Airline CEO: Seatbelts on Plane Are Useless

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We’ve all heard the airplane mantra that we’re to keep our seatbelts buckled while the plane is in motion. But do they actually do any good?

Michael O’Leary (pictured), CEO of Ireland-based discount airline Ryanair (NASDAQ:RYAAY), claims they don’t. In an interview with The London Daily Telegraph, O’Leary said the safety restraints are useless, and that in the event of a crash, seatbelts won’t save passengers. O’Leary points out in the interview that belts aren’t required on subways or trains and shouldn’t be on airplanes.

O’Leary’s statements come during a time when he’s trying to get approval to create a “standing room only” model for air travel. O’Leary says Ryanair can sell 1 pound tickets to Europe, in the back of his fleet’s cabins, if the passengers were willing to stand and hold a handle.

Currently, European safety regulations forbid passengers from not being seated and belted during takeoff and landing. O’Leary told The Telegraph the authorities were “a bunch of plonkers.”

The CEO has been known for his cost-saving innovations in the past. Earlier this year, he suggested that Ryanair could start charging passenger for using the toilets during flights.

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Article printed from InvestorPlace Media, https://investorplace.com/2012/11/airline-ceo-seatbelts-on-plane-are-useless/.

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