While airlines like RyanAir mull over “standing-room seating” and designers create plane seats that will bring tears to your eyes, one airline in Russia figured out how to get passengers to stand up during a flight — just tell them to.

On Sept. 24, passengers were about to board a Tatarstan Airlines flight in Turkey when they were told that this particular Boeing 737 had six less seats than the airline had planned on.

The solution? Have the remaining half-dozen passengers stand up for the flight to Ekaterinburg, Russia.

Recalls one passenger:

The adults had no choice but to fly standing for five hours… When the plane flew through turbulence, they went from standing to sitting in the aisle where naturally they had no safety belts.

The passengers who were left standing during the flight have reportedly asked for around $4,750 each in compensation, but the tour company which booked their flight offered them only $206.

That tour company is saying they aren’t ultimately responsible because the passengers had a choice:

People had a choice – to fly on that plane standing up, or wait seven hours for another plane… All the tourists decided to fly back despite uncomfortable conditions.

Would you have ever gotten on the plane if you were told you needed to stand or sit in the aisle?

Standing room only: Passengers on Russian tourist flight forced to stand due to lack of seats [Daily Mail]

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