SmilingBoy

Ryanair is continuing to increase its ancillary revenues:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7914542.stm

ajax

Why anyone continues to fly that airline is truly beyond me.

DJ Bitterbarn

So as much as this should surprise me, when I got the link in my inbox this morning, the only thing that came to mind was "I can't believe it took them this long to say it". Michael O'Leary, in another example of "There's no such thing as bad attention" has suggested they're thinking about putting a coin slot on the lavatory door of FR planes, potentially at £1 per use.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090227/...anair_toilet_1

Not at all surprised at this one, but it does make me wonder why so many stories in one week. Is this a way of distracting from the "idiot blogger" comment that has so far made it to even the print media? Or are they really just trying to see how many times they can get their name published?

OrlandoFlyer

http://news.airwise.com/story/view/1235729305.html

Why I am not surprised that this idea came from Ryanair. This idea, if implemented, may actually flush their future down the toilet.

patgarrett

Ryanair mulls charge for toilets

Irish budget airline Ryanair has said it is considering charging passengers for using the toilet while flying.

Chief executive Michael O'Leary told the BBC that the Dublin-based carrier was looking at maybe installing a "coin slot on the toilet door".

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7914542.stm

UALOneKPlus

Freaking hilarious.

So if you don't have the change, do you just pee and poo at your seat? That'll go over well.

So when do they start charging for oxygen next?? :-::-:

MileageAddict

Absolutely unbelievable!!!! I'll just bring an empty coke bottle on board with me.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/tra...cle5814577.ece

Ryanair's chief executive sparked howls of protest today by suggesting his airline is looking into charging passengers £1 to use toilets on its aircraft.

Michael O'Leary said that the carrier has been investigating fitting coin slots to the doors of aircraft toilets, similar to those installed at train stations.

“One thing we have looked at in the past and are looking at again is the possibility of maybe putting a coin slot on the toilet door so that people might actually have to spend a pound to spend a penny in future,” he told BBC Breakfast this morning.

“We are always at Ryanair looking at ways of constantly lowering the cost of air travel to make it affordable and easier for all passengers to fly with us.”


She said the plan could backfire: "Charging people to go to the toilet might result in fewer people buying overpriced drinks on board, though - that would serve Ryanair right."

According to the Civil Aviation Authority, which regulates the industry, Ryanair would not be breaking the law by introducing the charge.

The proposal also sparked an online debate among pilots as to whether crew will also be required to pay to use the toilets. “How many 'tokens' will the crew receive a day? 1 per sector? 1 per day?” “Captplaystation” wrote on the Professional Pilots Rumour Network.

Ryanair already hit the headlines this week by announcing plans to close check-in desks and raise baggage charges.

A spokeswoman for the carrier initially told The Times that the carrier has been investigating a toilet charge. “The situation is that there is no legal requirement for an aircraft to have a toilet onboard, so if an airline does have a toilet they can charge to use it.

“Ryanair is legally able to do this,” she said.

However after the controversy erupted, Mr O’Leary’s team appeared to backtrack.

A statement issued by the Ryanair marketing team shortly after midday said: “Michael makes a lot of this stuff up as he goes along and while this has been discussed internally there are no immediate plans to introduce it.

“Ancillary revenues, all of which are avoidable, help to reduce the cost of flying Ryanair and passengers using train and bus stations are already accustomed to paying to use the toilet so why not on airplanes?

“Not everyone uses the toilet on board one of our flights but those that do could help to reduce airfares for all passengers. Then again, maybe O’Leary was just taking the p*ss this morning”.

TMOliver

Pee for a penny, poop for a pound!

DogHead

Frightening, I'd say.
Once they do it, I'm sure many others will follow.
So much for quality of air travel ...

nbs2

Can someone clear this up for me? I don't remember paying to use the bathroom in any of the train stations inthe UK or Europe. This was a few years back, but still. Besides, what does the cost of using the toilet in a station have to do with using the toilet in the vehicle.

In an another article he was quoted as saying "I don't think there is anybody in history that has got on board a Ryanair aircraft with less than a pound.". I remember the one time I flew Ryanair, I didn't even have a pound on me. I had enough to pay for the a bus from the train station to a friend's house, and that was it (already had the train ticket). I suppose I would have had to use the seat cushion as a sponge since I didn't have a coke bottle...

Supersonic Swinger

Clearly, enough people fly that airline to enable the guy running it to make such a suggestion.

I will do everything in my power to ensure that I'm never one of them.

DogHead

I'm doing it without use of any powers.

LapLap

Sorry, but it's been a considerable number of years since UK train stations (certainly those in London) have been charging travellers to use the facilities.

The Netherlands is somewhere where you've always been expected to tip the attendant. Pretty much everywhere.


---
Have to admit it, I've also boarded my share of FR flights without any cash on me.


Poor FR crew... The job must be bad enough, this would force them to become toilet monitors. I can't see any other way they'll be able to prevent pax leaving the door open for each other unless they're there to police them. Or perhaps there's a scheme in place where the toilet only flushes once the door closes.

goalie

i can see it now....

some poor yutz is waiting in line for the head and he really (n.b. really) has to go.....

the line moves along, albeit slowly....

he starts with the "knee bending" and "eye squinting"....

he gets to the door of the head only to realize he hath no change.....

"anybody have change"?

PLEASE!

nbs2

Fair enough. I only rode the train once, and I can't remember if I peed at the station or on the train (or maybe it was at the airport). It certainly wasn't a memorable pee.

Perhaps there is a sensor in the bathroom and it won't let the door close if there is a non-pax inside or the door automatically shuts behind you. I don't know how flight safety requirements would work under those though.