Sep 14 2010
Dumb Business Ideas
This has to be one of the most innovative ways to go out of business to come along in a long time:
The features of this torture device:
The new “saddle” seat, to be unveiled at a conference this week, increases the number of seats an airline can have in its economy class.
The design, named the “SkyRider”, allows just 23 inches of legroom, which is about seven inches less than the average seat’s space of 30 inches.
There is no way this 6′, 220 lb frequent flyer is going to use any airline that can’t afford a proper seat. Right now I barely fit in economy class spacing. I can’t eat on the tray (the reclining head in front of me blocks access to my food) and my back is always a wreck on long flights. Unless some liberal law is passed requiring we suffer even more as we travel, this idea is DOA.
I have to assume the seatbacks are fixed in place and cannot be reclined. I allready feel like I can count the hairs on someone head or see what sort of pattern I see in their baldness. Seven inches closer, I imagine you will be feeling the person breath who is behind you. Disgusting.
Tom,
We could all do the simian hair grooming thing…
Just traveled 6 hours by plane, a pleasure trip stacked like a sardine. I couldn’t wear my reading glasses as my book was 6 inches from my face when the guy put his seat back. Had no place to rest my glass as the tray couldn’t go down all the way. Went to the bathroom in a 3 x 4 room, the door slammed shut, no light, had no idea how to fix the situation, finally discovered how to reopen the door through the braille method. Perhaps there are cultures who do confinement to small spaces better then Americans, but I decided any American airline that respects the people who use their service could make millions. I would like to write a note, but getting on a no fly list may not be a good idea.
The perfection of virtual travel is coming.
when I went to New Orleans last weekend, I chose an 8 hour drive (one way) over dealing with the hassle of dealing with an airline. And best of all, then I had my own car when I got there.
I won’t book a flight unless driving is just ridiculously out of the question. And ideas like this sure won’t be winning my business back.
Hey, maybe they could stuff me in a bag and hang passengers like grapefruit all down the length of the aircraft!
So a few might suffer from claustrophobia, what the hey?
I live in Dallas and my folks in Conn. About 10 years ago we drove up instead of flying. It was much more enjoyable. We have just as many fond memories of the trip as we do the visit. Since then we have made the trip twice. Well never fly there again.
The only time I fly is for work and funerals.
“this 6?, 220 lb …”
Yea, if we were as skinny as the model showing off the seat it would not be so bad.