VivaColombia Boss Says He’s Eager to Explore Vertical Travel Options
Jackie Reddy July 07, 2017
Standing room only: William Shaw, the carrier’s CEO and founder, thinks that the move would allow the airline to pack more passengers onto its flights, thus lowering fares.
Low-cost carrier VivaColombia has said that it is contemplating removing seats from its fleet, meaning passengers would take to the skies while standing upright. This potential move, reports the Independent, would enable the airline to pack more passengers onto every flight, thus attracting the custom of both shoestring travelers as well as Colombia’s working class citizens.
In an interview with the Miami Herald last month, William Shaw, VivaColombia’s CEO and founder, said, “There are people out there right now researching whether you can fly standing up. We’re very interested in anything that makes travel less expensive.”
The Medellin-based carrier is eager to capitalize on the country’s burgeoning tourism market and is currently in the process of expanding in-line with this growth. It has just announced that it will be acquiring 50 new Airbus A320s.
While these planes of course have seats, Shaw said he’s still eager to explore the vertical travel option as a savings measure. “I wanted to pursue the model that was winning around the world, which was the low cost model. Who cares if you don’t have an inflight entertainment system for a one-hour flight? Who cares that there aren’t marble floors […] or that you don’t get free peanuts?” he said.
Colombian aviation authorities, however, aren’t sold on the idea. Alfredo Bocanegra, the country’s Civil Aviation Director, expressed his thoughts on Shaw’s plans to RCN, saying, “People have to travel like human beings. Anyone who has ridden on public mass transit knows that it’s not the best when you’re standing.”
[Photo: Shutterstock]
