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Germans are putting bums on seats

By team ⋅ March 27, 2008 ⋅  Email this post ⋅  Print this post ⋅ Post a comment

The Times, 2nd February 2007

Nudists across the globe jammed the website of an East German travel company so secure a seat on the maiden flight of the first no-clothes-please-we’re German airline. From July 5th, passengers with OssiUrlaub, a tour operator in Erfurt, will be allowed to check in their clothes with their baggage as they make the journey to the naturist beaches on the Baltic island, Usedom.

During the flight, the naked tourists will sit upon a special cloth to prevent them from sticking to the leather seats of the Saab 2000 aircraft, and for hygiene reasons. To spare male passengers unnecessary pain, no hot beverages will be served. Despite the passengers being naked, the pilot and crew must conform to IATA regulations and fly fully clothed. Standard security measures would also apply, although the chances of a shoe-bombed boarding have been significantly reduced.

The chartered plane takes 50 passengers, and OssiUrlaub’s managing director Enrico Hess is considering chartering larger planes to match the demand. ‘There is a genuine market for nudist related leisure activities. We will soon be offering all-inclusive nudist vacations, including a flight and all-naked hotel for a week, and return in the buff’, said Mr Hess.

The flights wil cost €499 (£370) for a return ticket to Usedom. Mr Garz stressed that there would be no sexual impropriety on board. ‘We are not starting a mid-air wife-swapping or swingers club’, he said. Instead he suggested that tt made commercial sense to exploit the German craze for nudity.

East Germans were Europe’s most enthusiastic early naturists, stripping off on Baltic beaches in the 1950s to show their contempt for the Communists. When the Stasi tried to stop the movement, they pretended to stage ‘Cameroon Friendship Events’ and dance naked on the sand.

For those who are thinking about travelling with OssiUrlaub, there are some clear advantages. Besides avoiding a problem of creasing, it allows travellers to avoid having to listen to their fellow passengers who insist on taking out their wallets and showing pictures of their children. One significant disadvantage is the care that men will have to exercise when fastening their safety belts.