Written By : Source: New Zealand Herald, The Independent . Plans for standing passengers on low-cost air routes are unlikely to be tried by airlines in this part of the world.
A suggestion by pioneer lowcost operator Ryanair that it could carry standing passengers was gimmicky and impracticable, said Jetstar chief executive Bruce Buchanan in Sydney.
“Air New Zealand prefers for our customers to be comfortable,” a spokeswoman said in Auckland.
Irish-based Ryanair’s boss Michael O’Leary wants to charge passengers £4 to £8 for standing on flights within Europe.
A standing area with “vertical seats” would be introduced at the back of Ryanair’s fleet of 250 planes.
Two lavatories at the back could also be removed, helping to allow up to 50 extra passengers on each flight.
Ryanair hopes to phase in the perches on commuter flights of up to an hour, before expanding them to all aircraft.
Aviation law states that people have to have a seatbelt on for take-off, landing and turbulence.
A final decision on whether the perches meet the rules would rest with the European Aviation Safety Agency. But it dismissed the Ryanair plan as a stunt.
The publicity has certainly succeeded in distracting attention from Ryanair’s controversial introduction this past week of “big baggage” charge rises.
The Telegraph quoted a Ryanair spokesman as saying Boeing had been consulted over refitting its 250 Boeing 737-800 jets with “vertical seats” to allow passengers to be strapped in while standing up.
In April Ryanair said it planned to introduce a fat tax from bigger passengers. But it scrapped the idea in May saying it could not be collected without disrupting its 25-minute turnaround times and online check-in processes.