Ryan Air to fly standing passengers for Free

Will there be Ryan Air Standing Passengers on some flights?

Ryan Air Standing Passengers – yes you read that right. Ryan Air boss Michael O’Leary has said he is looking into the possibility of letting passengers who stand up during flights fly for free. Apparently, the flights targeted will be those of 30 minutes and less. Firstly, there are very few flights that are 30 mins or less so I think this is an immediate publicity stunt – but well done to RyanAir for doing it if it is.

The plan would need to be approved by the Irish Aviation Authority, but the setup would see passengers with seats similar to trams or buffet cars on trains.

Ryan Air is now the world’s biggest international carrier and reported an increase in recent passenger numbers.

I don’t understand why Ryan Air is thinking of doing this for free, I would have thought it would have been something like a 70% discount.

I simply cannot see the play by Ryan Air standing passengers working. What about;
1) Seat belts – will there be any?
2) That unbalancing jolt you get when you land?
3) Emergency landings – Brace position?
4) Your life jacket is under your …. Seat?

Personally, as someone who has a very big interest in aviation and airline safety, I think this won’t work. For years, bodies like the FAA have worked with aircraft builders to help create safer aircraft. Everything from more resilient seats to better fireproofing of the inside of the cabin, thus preventing disasters like the Manchester Runway fire in the 80s. Also, what about turbulence? In July 2023, an Air China flight from Shanghai to Beijing hit severe turbulence that left two people injured – those people had seats, so how would that work?

I think some of the recent Ryan Air suggestions, such as the Fat Tax, charge for toilets, etc. may have been a few very clever publicity stunts. Either that or they are very interesting business models for the future of the airline … Let’s see!

For me, RyanAir is still one of my favourite airlines to fly on – they have never let me down. Some hate them, some love them. They are the marmite of the aviation world.