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Ryanair, the airline who absolutely loves to stir up publicity by way of controversy, has another idea for airplanes: no seats. As if charging to use the loos wasn’t enough, Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary believes that seatbelts on planes are useless so therefore it’s a waste to even have seats. Make people stand!
O’Leary wants to rip out the seats in the last 10 rows of an airplane and create a standing room only section. Seatbelts apparently don’t matter because according to him, “if there ever was a crash on an aircraft, God forbid, a seatbelt won’t save you.” According to the Telegraph:
He is currently seeking to create “standing room only” cabins for students and budget travellers, selling £1 tickets to European destinations… When it came to landing, he suggested, passengers could “hang on to the handle” and would be “fine”.
If the ticket is cheap enough and the flight is short enough… I think I’d fly without a seat. What about you guys? [Telegraph via Consumerist]
Yes, for £1!! I’d do it for the crack
Wow I totally missed the part where they were going to give out cocaine
might actually tempt people to fly Ryanair…
The crack is in back.
Short flight? No big deal. Anything over and hour would start to get annoying but I’m thinking 2 hours or less would be very doable. There should be a bar back there for sure.
Yeah.. maybe he want’s to be re-addressing that seatbelt thought though.
http://travel.msn.co.nz/travelnews/8201509/qantas-passenger-jet-drops-26000-feet
If there was ever some turbulence, you’d end up with a pile of people in one corner with some sick all over the place.
On some of the bigger planes i wouldnt think it was an issue, i couldnt even tell when i left the ground or landed on an A380, but on some of the older planes you get pushed right back into your seat when the engines start pumping for takeoff…. What are you gonna do when you are standing then?
Although being a CEO of a massive company, i guess he knows more than i do!
I can’t imagine any circumstance where e.g. the CAA would approve a scheme like that.
So erm yeah, about the effectiveness of seat belts:
1) They stop you getting sucked out of the plane (it’s happened http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,149181,00.html)
2) They stop you coming out of your seat if the plane drops out of the air for a little bit (turbulence etc)
3) They stop you destroying yourself as much when a plane does hit the ground (see http://www.channel4.com/programmes/the-plane-crash/4od)
Also, think about take off… you know the acceleration when you get pushed into your seat – imagine having to take that standing up.
Maybe the media should be a bit more discriminatory and say “Hey Michael O’Leary… if you want some advertising… why don’t you pay for it like everyone else.”
Thank you for some sense. I am constantly amazed by the people in high paid positions of power, and how much they make me facepalm.
if the flight is short enough like 15-30 mins, I doubt the plane would be high enough to encounter these conditions you mention; like turbulence. If I remember correctly, the maximum height on such a flight would be 4,000ft.
http://brokensecrets.com/2010/02/23/why-do-airplanes-fly-at-high-altitudes/
There are also numerous resources on turbulence at low altitudes – it’s worse low down as you encounter warm air rising off the surface.
Also, 1 still applies (sucking is caused by the air rushing past the open hole, not depressurisation) as does 3, as does take-off acceleration.
In other news: Turbulence is a myth created by aircraft seatbelt manufacturers!
Or Michael O’Leary is bullshitting to get people talking about his airline again. Any press is good press.
I can’t see you being able to stand during take off or landing – it’s just unsafe.
Given that I used to have a commute longer than the average Ryanair flight and Often had to stand most of the way I can see this being acceptable to some people. HOWEVER it’s just publicity seeking bollocks that will never actually happen.
Yeah, this wouldn’t get past the aviation authorities. It’s not just the seat belt that’s safer, it’s also the seat that provides some protection in a crash. That’s why young kids tend to survive crashes more than adults – the seat provides a lot of protection for them.
O’Leary’s just trying to push the envelope to see what sticks. I also wonder if he knew he was on record with this interview, because his language is even more strident than usual:
“When questioned over the fairness of charging travellers to print a boarding pass, he said: ‘We think [they] should pay 60 euros for being so stupid.’”
Generally, insulting any of your potential customers is bad for business.
Actual innovation in the air travel industry! May never see the light of day but would love to see this tried. My personal dream is to fit out an airplane like a Japanese capsule hotel so I can actually lie down to sleep on the way over the pond.
A standing passenger is a potential projectile while the aircraft is flying/falling through turbulance. Maybe stick the standing room only bit at the front of the cabin so everyone can watch
I have to stand in between carriages on the train again tonight for over 2 hours before i can get a seat (lon to plym). My train journey costs £32. So yes, I would definitely be willing to stand on a plane if it was considerably cheaper.
This story is very old…
Speaking as a tall person who really hates the seats I would totally do this. I’d much rather stand for an hour or two than be forced into those seats designed for someone clearly smaller than me
This is an old Ryanair publicity stunt that they’ve recycled.
And, like most of them, it’s bollocks.
Planes are tested and certified to carry a particular number of passengers in any particular configuration.
One of the key considerations is getting people off (and on).
The regulations concerning taking off and landing an airline in Europe and the US require that the plane is flown within its certified rating.
This is wrong for so many reasons. Any turbulence and people would literally hit the celling. Chairs also act as crowd control, separating people and giving them space. Any emergency and these people would be uncontrollable as they have no defined space and just as bags should be secured so should people.
Planes crash land all the time, just no one dies. Theses ones are where planes skid off runways etc… where there are sharp breaking especially when off the runway as the ground changes. These sorts of incidents, people would die if not strapped in.