O’Leary believes that he can increase passengers by 50% by stacking them like firewood. The passengers would be given bar stools with seatbelts in the latest dehumanizing experiment of the industry.
I have come to despise air travel. I now go to great lengths to find a way to drive or take a train. It is ridiculous to sit in seats with your knees against the front seat — so that a reclining passenger virtually kneecaps you. Then there is the charging for bags which now leads everyone to stuff steamer trunks in the plane. Airlines have even dropped ticket paper jackets. Recently, I was even charged for a diet coke on Air Canada. To add to the misadventure, flight attendants seem increasingly ticked off and authoritarian.
There was a time when flying was a pleasure. Now, one feels on most airlines that passengers are barely tolerated — a necessary evil. I suppose the standing room section is a natural extension of this industry approach to passengers as little more than cargo.
Ryanair recently hit a 60 million passenger level in twelve months, here.
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