Ryanair Cost Cutting - How much longer here?
Passengers flying on Ryanair will have to make do without reclining seats, seat pockets and even window blinds in future as the Irish budget airline again strives to cut costs and lower fares.
Ryanair, which has made its name by offering "no-frills" flights at knockdown prices, has asked Boeing to ditch such luxuries when supplying its latest fleet of planes.
Ryanair is facing falling yields in the cut-throat budget airline industry and is seeking to shore up its position as one of Europe's largest airlines by market value.
It issued the first profit warning of its 19-year history last month and is also locked in a legal battle with the European Commission over its receipt of regional state aid.
"Ryanair sees these things (reclining seats, window blinds and seat pockets) as non-essential items. It aims to save costs and then in turn pass these savings on to the consumer," a spokeswoman for the airline said.
"All of this will help us achieve our ultimate goal, where we envisage 50 percent of our seats will be for free within five years," she added.
Ryanair hopes to save around two million euros on a one-off basis by using non-reclining seats. It estimates that it has to replace around 40 reclining seats on each of its planes each year due to breakage.
"Getting rid of window blinds will deliver a saving of about US$250,000 (132,268 pounds) on each plane," the spokeswoman said. "Ditching seat pockets will reduce cleaning costs and shorten the time in which planes are turned around."
The airline is also looking at ways to encourage passengers to bring their luggage on board with them, reducing the need for check-ins and baggage handling at airports.
It may consider offering incentives to passengers who travel with hand luggage only.