(H/T – Fausta)
The WSJ’s Real Time Economics blog has a real stinker of an idea from Ireland’s Ryanair – “vertical seating” on its fleet. Presumably, since there would be requirements for passenger restraint, the “seats” would look a lot like stand-up roller coaster “seats”, with a seat-like appendage at the bottom designed more to prevent submarining below the over-the-shoulder restraint system than actual sitting.
I can see a whole host of problems with this one:
- Since the goal would be to increase capacity by 50-60 on Boeing 737-sized aircraft, the additional weight of both the “seats” and the passengers would be very detrimental to both the range and the luggage-carrying capacity of the aircraft.
- Again given the increased capacity, there would not be room to store carry-on luggage under the seat. Combined with the necessity to get rid of overhead bins for height clearance, there would not be such a thing as carry-on luggage.
- Speaking of height, the very-short (mostly children), the very-tall, the very-heavy and the very-buxom would likely be excluded from air travel.
- The seat-like appendage will get a wee bit uncomfortable for the male population rather quickly, for obvious reasons.
- A somewhat-similar problem would exist for the skirt-wearing population, especially if there needs to be a strap connecting the seat-like appendage to the over-the-shoulder restraint.
Their fellow countrymen (or at least some “brilliant” Madison Avenue ad agency) already conceptualized this in between hangovers…
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybz0265w6R4[/youtube]
