Ryanair's standing-only ticket plan thwarted

PA

Ryanair's latest money-spinning plan - standing-only tickets - has been foiled by an unnamed regulator who has refused permission for test flights.

An application was made to test flights with standing berths, handrails, and straps, but the response to it was "somewhat negative" said Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary, according to The Guardian.

The idea poses certain safety questions, particularly pertaining to how passengers would wear seatbelts, and when asked how he envisioned the standing berths to be laid out, O'Leary said: "Same as on the London Underground, handrails and straps.".

He reportedly declined to comment whether Ryanair had approached the Federal Aviation Administration or the European Aviation Safety Agency with the idea.

O'Leary added that seated passengers on the renovated Boeing 737-800 would pay £25 a ticket, while standing customers would pay between £1 and £5 for the flight that would boost passenger numbers from 189 to 230.

Some critics might suggest the idea is just another way for the airline boss to garner free publicity, but he insists it's a viable plan, saying: "I think ultimately it would happen."

The low-cost carrier is never far from the headlines, and this month had two of its UK newspaper adverts banned after complaints they were sexist.

According to the BBC, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) received 17 complaints about the adverts that depicted woman posing in their underwear with the headline: "Red Hot Fares & Crew! One way from £9.99".

Protestors branded the adverts "demeaning", but the airline said they promoted its 2012 cabin crew charity calendar, and used images directly from it, adding that crew members had posed voluntarily for the pictures.

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