? How about this, next time the airline industry starts to go belly up, DON'T BAIL THEM OUT.

[NYC Liberal]

26. Almost as bad as the Ryanair proposal for standing-room-only flights.

[pnwest]

61. I think I'd RATHER stand, than sit on that thing

and have knotted up back muscles and numb legs...

[Bombero1956]

64. Ryanair wanted to charge for using the restrooms

Back in 2010 they floated the idea (no pun intended) of charging to use the restrooms in flight.

[ohheckyeah]

30. Oh, fuck no. n/t

[JI7]

31. i would rather spend months at sea on a boat like the old days

than this .

[Anansi1171]

32. Yeah in how flying has changed in 50 years perfectly mirrors

...how the 1% views the rest of us.

[donco]

33. DAMN!

And it’s not an onion article either.

[stevenleser]

34. Airbus deserves a figurative beating for just mentioning this idea out loud.

[pa28]

35. Good thing Airbus does not employ people as cynical as me.

I would have included a "spine rest" feature that would allow you to recline your head within an inch of the passenger behind you.

If you aren't torturing your passengers you're doing it wrong.

[Retrograde]

36. For a bus trip

such as a 15 or 30 minute trip,maybe. But for a cross-continent trip, like mine to visit my family, well, I can't see sitting on one of these for 6+ hours. And I've done 70+ mile bike tours.

[musiclawyer]

37. I have a standing desk. I have discussed this for years with friends

Would never go back to a regular chair . I would not mind standing on a plane for commuter flights and short distance if there was a bar stool type set up to rest your behind and legs. Seems you would need a harness type of lock-in like they do in roller coasters. The bicycle type seat....no!

[pnwmom]

40. Airline passengers are already at risk for deep vein thrombosis. This would only increase it. nt

[muriel_volestrangler]

46. Would it? I thought DVT problems came from horizontal seats

that compress the bottom of the thighs.

[pnwmom]

47. They come from poor blood circulation in general, in addition

to the dehydration that occurs.

That position would cause blood to settle in the lower extremities. And I don't see how the passengers are supposed to be able to get out of their seats to walk around the aircraft. I don't even see how they can go to the bathroom.

[muriel_volestrangler]

48. Getting out of non-aisle seats is already a problem

You have to get the other passengers to get up. That's not going to change in economy.

I thought being more upright was thought to help prevent DVT by encouraging circulation.

On edit: however, the lack of tables indicates this is for short flights only. So DVT is less likely to be a problem anyway.

[pnwmom]

49. Half-standing isn't a good position to encourage circulation.

Gravity works against that.

Spoken by a person who has had DVT twice.

Let's hope this is meant only for short flights. However, even short flights can get delayed for an hour or more on the tarmac.

[abakan]

63. Standing could be problematic during turbulence.

At least it seems that way.....

[bluesbassman]

41. Well there it is: Airbus is reviving steerage.

[malaise]

50. Well that's one way to stop me from flying

permanently

[RKP5637]

51. So glad I never have to fly anymore for business. I used to fly thousands of miles a year, no more.

I don't take a plane for anything, luckily.

[Javaman]

55. Next they will add ors and a drum beat to keep the plane flying. nt

[lame54]

58. "The plane's going down! Keep pedaling!"

[Coventina]

59. I would NEVER fly like that. Never.

I hate flying as it is, and rarely do it.

That would ensure that I never fly again.

Way to scare away customers!

[Takket]

60. I can't believe such seating would ever meet safety regulations

One bump and the person behind you would slam his or her head into yours. The chair and its back are an integral part of airline safety.

[geardaddy]

65. Hell, get rid of the seat part

and you don't have to probe people in the TSA line.