Chinese airline wants to offer discounted standing tickets for flights

Will air travel of the future be more like riding a bus? (iStock)

Would you stand during a flight for a cheaper seat?

Spring Airlines, China’s first budget carrier, is trying to lure more customers with a plan to allow passengers to stand during a flight for a discounted ticket price, reports China National Radio (via MarketWatch).

While the idea may seem far fetched, this isn’t the only time an airline has tried to propose the unusual configuration. Low-cost Irish airline Ryanair has been trying to introduce standing room for a few years now.

In 2008, Wang Zhenghua, chairman for Spring Airlines, also tried to initiate a standing-room plan during the Chinese New Year holiday—the busiest travel season of the year for the country—after many people had difficulty getting rail or air tickets.

Last year, plane manufacturer AirBus tried to patent a bicycle-like triangular seat  design that would maximum cabin room—and likely prove to the the most uncomfortable airline ride ever.

Despite several proposals, aviation officials have yet to ok the plan citing airline safety issues like turbulence and lengthy flights.

“We need many other conditions to make it work, like working together with airplane manufacturers, getting the approval from the authorities and having the consumers accept the idea,” a spokesman for Spring Airlines reportedly said to China National Radio.

If approved, the spokesman said the budget airline will be offering the service. In the past, the airline has offered cheap promotional flight fares for as low at 9 yuan—about US $1.40.