An Italian design company, Aviointeriors , has patented a new airline seat, the “ SkyRider ,” which promises to really pack passengers in. The seat is designed to evoke a saddle, and the experience is meant to be gentler on your body than the fully-upright “Hannibal Class” standing seats that were floated a few years ago. We really are regressing technologically if we’re now trying to make air travel more like the... 

American Airlines is adopting another fee, which they’re calling “ Express Seats .” If you’re willing to pony up $19 to $39, depending on length of flight, you too can sit in the front of the economy section, including bulkhead seats, without being an elite level frequent flier. The option is available only for U.S. domestic travel, and only from self-…  Read More →

If you’re flying Air France, KLM, or Cathay Pacific in economy class, you’ll soon notice a little extra padding on your seatbelt. The padding? An airbag. The seatbelt airbag, designed to deploy within 90 milliseconds after a crash, will be required when the seat in front of you is rigid, and risk of a “head-strike” is high. Since most airlines don’t feature the self-contained “pod” hard-shell seats a la... 

Upgraded: Hotel Honeybees The Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Charlotte has a new amenity: Rooftop honeybees . The hotel restaurant will use approximately 70 lbs. of honey produced by the hive. Upgraded: The Widespread Status Quo of Not Charging for Carry-On Bags Five airlines have pledged not to start charging for carry-on bags: American, Delta, JetBlue Airways, United Airlines, and US Airways. Yay, status quo! Downgraded: Recline on Spirit Upgraded:... 

Downgraded: Catastrophe Management SNCF, the national railway of France, publicly posted that 104 passengers had died in an explosion of the high-speed TGV. Thankfully, the news was false — completely fabricated, as an internal crisis management simulation. But alas, the test went awry, and the notice actually hit the newswires. Downgraded: Meals on Continental Continental Airlines has finally thrown in the towel and is giving up the free... 

Upgraded: Wine you can bring onboard a flight It’s not the original intent of winemakers, and I’m sure the airline industry doesn’t advocate this, but 50ml wine sample bottles may soon be put into regular production. 50ml? 50ml is certainly below the TSA’s 100ml cutoff… Downgraded: Continental exit row seats Starting March 17, exit row seats will cost you extra money , unless you’re a Continental OnePass elite... 

Downgraded: Toyotas in rental car fleets Bad enough that Toyota’s massive recall is affecting so many vehicle owners. But it’s affecting rental cars, too. Enterprise, for example, has removed 83% of their Toyotas, but that leaves 17% in the fleet. If you’re given a Toyota at the rental counter — any rental counter, not just Enterprise — you may want to request documentation that the recall repairs have been completed.... 

Air New Zealand is launching new seats in its longhaul economy class, with a section of the plane fitted with “Skycouch” seats designed to create a three-seat wide airborne equivalent of a foldout couch. It’s an effort to create the first lie-flat bed in coach, a worthy goal if ever there was one. Starting in November 2010, the window seats in the first eleven rows of economy class of newly-delivered Boeing 777-300s will have... 

Upgraded: Continental Airlines BusinessFirst seats Continental Airlines’ international business class seats are getting a facelift. Initially promised back in August 2008, the first of the new 180-degree lie-flat seats finally debuted last week . (They call them “BusinessFirst,” but let’s be real, it’s really business class.) The new seats are four inches wider than the old seats. The interactive tour of the seat... 

Starting as early as April 2010, travelers on long-haul Air New Zealand flights may be able to stretch out and sleep in coach, for as little as $150 extra. To get the “bed,” the adjacent seat would need to be empty (a rare phenomenon in the sky these days), so there would be no guarantee of upgrading the seat before booking. Two adjacent economy seats could be mechanically adjusted to create an angled but flat seat. Regrettably, there... 

Upgraded: Bad ideas made real Remember the proposal for sideways seating on commercial airlines? DesignQ, the company that proposed the scheme, is moving toward testing — including crash simulations — by the end of 2009. I am honestly surprised the design is being pursued this aggressively. We’ll see how those tests go. Here’s a reminder of what the designers have in mind: Downgraded: Hilton hotels in Venezuela Venezuelan... 

“The last bastion of decent airline customer service begins its inexorable slide towards Ryan-ism.” So writes reader Hamish in response to British Airways’ announcement that they’ll be charging a fee for advanced seat reservation, beginning October 7. If you want to book an aisle, window, or God forbid, emergency exit seat, it’ll cost you. For ANY seat, not just the most desirable ones. The rates vary by class and... 

It’s not Hannibal class seating, but it’s not going to evoke images of comfort: The British firm Design Q has proposed a military-transport style for (discount) airline seating. Howard Guy, director of the UK company Design Q, acknowledges that some people will not be happy with the plan, but says they will be able to pay less for any inconvenience. …  Read More →