Because flying coach isn't quite unpleasant enough

Airbus is proposing standing room "seats" in planes.

Passengers in the standing section would be propped against a padded backboard and held in place with a harness.

This idea is coming from an airline that recently unveiled the world's biggest passenger jet, the A380, a double-decker behemoth capable of carrying 555 passengers. Depending on the configuration, the plane is big enough to have a casino, nurseries, shops and bars.

But from such jumbo ideas we have to come to this - packing passengers into the back of the plane in harnesses. At BA, a spokeswoman sounded distinctly sceptical and gave the news blog this tongue-in-cheek response.

"We think British Airways passengers would prefer a little more elbow room to enjoy their complimentary food and drinks. However, we always welcome design innovations," she said.