Last month we noted that Ryanair was conducting a survey to determine what new fees they might impose on their customers. The survey was somewhat tongue-in-cheek. The responses were surprisingly serious.
Some of the suggestions noted by Ryanair in March were:
· Charging for toilet paper – with O’Leary’s face on it,
· Charging €2.50 to read the safety cards,
· Charging €1 to use oxygen masks,
· Charging €25 to use the emergency exit,
· Charging €50 for bikini clad Cabin Crew.
The final results were quite different. United Airlines would have been happy. What might have been seen as a joke is becoming reality.
Here are the top vote-getters in the Ryanair survey:
29 per cent – Excess fees for very overweight passengers
25 per cent – €1 for toilet paper – with O’Leary’s face on it
24 per cent – €3 to smoke in a converted lavatory cubicle
14 per cent – Annual subscription to access Ryanair.com
8 per cent – €2 “corkage” fee for passengers who bring their own food on-board.
Let’s see, since United Airlines and Southwest already have procedures for overweight passengers, Ryanair’s implementation of a similar program would not seem very draconian. The toilet paper might be a big seller, even in European department stores. Smoking won’t fly because of regulatory hassles. A subscription fee to the airline’s site would be interesting, but might defeat the purpose of this exercise. Finally, a “corkage fee” for passengers bringing their own food and drink might actually fly.
Now that Ryanair’s passengers have chimed in, what new fees do you see coming down the runway to a flight near you?
