Spring Airlines, a discount Chinese carrier, plans to ask the government for permission to sell standing room tickets. The plan will likely win approval, since Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang was recently quoted as saying: “for a lower price, passengers should be able to get on a plane like catching a bus, with no seat, no luggage consignment, no food, no water, but very convenient.”

The idea isn’t so farfetched. Airbus, the European aircraft maker, has been studying the safety issues of standing passengers for years.

Passengers would be strapped to a bar-stool-like stand during takeoff and landing, a Spring Airlines spokesman said.

“It’s just like bar stools. The safety belt is the most important thing. It will still be fastened around the waist,” airline spokesman Zhang Wuan said, adding that Airbus had told the carrier that the proposal was safe.

The news is a huge disappointment, mostly because it’s coming from Spring Airlines and not RyanAir.

Anyway, standing on a plane: a good way to save money and spice up your trip, or a means to the bathroom? Decide in the comments.

Chinese airline may offer cheaper fares to passengers who stand [The Los Angeles Times]

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