The Irish budget airline, Ryanair, is known for pitching controversial proposals, such as installing pay toilets on planes and charging a “fat tax” on people who take up too much room. The company’s latest money-making idea is to offer “vertical” seating. Yes, that means standing up.
Ryanair estimates it would be able to pack in 30 per cent more passengers while slashing costs by 20 per cent.
Spokesman Stephen McNamara said: ‘It would be vertical seating more akin to a stool and the person would still be strapped in.
So I guess this is third class flying, in which you would be fastened to a bar stool. The tickets will be cheaper, but no word on how much. This still has to be approved by safety regulators.
But CEO Michael O’Leary says he’s already had talks with Boeing about designing a plane with a standing room-only section at the back. He says… “We are all about finding ways of raising discretionary revenue so we can keep lowering costs of air travel.”
Yes they are. O’Leary is still talking about the pay toilet thing. He’s abolishing the check-in desk. All passengers will have to check in online. Passengers will also have to carry all their luggage through security to the plane, even the bags that will be checked into the hold.
A lot of people make O’Leary out to be a nut, but the way most airlines are losing money, his unconventional thinking has to be looking more appealing.
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