80,000 vote for standing room only

Proving that some people will do anything to get a freebie, Ryanair announced yesterday that 80,000 respondents to it's on line poll regarding 'standing seats' had replied to the effect that they would stand on a short one hour flight if the 'seat' were free.

Of the total 120,000 who expressed a preference, 72,000 said that airline passengers should have a choice of deciding whether they could sit or stand during the flight while 50,000 said that they would stand for the duration of the flight if the fare were half that or less of a seated passenger.

Ryanair says that it is sufficiently encouraged by the response to the survey to the point where it will enter discussions with Boeing along with regulatory authorities in the US and EU to explore the idea further.