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Colombian Airline Wants To Make Passengers Stand (yahoo.com)
An anonymous reader writes Budget airline VivaColombia is considering plans to remove all seats from its planes and make passengers stand. They hope the move will drive down fares by allowing them to squeeze more passengers into each flight, opening up air travel to working class Colombians and budget holidaymakers. The no-frills carrier announced last week that it is adding 50 new Airbus 320s to its fleet to capitalise on the country's growing tourist market. The new planes will have more seats and lower running costs with the first one going into service at the start of 2018. VivaColombia's founder and CEO William Shaw told the Miami Herald the airline was looking into vertical travel options. He 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." He added: "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?"
Its Indian competitor is going to allow people to stand on TOP of the planes, just like on the trains!
Take Off and Landing sound like adventures.
"That's the way to do it" - Punch
Super Saver Econo $49.95* New York to Los Angeles
* add a seat with luxurious safety belt for only $449.95
Also, it will be much easier to drag people off flights when its overbooked, without all of those pesky seats and saftey belts in the way.
There are stand up roller coasters which have safety / restraint systems designed to keep riders safe, even when upside down. So from the perspective of keeping passengers in place during flight, it is technically possible. Comfort is of course another matter. If you ever been on a stand up roller coaster, are male, and have had the lower restraint (bicycle seat) set too high, you would fear turbulence on a stand up plane.
when there's enough turbulence that all of the falling down passengers roll to the back of the plane there wont be enough elevator to lift the tail == doesn't fly
I'm not saying I'd be interested in using such an airline, but it seems like it could work if they had standing "rests" that passengers could strap themselves to for safety. I mean, you couldn't have passengers being thrown about the plane in turbulent conditions, so they'd need to be secured in place, the way seat-belted passengers are. Also, to reduce the discomfort of actual standing, the backrests could include small, adjustable "choir seats", just a few inches deep, and adjusted to sit high enough that the passenger's legs are almost straight. The cabin would have to be tall enough to accommodate everyone standing, which might require removal of the overhead luggage compartments.
For short flights, it could be safe enough, and not too uncomfortable, and would allow perhaps 75% more passengers on the plane, which would allow ticket prices to be reduced by about 60% -- a $100 flight for $40, for example. Lots of people would be willing to be less comfortable for an hour to save $60, even in wealthier nations.
It could work, I think.
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Assuming they sort out the safely issues (I mean we stand on busses and trains and subways moving 50mph... my commuter train regularly tops 70mph here in America) yest take off and landing would be a bit sketch if it's setup the way a subway is, but if you take the time and effort to look at the problem from a new way, maybe add some specialized equipment... maybe it still can't be done, but it's certainly worth looking in to.
If it were safe and say, cost half as much, $150 round trip to Seattle from SF at the gate (not buying in advance) vs $350 or even $500 recently, heck yeah I would be willing to stand for two hours!
The elderly and sick, pregnant mothers, and people in wheelchairs would still have priority seating access of course.
moox. for a new generation.
People decide with their wallets.
If people prefer seats over cheaper flights, they will see elsewhere. If they don't, it means they accept the idea.
ad absurdum:
"Fly TREBUCHET airways! So anyone can afford a Weekend Fling!
and I used to be an airline pilot. I want the cheapest fare possible and have no problem whatsoever with standing for the entire flight. As for the safety aspect, that's easily solved with a backrest that you can strap yourself into. In fact, I think standing plus leaning up against a back rest is more comfortable than those crappy seats they fill the planes with now.
What about the first time they hit some turbulence?
*DING* "Ladies and gentlemen, the Captain has just illuminated the 'Fasten Seatbelt' sign, so we'll all be safe while you bounce around the cabin like rubber balls..."
*DING* "The cabin crew will be passing down the cabin shortly, offering a range of bandages, splints and blood replacement products at very competitive prices..."
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It's all about price.
Think of it this way--the last time you booked a flight, what was foremost in your mind? Was it legroom? Was it the quality of the snacks? Was it the inflight entertainment system?
Nope. It was "How much does this cost?" Price was the overriding factor. If Flight A was $40 cheaper than Flight B, you took Flight A. You bitched and moaned and complained about being stuck in like sardine, but you weren't going to pay the extra $40.
There are a lot of people who feel that way, which is why websites like Expedia have a "sort by price" and don't have a "sort by legroom."
Actually a properly executed barrel roll would not even be felt by the passengers, standing or sitting. It's a constant G maneuver. Back in the day, a test pilot rolled a 707 airliner: https://www.youtube.com/watch?... He was reprimanded, even though it was a completely safe maneuver, as the spectators and potential customers were a bit rattled (they were on the ground watching) by the event.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?... shows Bob Hoover rolling an ordinary twin-engine prop plane while pouring a glass of iced tea.
Claim you're eliminating co-pilots.
Claim you're offering adult entertainment on flights.
there was another.... hmmmm what was it?
Oh that's right. Standing room only.
A recipe to ensure your name stays in the headlines for loads of free advertising.
Just use standing roller coaster seats. They are now more comfortable than modern airplane seats and you are more likely to withstand the G forces better in the event of a crash.
Stupid idea. People don't stay vertical by themselves for long.
Horizontal is the way to go, quadruple bunk-beds is way better, I wouldn't mind lying down for a 1 hour flight, not even for a 24 hour one, better than economy any day.