LOL. How would you like to fly standing up, strapped to a padded board?

[Pirate Smile]

One Day, That Economy Ticket May Buy You a Place to Stand

By CHRISTOPHER ELLIOTT
Published: April 25, 2006

The airlines have come up with a new answer to an old question: How many passengers can be squeezed into economy class?

A lot more, it turns out, especially if an idea still in the early stage should catch on: standing-room-only "seats."

Airbus has been quietly pitching the standing-room-only option to Asian carriers, though none have agreed to it yet. Passengers in the standing section would be propped against a padded backboard, held in place with a harness, according to experts who have seen a proposal.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/25/business/25seats.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

[ThatsMyBarack]

1. Sounds dangerous!

I'd never fly again. :yoiks:

[Warpy]

3. I have arthritis in my knees and back

No way, Jose. I'm taking Amtrack.

[The Jacobin]

4. So howmany can STAND in an Airbus 380?

>\


2500?

[Pirate Smile]

5. I have an idea - strap people standing to the OUTSIDE of the plane.

That way they can make the entire inside of the plane first class and charge lots-a-bucks.

Hmmm, hmmm, hmmmm? Why not?

:yoiks:

[Poiuyt]

27. They've already started to advertise that

[DS1]

29. *note - facing outwards is 50 dollars extra

:rofl:

[yorkiemommie1]

2. every day I fall further into the rabbit hole

whoever dreamed this up is truly insane.

edited to add comment.

[TahitiNut]

6. For years, I've predicted the airlines would eventually drug passengers ..

... and stack 'em like cord wood. All that empty space in the passenger compartment is nothing but an 'expense' to them. We'll become cargo ... like luggage. :shrug:

[SofaKingLiberal]

7. Dumbasses

They could fit more people on the plane if they used large crates.



:yoiks:

[mike_c]

8. here is the future of air travel....

[wtmusic]

9. or

[mike_c]

11. oy....

yeah

[Pirate Smile]

12. Actually, that is what the article reminded me of too - the cargo holds of

ships but since this isn't forced, I was thinking of the immigrant ships with the poorest in the bottom and many didn't survive the trip.

[tenshi816]

21. That's exactly the image that popped into my mind

when I started reading this thread. Wonder how long it will take someone to recycle that idea?

[Lochloosa]

26. Beat me to it....

[glitch]

10. If they can stack them standing they can stack them horizontally, in which

case, time for a lovely nap. Stretched out is definitely preferable to the neck back leg killer seats we get now.

[elehhhhna]

20. Yes, stacking is safer. lol

[glitch]

23. I once squeezed into the overhead luggage rack on a Mexican train.

Stretched out, slept like a baby.

(Yes, the train was that crowded, and curling around the broken water fountain didn't get me any rest at all!)

[Redstone]

13. That MUST be a joke. It's too stupid not to be.

Someone's yanking someone else's chain. Try standing thourh all the pitching and rolling and yawing of even a half-hour flight, and I guarantee you'll barf, even if you've never had morion sickness before.

Redstone

[incapsulated]

14. Isn't that how they flew people to Gitmo?

Are you fucking kidding me?

[dweller]

15. ah hell, just strap 'em on ...

dp

[Pirate Smile]

16. kick

[Joe Fields]

17. Sounds exhiliarating!

[alcibiades_mystery]

18. I would have one question

Are the lambs still screaming, Clarisse?



;-)

[Pirate Smile]

22. Ecckkk!

My husband will sometimes talk like Hopkin's character in "Silence of the Lambs" or the "Sling blade" guy to freak me out. "uhhhh huuuhhhhh"

[MadHound]

25. Damn, beat me to it

That Lector scene is the first thing that popped into my mind when reading the article.

[Crankie Avalon]

19. The first carrier to do this could be called "Middle Passage Airlines" n/t

[LisaL]

24. How would I like it-

not so much.

[Ganja Ninja]

28. I keep getting visions of the prisoners being transported in the

movie Brazil. Zipped into a bag/straight-jacket and hung on a rack.

[lpbk2713]

30. This must have been their inspiration .....

[muriel_volestrangler]

31. I find it difficult to believe it would happen

because the density you'd achieve wouldn't be that much more - you need access to each 'board' (what trip is so short that no-one needs the toilet?), and getting packed in, standing up, pisses off people a lot if it lasts more than a few minutes - try a packed commuter train for an hour, and take a look at any passenger who never gets a seat.

[librechik]

32. The board is padded? Won't they charge extra for that? n/t

[dysfunctional press]

33. my first thought was of stand-up roller coasters...

but i imagine that people would have tbe packed in a lot tighter to make it cost-effective.