RyanAir CEO Mulls "Toilet Fee" Onboard Aircraft
Discount Irish carrier RyanAir has riled up bloggers all over the internet with rumors that CEO Michael O'Leary is considering charging customers a fee to use the toilets on board its aircraft.
Making the same argument he has made with other fees the carrier is charging, O'Leary suggested a separate toilet fee would lower ticket costs and make flying, somehow, easier for all. Nobody, even his own aides, seemed to be sure if he was serious; in the past he has seemed to relish opportunities to win free advertising, apparently buying into the old adage "any press is good press".
Should the plan come to pass, it would mark a new low for an airline that has become notorious for nickel-and-diming its passengers, charging fees for everything from checking bags, to using a credit card, to speaking with a representative.
O'Leary's announcement has employees and passengers alike shocked and disgusted. "Is this some kind of joke?" writes one pilot on an airline blog. "I think they've gone a bit too far." Another notes, "Something should be done about this company.... They are the laughing stock of aviation in Europe."
And America.