Ryanair Summer Fee Gouge Kicks In
Ryanair: Gouging is our business, and business is good
Sometimes I ask myself why we bother covering Ryanair. It exemplifies everything wrong with airline industry culture these days, even as it manages to remain successful. Ah, that's why!
To wit:
The airline will raise its checked baggage fee from £15 to £20 (from $22 to $30, see XE.com for current exhange rates) for July and August—you know, one of the busiest travel periods of the year. According to the BBC, "The company said the increase was meant to 'incentivise all of its passengers to travel light' during the peak summer months." You can stretch the idea to the point where it almost makes sense—most summer travel involves warm places that facilitate light packing—but it seems downright nasty to penalize families and customers needing a suitcase for a long getaway, such as U.S. travelers. But that's a typical Ryanair gouge for you.
Speaking of which, the airline's infamous pay-to-pee scheme is back in the news! The Daily Mail is reporting that Ryanair "is working with Boeing to redesign the cabin and develop coin-operated toilets on 168 of its planes," and will charge £1 or €1 (around $1.33 or $1.50, respectively) for the privilege. This is pretty much what the airline said back in January, though now the carrier is floating a loose timeline for the rollout of coin-operated restrooms, saying the fee won't be implemented until after this summer. Will this tired, obnoxious publicity stunt ever become reality? Let's hope not, but stay tuned.
These news items come on the heels of Ryanair's U.S. equivalent, Spirit, announcing it will charge for carry-ons. Perhaps the race to the bottom is more competitive than one would think.
http://www.smartertravel.com/blogs/today-in-travel/ryanair-hits-customer...
Comments
The concept of no-frills, started by California's PSA and copied by Southwest, then Easyjet then Ryanair, is that you pay for the essentials, and if you want 'frills', you pay. The theory is great; I don't pee, so I don't pay for the cost of flying a toilet around Europe - the pee-ers do. Where it goes wrong is when there is no choice - such as paying by credit card - or the costs start to get too high. If too high, hopefully a competitor will eventually arrive. Meanwhile, Ryanair's fares are so low, we will continue to 'suffer' those insufferable charges.
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