Low-cost Colombian airline considering ‘standing seats’ on flights

Screen grab from Instagram/@vivacolombiaco

Several  airline security issues have been a cause for concern, including proper seating on flights.

A budget airline in Colombia aims to put an end to such concerns—albeit in an unconventional manner.

According to the Telegraph, VivaColombia is the latest low-cost carrier to suggest a so-called  “vertical seating” on flights to accommodate more passengers with budget constraints.

If implemented, passengers may now stand during the entire duration of flights or settle on mini-seats similar to bar stools.

“There are people out there right now researching whether you can fly standing up,” VivaColombia’s founder and CEO William Shaw said in the report.

“We’re very interested in anything that makes travel less expensive.”

As anticipated, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) completely refutes the airline’s proposed arrangement, claiming that seat belts are essential for passenger safety.

“First the airline would have to ask the manufacturer of the aircraft to fit them in, then the manufacturer would have to get those seats approved,” said Richard Taylor, a spokesperson for the CAA. “Unless they can make it 100 percent safe, it won’t be viable.”

VivaColombia, meanwhile, is not the first airline to question the need to secure passengers with seat belts during flights.

Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary expressed the same sentiments way back in 2010.

A plane is “just a bus with wings,” he said at the time, according to the report. “If there ever was a crash on an aircraft, God forbid, a seat belt won’t save you. You don’t need a seat belt on the London Underground. You don’t need a seat belt on trains which are traveling at 120 mph and if they crash you’re all dead.” Khristian Ibarrola /ra