Ryanair wants you to pay to use the lav!

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Travel Safety: Europe's Cheapest Airline Has Weird Plans for Future
Posted by bobharu at 8/4/2009 11:58 AM EDT
Michael O'Leary, CEO of Ryanair, still thinks you should pay to use his airplane's toilets. He would like to reduce the number of toilets, in fact, to one per plane. O'Leary likes to shock people and he's doing a good job of it, according to a recent New York Times article. His non-union (of course) airline offers really cheap seats, but you have to pay extra for any courtesy.The airline claims it promises you four things: low fares, good on-time record, few cancellations and few lost bags, or so they say. But they won't give you a free hotel room if the flight is cancelled. They won't give you a refund "on a nonrefundable ticket because your granny died unexpectedly." O'Leary says about that, "No! Go away. We're not interested in your sob stories! What part of 'no refund' do you not understand?" the Times article continues.Ryanair fares are said to be only 40 Euros (about $56) on average, but you have to pay for airport check-in (about $55) unless you check-in online (about $7). You have to check in somewhere, after all. Another thing: if you want to complain, you have to do it in writing, of course, but you can send your message only by fax or regular mail. Nobody will answer your email if you choose that method of communicating. In the Times interview, he sneered at the US constitution, saying Americans think it includes "the inalienable right to bear arms and send in complaints by email." "No, you bloody don't, so go away!"I think we should all take his advice and in addition to going away, stay away from Ryanair. When I'm in Europe, I take EasyJet, anyhow, almost as cheap and staff are nowhere nearly so rude. I know I feel safer on EasyJet and don't have to fear, for instance, being told I can't move around the cabin.Note: I blog here exclusively on travel health and safety, backed by my work as pro bono vice president of the not-for-profit charity, the International Association for Medical Assistance to Travellers, www.iamat.org.
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