Ryanair to ditch checked baggage ?
I've been meaning to ask for a couple of months now, heard on CNN Business news about two months ago that Ryanair CEO MOL announced plans to ditch checked baggage as a cost saving measure. Has anyone heard anything about this ? It is far too late in the year to be an April fool... What the hell are you supposed to do mail your luggage ahead ?
Just found this from February, it may have been misreported, in the Summer, have I got the wrong end of the stick here or are passengers an inconvenience to MOL ? Perhaps he'd prefer it if they just bought a ticket and didn't show up at all ?
Ryanair passengers will soon find fewer frills when they get on board.
LONDON, England -- Ryanair, famous for its discount fares and no-frills service, is about to get even leaner.
The Dublin-based airline is taking the knife to a number of "non-essentials" -- such as reclining seats, head rests, seat pockets and window blinds -- in an effort to cut costs.
Ryanair is calling for the alterations to made to a new fleet of aircraft being order from Boeing.
It hopes the changes will speed airplane turnaround times and save more than £1 million ($1.9m) a year as it competes for passengers in the competitive discount market.
Ryanair is one of several European budget airlines that has cashed in on the public's desire for cheap air travel by reducing fares and doing away with such extras as meals on board and assigned seats.
At the same time, Ryanair wants to encourage passengers to carry only hand luggage in a bid to cut baggage-handling costs.
The new cutbacks were reported in The Sunday Times in London. A Ryanair spokesman confirmed the details of the story, but could not specify when the changes would come into effect.
"Most of the space in airports is devoted to baggage handling," he said. "It would mean smaller airports, simpler facilities and lower charges. It could deliver savings of up to 20 percent for the airline."
The changes comes as Ryanair faces new challenges to its dominant position in the discount airline market.
Earlier this month, Ryanair was told by the European Commission to repay about 4 million euros ($5 million) to Belgian authorities for subsidies it received for using the state-owned Charleroi airport south of Brussels. (Full story)
In January, the airline issued its first profit warning since it became a publicly traded company in 1997.
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"Think about it. People are happy to carry a bag on to buses so why not on to airlines? This could be revolutionary," Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary told the newspaper.
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Do you really need anymore evidence that this man is insane ?
Last edited by skibeagle; 27th Aug 2004 at 16:45.