Ryanair looks to offer standing room on flights
07 Jul 2009
Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary has floated an idea borrowed from a Chinese airline to allow passengers on commuter routes to travel ''standing.'' He said he has asked Boeing to look at converting or producing aircraft with "vertical seating."
O'Leary posed a question before the media, ''Why is this any different to what happens on trains where you see thousands of people who cannot get a seat standing in the aisles?"
An airline spokesperson confirmed that Ryanair and Boeing indeed were in discussions "in relation to adapting the aircraft to allow people to travel in vertical seating."
The spokesperson clarified that the passengers "wouldn't be fully standing. They would have something like a stool to lean on or to sit on." According to reports in the local media, the spokesperson also said, "It's really early days but we're looking at a 20%-30% increase in passengers on commuter routes."
Ryanair is yet to seek approval from aviation authorities.
The Dublin-headquartered airline has credited Shanghai-based low cost carrier Spring Airlines for the idea.
According to a Spring spokesperson, speaking on Chinese television, the airline intended to submit a plan to regulators this year. The spokesperson said "it's just like bar stools. The safety belt is the most important thing. It will still be fastened around the waist." Spring president Wang Zhenghua said the country's vice premier, Zhang Dejiang, "suggested that for a lower price, passengers should be able to get on a plane like catching a bus, with no seat, no luggage consignment, no food, no water, but very convenient."
Ryanair carried 5.8 million passengers in June, up 13% from the year-ago month. Load factor was up a point, to 82%.
