Ryanair considers lavatory usage fees

As fees for extras on budget airlines continue to venture into unchartered territory, Ryanair announces they are considering charging for lavatory access. The announcement comes just after another major, budget airline announced they would charge for carry-on luggage.

Quickly becoming one of the most-used budget airlines in Europe, the Dublin-based carrier is considering enacting a plan which would implement restroom charges on flights under an hour. Fees would be in the range of one euro per use on all short-haul flights.

The carrier stated that they will partner with Boeing to outfit aircrafts with coin-operated lavatory doors. Passengers would then be required to insert the correct amount of change before having access to such facilities.

Ryanair said that they are also considering removing all but one of the lavatories on the short flights in order to increase seating on the aircrafts. According to budget carrier, removing two of the three onboard restrooms would allow up to six more passengers per flight. A move, which the airline states, would lower ticket costs by 5 per cent.

In the line with this announcement, Ryanair also announced Tuesday that checked luggage fees on board all flights will increase from 15 to 20 euros during July and August. A spokesman for the carrier stated that the airline was hoping to encourage passengers to travel light over the summer.

Budget carriers have slowly been implementing a-la carte fees since the economic downturn hit the industry hard over the past year. The added fees are a move to keep base fares as low as possible, say industry insiders.