Photo of the Chaise Longue Airplane Seat prototype.
Double-decker seats are being explored as an immediate answer to the severe space constraint that is now present in all modes of transportation, from buses to trains.
But now, new images of double-decker aeroplane seats have ignited a fierce debate on the internet, as social media users are giving them heavily mixed reviews since they trigger several questions in their minds.
The concept, designed by Alejandro Nunez Vicente, was showcased at an aircraft expo in Germany.
Mr. Vicente uploaded pictures of the seats on his Instagram account while they were on display at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg, Germany. The photographs gained traction and elicited a flood of responses from users in the comment section.
"This actually makes me sick... We're already packed in like cattle when we fly. And there is no way this is safe in an emergency. Stop trying to make air travel worse," commented a user.
"I have safety concerns and questions... How would this work in an emergency evacuation? If a fire or smoke condition breaks out, there are less than 90 seconds to evacuate a plane once all wheels stop. It is hard enough to evacuate a passenger jet with small seats on a single-level floor, but now you are adding one or two stairs to some seats. I see a massive tripping issue and a lot of broken ankles," wrote another user.
"A nightmare from hell! Airlines already have us packed in like cattle at outrageous prices. These will be the "cheap" basic economy seats designed to make us "poors" feel even more like livestock. May any airline that adopts this absurdity go bankrupt!" a third user commented.