[Anonymous]

[SimonRowberry]

That little Shi’ite O’Leary is either a totally self-publicising wind-up merchant, or just an irresponsible total self-publicist. Is he really serious? It must be a wind-up because of passenger safety during the flight (hard to keep your seat-belt loosely secured when you are standing up), irrespective of “sitting on stools” for take-off and landing.

If this is a wind-up, then he’s an irresponsible idiot. If it’s not, then he’s utterly beneath contempt.

The problem is, because the arrogant, mouthy little b*stard gets many of us so heated with his proclamations, we end up giving himself and his two-bit airline the publicity he seeks, I guess.

[VintageKrug]

I blame the journalists, they’ll print anything 😉

http://www.businesstraveller.com/news/passengers-to-stand-on-ryanair-planes

To be fair, it’s not his idea, and was mooted a few weeks ago by a (Chinese?) airline called Spring for high density, short hop routes. And airbus itself was pushing this as far back as 2006 in response to rising fuel costs:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/24/technology/24iht-seats.html

If the safety issues could be overcome, it’s not such a daft idea for very brief trips – say Manchester to London, and certainly should catch on in developing travel markets where price is highly sensitive and comfort is not seen as a huge premium (where a day on an overcrowded train is the alternative, the USA for instance).

However, in the UK even though a flight such as MAN-LHR may amount to only 35 minutes in the air, air traffic and ground delays can double that, meaning a gate to gate duration for which few would be comfortable standing.

Then what do you do with all that hand luggage?

Ryanair fares are already firmly in the “lunch at the pub” bracket. With this Labour Government in its death throes punitively taxing us with swingeing increases in Air Passenger Duty (APD) from 1 November 2009, and further income tax and National Insurance rises on the way, I really do not see how fares could be further reduced to a level where not having a seat would be attractive to most Western travellers, even for the most financially challenged.

But you’ve got to hand it to O’Liary; he gets his airline on the front pages without having to spend a penny on advertising. So good for him!

[SimonRowberry]

It’s hard to disagree with VintageKrug.

Just one more thought – if one was a standing passenger, one could pay a quid (or whatever charge he sets) to use the loo, and then spend the majority of the flight just sitting in there? Perhaps the Lippy Leprechaun will put a time limit on use of the loos, or perhaps develop some cunning device so that after a set amount of time, the door will spring open, revealing the sitting incumbent in all of his/her glory?

Don’t you just love the man?

[watersz]

he’ll be advertising gyms on board next

[SimonRowberry]

And baths.

[dutchyankee]

If O’Leary’s face was on the toilet paper, I am sure he would get plenty of people to pay to use his toilets in flight!!! But as you all so rightly say, he is able to get untold amount of publicity just by dropping ridiculous ideas such as these to the media without spending a penny, in some ways you have to wonder is he nuts, or a genius! Regardless, you couldn’t pay me to get on one of his planes!

[OneA]

Nice one Yankee! However, firstly, having been forced to fly on one of his skips once as my ticket was bought for me (BHX DUB ret) I have stuck by my resolution of “never ever again” – even for the £35 saving over Aer Lingus (at the time). So I won’t be able to pay £1 to sit in a repusive overflowing Ryanair 737 toilet. Between his ridiculous charging policies which probably double the actual expected cost after labour’s taxes and “Easy”jet’s atrocious image presentation on the satellite channels, it just goes to show that the Cypriot and O’Liarly have finally proven beyond any doubt that there IS such a thing as bad publicity!!

[GlobalTravellerTom]

Just been sent the latest Ryanair scandal. Worth a look!!

http://s2.b3ta.com/host/creative/38688/1235740297/card.jpg

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