Ryanair Shoots Down Claims of Soon Offering Cheaper Standing Seats

Budget travel has seen a significant rise in the last ten years, and it’s challenging to find a more affordable choice than Ryanair, which occasionally offers tickets for just €7.99.

Nevertheless, recent online trends suggest that the Irish carrier might soon introduce an even more affordable choice with "stand-up seats."

These seats would be similar to vertical bicycle saddles, enabling passengers to recline instead of sitting completely upright.

Travelers would mostly find themselves in a partially upright stance, sustained by a cushioned, slim seat equipped with a head support for better stability during their journey.

Extra safety measures commonly depicted in models of such designs comprise harness-type seatbelts or straps meant to keep passengers safe during take-offs, landings, and turbulent moments, coupled with upright posts linking every row to the plane’s roof for enhanced steadiness.

This is an extremely efficient layout that enables airlines to fit additional passengers within the cabin for shorter flight routes.

Various travel-oriented platforms and social media entries claimed that Italian company Aviointeriors was set to supply these seats to Ryanair, enabling the airline to offer them as an option starting from as early as 2026.

However, the company has confirmed to that it has "no plans to do so."

Meanwhile, Aviointeriors' official communications confirmed that the Skyrider, a standing seat mock-up often featured in these claims, "is in fact a conceptual prototype dating back to 2012" and "is not part of the official line-up" of their products.

Nevertheless, the source of these widespread rumors can be attributed to previous remarks made by Ryanair’s CEO, Michael O'Leary, renowned for proposing unorthodox measures to reduce expenses.

As far back as 2010, O'Leary discussed the theoretical concept of "standing seats" to maximise aeroplane space and offer extremely low fares. He also proposed the idea of pay-per-use onboard toilets in 2009, as well as a "fat tax" that would impose extra charges on overweight passengers.

Nevertheless, these concepts were debated merely as jests or means to attract notice, and never materialized into formal proposals.

Could standing seats work?

Even though no airline has officially admitted using these upright seats, theoretically, they might work for extremely brief flight routes.

The stand-up seating developed by Aviointeriors has already been subjected to initial safety assessments and demonstrated compliance with the standards for handling emergency landings and swift evacuations set forth by aviation authorities.

The findings indicate that, considering only safety aspects, it could potentially be feasible to satisfy the strict criteria established by organizations such as the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

The main concern for both airlines and manufacturers revolves around passenger comfort. During even short flights, the semi-upright position that travelers would assume on these saddle-like seats could lead to issues with discomfort, tiredness, and poor blood flow.

Similarly, airlines have faced criticism for reducing legroom and making cabins more confined. Adding standing seats could lead to considerable opposition; although some surveys suggest a minor segment of budget-conscious travelers might accept these seats if ticket prices were very low, broad acceptance seems unlikely, potentially harming the carrier’s profitability.