Airbus, the plane manufacturer, is circulating a correction to all, including us, who linked to a New York Times story about the plane company’s research of using standing room to pack more people onto already painfully overcrowded airplanes. The Times’ correction, published May 2, follows:
A front-page article last Tuesday about seating options that airlines are considering to accommodate more passengers in economy class referred incorrectly to the concept of carrying passengers standing up with harnesses holding them in position. During preparation of the article, The Times’s questions to one aircraft manufacturer, Airbus, were imprecise. The company now says that while it researched that idea in 2003, it has since abandoned it. The article also misstated the capacity of the Airbus A380 superjumbo jet. The airliner can accommodate 853 passengers in regular seats; standing-room positions would not be needed.
Any idea how long it would take for 853 people to load suitcases, chicken coops, diaper bags, etc., into the overhead bins?