Do Airlines Want to Cram Us Into Even Smaller Seats?

The French company responsible for the Airbus is trying to patent a new airplane seat that crams people in like sardines — on a bicycle.

More passengers would be able to be squeezed onto the jet thanks to the seat design, which takes the shape of a bike saddle and folds up when not in use. There are armrests, but no headrests or tray tables (there seems to be a small backrest). Airbus admits the seats will cut down on comfort, but believes they could reduce cost and could work on short flights. But they also insist this concept could be totally scrapped.

"Many, if not most, of these concepts will never be developed, but in case the future of commercial aviation makes one of our patents relevant, our work is protected," Aribus spokeswoman Mary Anne Greczyn said in a statement, reported in the Los Angeles Times. "Right now these patent filings are simply conceptual."