As far back as 2010, Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary publicly floated the concept of vertical “standing seats” — saddle-style perches that would have passengers in a semi-upright position for short-haul flights, with tickets as cheap as £5. The plan, as O’Leary described it, was to remove the last ten rows of seats and replace them with standing berths, increasing capacity from 189 to 230 passengers per flight.

The design — actually developed by Italian manufacturer Aviointeriors and called the Skyrider — involves passengers perching at roughly a 45-degree angle, weight on their legs, secured with harness-style seatbelts and shoulder restraints similar to roller coaster restraints.

It was meant for very short flights.

The idea was simple:
Less comfort = lower price.