'No immediate plans' for Ryanair toilet charge

Ryanair today said there were "no immediate plans" to begin charging passengers to use the toilets on its planes following speculation that the budget carrier was considering the move.

Chief executive Michael O’Leary this morning told the BBC that the company had looked at "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 in future.”

He went on: “We are always looking at ways of making air travel cheaper. We are all about finding ways of raising revenue so we can keep lowering air fares.”

Later, Ryanair spokesman Stephen McNamara said: “Michael makes a lot of this stuff up as he goes along and, while this has been discussed internally, there are no immediate plans to introduce it.

“However, this highlights Ryanair’s continuing obsession with lowering costs and passing these savings on in the form of lower fares.

“Ancillary revenues, all of which are avoidable, help to reduce the cost of flying Ryanair and passengers using train and bus stations are already accustomed to paying to use the toilet so why not on airplanes?

“Not everyone uses the toilet on board one of our flights but those that do could help to reduce airfares for all passengers.”

Rochelle Turner of UK magazine Which? Holiday said: “It seems Ryanair is prepared to plumb any depth to make a fast buck and, once again, is putting profit before the comfort of its customers.

“Charging people to go to the toilet might result in fewer people buying overpriced drinks on board, though – that would serve Ryanair right.”

Last week, Ryanair announced it was to shut all check-in desks at airports by the end of the year, with all passengers having to check in online instead.

The carrier also charges for hold luggage and – like other low-fare airlines – charges for on-board food and drink.