I do recall making this suggestion right here on APC a couple years ago. I think this would work on flights less than 1 hour. On longer flights, I find myself getting up and standing anyway.

Standing Only Plane Seats: Chinese Spring Airline To Ask Regulator For Standing Only Passengers | Business | Sky News

 

Well, you can stand on a bus or a train. So, why not?

I guess its a 3rd dimensional issue.

 

They could always just start strapping pax to pallets. Stack em like cordwood.

 

I will agree to that only if I have TonyC strapped to my left, Moose on my right, and Redeye on top of me!

 

Jam on more warm bodies, guys up front get paid no more, toss aside any last spec of human dignity as an air traveler... this has got to be the next step for American LCCs... Brilliant!

Privately-owned Chinese low-cost carrier Spring Airlines has spoken to Airbus about adding standing-seats on its Airbus A320s so it can have 40% more passengers on board.
Zhang Wuan, an official at the Shanghai airline who works closely with the CEO, says: "We are planning to have standing seats" and have had "initial discussions with the Airbus side to see if the safety question can be" addressed.
"We want to have it so more people can afford to fly," says Zhang, adding that the carrier estimates it can fit 40% more passengers on board its A320s.
The standing seats will reportedly look like a bar stool and have a safety strap.
Zhang says Spring today has 13 aircraft but is adding two or three more this year.

 

I think the typical exercise and body-fat challenged americano would draw the line at this...our pax want a place to park their phat azzes

 

But once they see how cheap the tickets are they will think it's the greatest thing since the air-conditioned drive thru.

 

If people are willing to pay for it, how is it Spring's fault?

 

I don't see how the FAA would ever allow that here- how do you make it nearly as safe as regular seats? As to if the Chinese government would allow it, I have almost no doubts they will if Airbus were to even just rig the airplanes with hand holds like a subway train over painted standing places. I would think the biggest thing that will stop this is max gross weight or max takeoff weight for whatever the conditions are. Adding 40 percent more pax and their baggage has to weigh quite a bit more than the seats they would be removing. Maybe they'll go for a new sort of 2 class configuration with some seats up front and room for enough standing that can be actually get off the ground without being over max takeoff weight. Freaking scary.

 

Are they going to take out the overhead bins so you can actually stand up?

Joe