Business Ethics – Ryanair propose “stand-up seats”
In July 2010, Ryanair made an announcement to the public about removing the last 10 rows of seats on its Boeing 737 fleet and replacing them with 15 rows of stand-up seating.
The tickets would sell for only £4, and requires passengers to stay standing in their seats for the full duration of the flight.
![Pugh duty free cigarettes.jpg](http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/07/01/article-1291103-0A49E74F000005DC-956_233x325.jpg)
Despite the concerns of the European Aviation Safety Agency, Ryanair spokesman Stephen McNamara is confident that the stand-up seats will pass safety regulations.
After receiving large amounts of attention from the media, Ryanair later dismissed the plan as “a joke.”
Much controversy arises over Ryanair’s proposal:
- Would the seats be safe during take-off, landing, and turbulence?
- Are passengers in stand-up seating able to exit the plane quickly in a case of an emergency?
- Though tickets for the seats are only £4, Ryanair charges for many other expenses, such as luggage, food, credit card usage, and even toilets.
Although dismissed as a stunt by Ryanair, the main questions is: Is Ryanair’s desire to attract more customers (therefore gaining revenue) but reducing the safety of seats on the plane ethical when customers are willing to put themselves at risk for a low price in tickets?
Read the article here.
Source: UK Daily Mail
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