The NY Times on a hellish new concept in air travel:
The airlines have come up with a new answer to an old question: How many passengers can be squeezed into economy class?
A lot more, it turns out, especially if an idea still in the early stage should catch on: standing-room-only “seats.”
Airbus has been quietly pitching the standing-room-only option to Asian carriers, though none have agreed to it yet. Passengers in the standing section would be propped against a padded backboard, held in place with a harness, according to experts who have seen a proposal.
Obviously the Pentagon will be interested in the concept, as this would render the need for renditions obsolete. Why fly the torturee-to-be to Afghanistan when you can simply provide an in-flight service on the way to Guantanamo Bay? No doubt Northwest Airlines will also be investigating the possibility of making a special “sub-economy” service optional to its customers, as its stewardesses are already known to be sadistically-minded dominatrices.