Ryanair plans to offer 'vertical seating'

Rawr

Ryanair plans to offer 'vertical seating'

Monday, 6 July 2009 16:03
Ryanair has said it is in talks with Boeing about adapting its aircraft so that some passengers could be placed in 'vertical seating'.

The low-cost carrier said it wants to get more people onto its aircraft by replacing traditional seating.

Ryanair spokesman Stephen McNamara said it was in discussions with Boeing 'in relation to adapt the aircraft to allow people to travel in vertical seating'.

'Passengers would not be fully standing, they would have something like a stool to lean on or to sit on,' he added.

Mr McNamara said Ryanair was looking into removing four rows, or 12 seats, of traditional seating on its planes to accommodate the standing room.

Chinese carrier Spring Airlines is in discussions with Airbus about a similar plan.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0706/ryanair.html

I never thought they'd actually go that far
Expect a new charge if they actually pull it off: Sitting Down Charge.

serfboard

This will turn out to have been yet another hilarious (:rolleyes:) joke by Ryanair in an attempt to gain some free publicity.

The annoying thing is that the media keeps lapping this crap up and regurgitating it.

rameire

the thing is people actually believe it.
i laugh every time i hear these stories,
then you hear people go omg how dare they, how can they do that, its disgusting, not right and so on.

fair play to ryanair, using the media to their advantage at every opportunity.

Rawr

rameire wrote: »

the thing is people actually believe it.
i laugh every time i hear these stories,
then you hear people go omg how dare they, how can they do that, its disgusting, not right and so on.

fair play to ryanair, using the media to their advantage at every opportunity.

It is pretty far-fetched, and I do hope that this is just a stunt.
However, for me, such publicity merely reminds me why I now avoid Ryanair.

FIRE

I think O'Learys comments about people standing on the tube and on trains is a little bit silly.

People get off at stops, thus a seat becomes free.

Something stupid will be introduced soon though I would say, and we will be thinking well at least it wasnt the FAT tax, the €1 to use the toilet or the VERTICAL standing.

And finally, HOW will ryanair be making money from this? I dont understand.

If the flights are FREE (I assume that means free and not just pay for taxes and charges) how is letting say 12 people stand up for free versus 12 paying people gonna help profits??

*Although if it was for FREE, I would probably avail of it, travelling between Dublin and Cork*

Richie15

FIRE wrote: »

If the flights are FREE (I assume that means free and not just pay for taxes and charges) how is letting say 12 people stand up for free versus 12 paying people gonna help profits?

No I'm guessing you'd have to pay taxes and charges, of course. As for profits, Ryanair doesn't make money on seated tickets either. They don't have planes, they have flying shops. They money comes from people buying a €50 box of pringles etc. Standing room = More people buying pringles = €€€s for Mick. Wouldn't be surprised if it were true. Reminds me of a quote from Nob Nation.

"Welcome aboard flight FOff139. In the event of an emergency, oxegen masks are €2."

seamus

FIRE wrote: »

And finally, HOW will ryanair be making money from this? I dont understand.

If the flights are FREE (I assume that means free and not just pay for taxes and charges) how is letting say 12 people stand up for free versus 12 paying people gonna help profits??

Though I'm pretty sure this is just attention-whoring by Michael O'Leary, there is sound reasoning behind it. O'Leary likes to fill his planes because he makes a killing on other sales such as food and priority boarding and check-in bags and.....
So more people == more money.

For the sake of example, imagine that on average, each person spends €15 on various items on Ryanair flights and a plane takes 200 people. He could charge €100 per flight, sell fifty seats, and he comes out with €6,500 for that flight.

However, if he sells the seats at €20 each and fills the plane, he makes €7,000 from the flight.

It's not a great example, but it's the basis of the no-frills/low-cost model.

Yes, standing seems like a crazy idea, but it could work and could mean more people per plane for O'Leary. Imagine that the standing "areas" are like the standing areas on the Luas - you basically have a padding, sloped section of the wall to sit on. Each standing person will only take up about the same amount of room as a single seat. So they are taking up 12 inches less than a seated person (or however far apart seats are). You attach seat belts to these for safety purposes and you find that you can pull out 5 rows of 6 seats (30 people) and replace them with 8 rows of 6 seats (48 people).

FIRE

I see.

Just a thought......If some larger gent/lady decides to stand on this flight, and takes up 2 standing slots, how will this work out? If the flight is free.

And will they need another large lady/gent to balance on the other side?

Run_to_da_hills

It will never happen just like FR transatlantic flights, coin operated toilets and DIY baggage handling. JUst another PR press stunt for O Leary, well done.

Thread was locked after 4 posts in aviation forum.
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055612970

bmm

Imagine trying to stand thru really bad turbulence! Surely not safe.

Dodge

bmm wrote: »

Imagine trying to stand thru really bad turbulence! Surely not safe.

You'd be charged for the "thrill ride" complete with €12 souvenir photo

corktina

and a fiver for a sick bag...)£10 clear-up charge if you arent quick enough...)

paulm17781

They brought up this idea years ago (possibly 2002). There may be some truth to it.

Amalgam

FIRE wrote: »

I see.

Just a thought......If some larger gent/lady decides to stand on this flight, and takes up 2 standing slots, how will this work out? If the flight is free.

And will they need another large lady/gent to balance on the other side?

'Size ticketing' exists already, Air France, I think, won a case where they get to measure tubby people before they get on. Above a certain width, 1 extra ticket needs to be purchased.

murphaph

Amalgam wrote: »

'Size ticketing' exists already, Air France, I think, won a case where they get to measure tubby people before they get on. Above a certain width, 1 extra ticket needs to be purchased.

I'm a big lad but I just about fit within a seat if I hunch my shoulders a bit. Fat people (unless there is a medical reason for their size, verified by a doctor's note and disabled badge) should indeed expect to pay for a second seat if they physically don't fit into a single one without impinging on the person next. I had the misfortune to endure a flight squashed by a VERY overweight woman from LA-bloody-X to Dublin on a completely full Aer Lingus flight a few years back. It was not on-she simply did not fit in her single seat and should have paid for a second one. She needed regular toilet breaks too so needed to sit in an aisle seat. Why should other passengers suffer because of the size of someone else?

Del2005

murphaph wrote: »

I'm a big lad but I just about fit within a seat if I hunch my shoulders a bit. Fat people (unless there is a medical reason for their size, verified by a doctor's note and disabled badge) should indeed expect to pay for a second seat if they physically don't fit into a single one without impinging on the person next. I had the misfortune to endure a flight squashed by a VERY overweight woman from LA-bloody-X to Dublin on a completely full Aer Lingus flight a few years back. It was not on-she simply did not fit in her single seat and should have paid for a second one. She needed regular toilet breaks too so needed to sit in an aisle seat. Why should other passengers suffer because of the size of someone else?

How will this work on FR where there are no reserved seats. You waddle out to the plane with your 2 boarding cards and by the time you climb the stairs the only seats are at the front and back of the plane

Heard someone complaining about similar a while back. Big man went to airport to board plane. Ticket agent forced him to buy a 2nd seat. When he got to the plane his 2nd seat was 3 rows from his 1st.

It would be very easy, and a lot cheaper, to go to the doctor and get them to write some script for you if your overweight then buy two tickets. I'm sure a lot people have had a doctor write a cert for them when they wheren't sick. A lot of doctors will write anything for €50+ and then there are some that won't.

minikin

ha ha, i don't know why they didn't go the whole hog with this concept... get rid of all the seats... everyone gets cellophane wrapped and we all get stacked lying down on top of each other... like the livestock he takes us for

Terrontress

Part of me thinks that I'd happily run with this for cheaper flights but then again, can the flights get much cheaper on FR than they already are?

Amalgam

Short haul to the UK could make sense, I doubt you'd ever be standing though, probably a saddle or nub\ridge of some sort to take pressure off your legs, not to mention it being angled just a little.

FIRE

IF and I mean IF I bought a coffee, I have a tray table to balance the cup, what would happen with the vertical harness??? Where would I put my coffee and during turbulance.

It's hillarious thinking of all the crazy things that could happen, I like your idea minikin.


What about getting rid of all seats and replacing them with bean bags or cushions.

Personally I'd like a bubble-wrap solution, no seats and a 'popping sound tax'

Poll over on Ryanair about it.

http://www.ryanair.com/site/EN/news.php?yr=09&month=jul&story=gen-en-090709