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Pay a pound to spend a penny if you fly Ryanair
Bo Wilson27 Feb 2009
PASSENGERS flying with Ryanair may be forced to pay £1 to use the lavatory.
The budget airline's chief executive Michael O'Leary said today he was considering the charge on all flights.
With the company offering some flights for £1, it means spending a penny could cost as much as your ticket. Mr O'Leary said: "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."
He said this would not inconvenience passengers travelling without cash.
"I don't think there is anybody in history that has got on board a Ryanair aircraft with less than a pound," he added.
"We're all about finding ways of raising discretionary revenue so we can keep lowering the cost of air travel."
Mr O'Leary has a reputation as a cost cutter, expanding Ryanair by offering low headline fares and charging extra for items such as additional luggage.
The move has been criticised by air passenger groups. James Freemantle, industry affairs manager at the Air Transport Users Council, said while they supported some charges to drive down ticket prices, a lavatory fee was a "step too far".
He said: "There's a limit on these extra charges and they shouldn't be putting them everywhere."
Ryanair spokesman Stephen McNamara said: "While this has been discussed internally, there are no immediate plans to introduce it. Passengers using train and bus stations are already accustomed to paying to use the toilet, so why not on airplanes?"
Last week, Ryanair announced it was to shut all its European check-in desks by early next year and have passengers check-in online.
It will be introduced at Stansted by the end of this year.
Reader views (4)
Must remember to pack some empty lime juice bottles if I use Ryanair!
- Melvyn Windebank, Canvey Island, Essex, 03/03/2009 13:40
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For an airline that charges you for 
using a credit card (ii) checking in (iii) number of bags checked in (irrespective of being within weight) (iv) priority boarding - itself a bit of a joke as over 50% of passengers are now in the 'priority boarding' queue! - I've often wondered what on EARTH Ryanair might come up with next. Nuff said.
- Marianne, SW France, 01/03/2009 12:21
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I wonder what will happen to alcohol and coffee sales which are heavily overpriced as it is, if the punters are going to have to pay to offload them as well?
- Ralph, tyne and wear, 28/02/2009 17:08
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Hello London,
This man is taking the "P" and if he does it everyone will follow suit including train travel and coach travel. There is a saying "Where theres muck theres money"?.
If you want a service pay for it and customers service goes out of the window ... greedy gits?.
- John L., Scarborough, N. YKS, U.K., 28/02/2009 09:25
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