OT: Standing to be introduced on Ryanair?
 

Just watching O'leary being interviewed on sky news and he says, he is going to remove the last 6 rows of seats to introduce a standing area to save cut flight costs even more.

He says, people stand on tube, trains, buses, etc... so why not on a 1 hour flight.

Views?

Yes. Is it really worth starting an irrelevant new thread on a man who thrives on any kind of publicity? :(

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Views?

1) It's 6th July not April 1st
2) he's a PR genius
3) this board's obsession with Ryanair is getting ridiculous

Is there no end to the drivel this man will spout to get free publicity? Like the 'charging for toilets' thing, this is rubbish...

And back OT, bit difficult to compare planes with tubes, buses, etc. - I suspect that if my local bus could travel at 400+mph and climb up to 30,000 feet, then I wouldn't be allowed to stand up on that either.

I have seen people standing on Royal Air Maroc a few times evan at take off!

Maybe this will be the next innovation at Ryanair:
http://www.the-rocketman.com/images/...-Wing-Walk.jpg

Wow, a prickly response.

I'm certainly not a fan of the man, but if sky news give it the credence of debate, should it not be discussed seriously here.

There's no way the CAA will allow an airline to fly with standing pax. End of story?

Yes. ;)

Already in operation in China?

http://news.cheapflights.co.uk/2009/...y-section.html

:eek: Nice!

No, and particularly not if it has been on Sky News.

Too bad not all flights of ryanair is under the juristriction of CAA! they are irish

No, this is the BA Forum - not the Ryanair one. Put it in the "Other European Frequent Flyer programs". Like others I'm tired of hearing about this nasty man :rolleyes:

If FT members choose not to read other forums then that's their business, but increasingly the BA Forum is becoming one for every UK low cost carrier and it shouldn't be. Sorry

I think you'll find that if an airline wishes to operate into and out of the UK have to comply with CAA regulations. Sure, not all FR flights fly to/from the UK, but enough do (some would say too many ;) )

Or indeed Budget Travel, which is where this will be headed in the next 24-48 hours :)

My thoughts exactly, although in fairness, I would have the same opinion for pretty much any news reported on television these days, particularly given the awful reporting that seems be commonplace on 24-hour news channels.

I saw that too. What he actually said was he was in talks with Boeing about the possibility of a standing area at the rear; your statement implies the decision has already been taken!

Just another in a long line of Ryanair PR stunts that haven't happened, including charging for toilets, long haul flights (with a business class cabin!) to name but two we've heard in the last year.

Although, Ryanair do tend to be the first to implement these sort of extreme cost cutting measures (at least amongst UK carriers), so if standing ever got off the ground I'm sure they'd be the first to do it... but given their track record, probably the time to give it credible discussion is when it actually happens.

Actually, CAA has no say in the on-board arrangements of foreign aircraft, which are the responsibility of the body issuing the operating licence. Thus why UK airlines are fanatical about opening blinds for take-off landing, but others using UK airports may not bother.

That said, there are international bodies which do have a say in setting minimum standards, and I could see national bodies like CAA lobbying those to try and ensure this wouldn't be allowed at an international level.

Sky News? The "Breaking News - MICHAEL JACKSON IS STILL DEAD!" network. If anything, being there would make me take it far less seriously.

I work for Sky and I'm deeply offended :rolleyes:

Actually most people in the office were so fed up with Sky News playing on screens throughout the office it's now been taken off all the screens except in the reception areas!

Here's another Ryanair story from a quality Murdoch publication. In this case I think even O'Liary wouldn't want this publicity.

Why wouldn't O'Leary want this publicity? What would other airlines have done in the circumstances?

The I'm sorry, but by removing seats would you actually get any more people in the same space on a RyanAir flight!

Defo not if your 'Chunky'

Is all publicity really good publicity? This publicity at any cost policy may start to backfire on him eventually. Also I really wish he'd stop giving NXEC ideas ;)

Standing Passengers on Ryanair
 

:td:So now that's the new idea of the clown that is running the 3 ring circus at Ryanair. Pay toilets, standing passengers, carry and load your own luggage to the plane, no check-in staff, all to save some money, and what are they not telling the public about their cost cutting measures when it comes to safety and maintenance of their aircraft? only time will tell.....

If there were shares to sell in Ryanair, I'd be selling them

Well, it wasn't MOL's idea, it came from some low-cost carrier somewhere in Asia. Not surprisingly he decided to issue a press release trying to pass this off as his idea. ANYTHING to get himself in the news...

Why do people use Ryanair?
 

I really can't understand why anyone would fly Ryanair, but figures show they are about 85% full; amazing. People I talk to about low cost flights wax lyrical about the low cost, don't they understand all those extras?

Ryanair have created a myth about themselves - that they are the cheapest. So people who aren't regular fliers and remember fares from the "old days" think the fare is the cheapest regardless of actual cost.

Also they do fly between places no-one else would so they do get that otherwise untapped market

Oleary king of advertizing
 

dont you think that it may just be a strategy to make people talk about his firm ?
he's really good in that.

yeah it came from Spring Airlines
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-f...,2751359.story

not gonna happen
 

from WSJ:

The problem with all of this is physics. Airplane seats–whatever shape they may be–and the passengers in them have to withstand significant forces to be certified as airworthy. That means they must stay intact against 16 g’s of force, so that the people strapped in have a chance to survive a crash.

Good luck with a bar stool. You’d have to be wearing a heck of a harness bolted to a bar stool, and the stool itself, with one leg instead of four, would have to be darn strong. Engineers out there can debate whether it’s possible, but Airbus said a few years ago there was no way.

In addition, airplanes are certified for a maximum number of passengers, based largely on the ability to get everyone out quickly through emergency exits. Low-cost carriers in Europe and Asia typically toe those limits already. You can’t significantly change the seating density without adding more emergency exits.

In fact, the maximum number of passengers allowed on the Boeing 737-800, the plane Ryanair flies, is 189. Ryanair’s seating on its 737-800s: 189. Mr. O’Leary can’t add more people.

http://blogs.wsj.com/middleseat/2009...?mod=lifestyle

huh...
 

But this article on Spring Airlines in China said that Airbus has been pitching this quietly to Asian carriers for a few years...

http://www.cctv.com/program/bizchina...6/108082.shtml

"The upright seating jet could accommodate 40 percent more passengers, compared with traditional plane. It could also help airlines cut 20 percent costs, while lowering airfares for consumers.

Zhang Wuan, Spring Airlines said "It's just like bar stools. The the safety belt is the the most important thing. It will still be fastened around the waist."

Airbus has been quitely pitching the standing-room-only seating option to Asian carriers for a few years. The Chinese aviation regulator requires that passengers are secured to their seats for take-off and landing.

Some industry insiders believe the standing seat configuration still needs further regulatory examination before becomes a reality."

I'm joining the two standing while flying threads into one.

EmailKid
Budget Travel moderator

Standing to be introduced on Ryanair?
 

It already is. Take a look at the length of time people are standing whilst on the ground. Especially true now: as you go through the gate you are left standing for another 10-15 mins (if lucky) on the stairs.