edi_local - could I pick you up on just one small point ?
FR could charge £1000 for a boarding card
Actually no, they couldn't, because a last minute one-way fare on Ryanair is somewhere in the order of £250. Alternatively, one can go to the nearest major airport and buy a last minute one way ticket on a traditional network carrier. Thus, if one were to be charged £1,000 for a boarding card, many people would just opt to catch the next flight instead and possibly spend the £750 on hotel costs or use a different airline. Better to get some money, than a customer pays money only to the competition. Therefore, the maximum Ryanair can charge for a boarding card and expect people to pay is probably about £300 per person - allowing for the inconvenience of waiting for the next flight.
Still a lot of money though !