Colombian Airline Wants Passengers To Stand During Flight

Words by Ruffie Cruz

As if dealing with cramped seats on an airplane wasn't enough, there's an airline that's actually thinking of making flights even cheaper by asking passengers to stand! You read that right.Budget airline VivaColumbia is considering plans to remove “all” seats from its airplanes in attempt to drive down fares.

For clarification, when VivaColumbia says they're "removing all seats", they mean they will be replacing traditional seating with something akin to a bar stool with a back rest. The seats are basically comparable to what you see the flight crew sit on during take-off and landing. This is referred to as vertical seating and while you may be hearing of it just now, the idea has been around for quite a while now.

The idea was first brought up by Airbus in 2003. Ireland's low-cost carrier, Ryanair, later tried to materialize the idea in 2010. Despite a poll with several respondents saying that they would try the vertical seating if the flight were either free or if tickets were sold at half its regular price, the Civil Aviation Authority never has approved the concept of vertical seating. They shared that it was unlikely that said seating would pass the safety tests that all airplanes are subjected to.

Nevertheless, VivaColumbia founder and CEO, William Shaw remains adamant. According to Shaw, the proposed flight would be perfect for passengers who were traveling a short distance and who were on a tight budget.

In an interview with the Miami Herald, Shaw mentioned that his company was interested in making travel less expensive, doing without the things that were added expenses such as in-flight entertainment for short flights, peanuts and (jokingly) marble floors.

Whether you want to stand or sit during your flight, make sure that you book your trip with Traveloka.