Russian Airline Plans to Use ‘Stand up’ Seats

A woman uses her laptop on a flight out of John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport in New York, US, May 26, 2017. Picture taken May 26, 2017. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson
A woman uses her laptop on a flight out of John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport in New York, US, May 26, 2017. Picture taken May 26, 2017. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson
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Russian Airline Plans to Use ‘Stand up’ Seats

A woman uses her laptop on a flight out of John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport in New York, US, May 26, 2017. Picture taken May 26, 2017. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson
A woman uses her laptop on a flight out of John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport in New York, US, May 26, 2017. Picture taken May 26, 2017. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

Pobeda, a Russian carrier, plans to take advantage of the “stand up travel” innovation, aiming to boost its revenues by increasing the number of passengers on its flights.

Russian media outlets reported that as part of this commercial view, the Aeroflot-owned Pobeda Airlines, plans to inaugurate a special section on its flights, in which the regular seats will be replaced with new “stand up” seats. But, those seats still have to acquire the necessary official approvals, and meet all the security and safety conditions. Commenting on the news, the company said it is studying several suggestions to increase the number of its cheap tickets.

The “Stand up seats” idea has been created by the Italian Aviointeriors, specialized in designing and manufacturing airplane seats. It is hoped that the new seats will allow more space on flights - up to 20 percent on board.

The seat, which is placed on a column, is composed of a thin cushion designed to fit the human body's structure while standing, allowing it to lean and reduce body weight pressure on the spine. In the middle, the “stand up seat” includes a part that resembles a horse saddle, designed to allow the passenger to stand in a "half-seated" position, that also help reduce the body weight’s pressure on the spine.

Engineers provided the seat with side arms, like those found in regular seats.

The US Civil Aviation Authority has rejected the idea of ​​"standup" seats, but airlines are trying to get approvals to use this type of seats on domestic short flights to increase the number of passengers, and thus, enjoy profit growth.



Heat Wave Forces Iran to Shutter Government Offices and Banks

 An Iranian taxi driver checks his car during the heat surge in Tehran, Iran July 21, 2024. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
An Iranian taxi driver checks his car during the heat surge in Tehran, Iran July 21, 2024. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
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Heat Wave Forces Iran to Shutter Government Offices and Banks

 An Iranian taxi driver checks his car during the heat surge in Tehran, Iran July 21, 2024. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
An Iranian taxi driver checks his car during the heat surge in Tehran, Iran July 21, 2024. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters

A heat wave blanketing Iran has forced authorities to cut operating hours at various facilities Saturday and order all government and commercial institutions to shutter the following day as hospitals receive over 200 people for heatstroke treatment.

The temperature ranged from 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 degrees Fahrenheit) to 42 C (about 107 F) in the capital, Tehran, according to weather reports.

State-run IRNA news agency said banks, offices, and public institutions across the country would close on Sunday to protect people’s health and conserve energy, due to extreme temperatures and that only emergency services and medical agencies would be excluded.

Babak Yektaparast, Spokesman for the country’s emergency department told the semi-official Mehr news agency 225 people had to seek medical help for heatstroke, adding that some had to be hospitalized.

Mehr also cited Sadegh Ziaian, an official at the National Meteorological Organization, as saying Saturday that the temperature reached over 45 C (113 F) in 10 Iranian provinces, with the highest temperature of 49.7 C (about 121 F) recorded in the last 24 hours in Delgan, the southeastern city in Sistan and Baluchistan province which borders Pakistan and Afghanistan.

He added a drop in temperature was expected Monday, with the heat letting up a bit, but still, he warned that “this does not mean that the air will cool down.”

Authorities also cut working hours on Saturday in many provinces due to the sweltering heat, IRNA reported, adding that high temperatures, over 40 C (104 F), have been registered in Tehran since Friday. Iranian media also warned people to stay indoors until 5 pm local time.

Authorities also said electricity consumption reached record levels of 78,106 megawatts on Tuesday, as the scorching heat persisted and people tried to stay cool.

Nournews, close to Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, reported Wednesday that Iran’s temperature is rising at twice the pace of the global temperature which has increased by more than one degree compared to the long-term average. Meanwhile, Iran has become warmer by 2 degrees over the past 50 years, the agency said.

Last year, Iran ordered a two-day nationwide holiday due to increasing temperatures.