Looks like the Russians managed to beat Ryanair to claiming the dubious honor of being the first airline with standing room only.
On a Tatarstan airlines flight from Antalya (Turkey) to Ekaterinburg (Russia), passengers were told that the flight was full, and that they’d need to stand if they wanted to get to their destination.
In total, six adults did not get a seat – which means they were also without a life jacket and oxygen mask, not to mention the possibility that the plane would not have enough bags of pretzel snack mix for them.
Apparently, the original plane with 148 seats had been switched out at the last minute for a plane with 142 seats. In any normal situation, the airline would “bump” the six passengers and leave them behind, but I guess telling people to just shut up and find somewhere to stand is much cheaper.
Of course, the passengers are now demanding compensation from the airline, expecting just under $5,000 for the experience of having to stand. Look at the bright side – if told to stand, you won’t have to worry about a middle seat, and there won’t be any arguments over the armrests.