Strollerderby

Airline Considers Charging for Toilet

Posted by KeriF

Sounds like a headline from The Onion, right?

But it's true... Ryanair, Ireland's budget airline, is considering charging passengers one euro (about $1.40) to use the toilet on board. 

Really? 

I understand charging for chips and soda and even aisle seats and baggage check--those are truly optional things; you can safely fly without a beverage or cramped into a middle seat.

But going to the bathroom is a necessity. How do you tell a 4-year-old to "hold it in" until you land? Who is going to want to sit next to you when your baby has an explosive poop and you don't have any change to go rinse her off and change her in the lavatory? 

Chief executive Michael O'Leary says he's looking into specially designed doors that require a euro coin to open. A company spokesman, however, insists, "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," he said.

There is one inevitable end to this debate. Someone, objecting on principle to the charge, is going to relieve him or herself right in the aisle in protest. 

I just hope I'm not on board when it happens. 

 

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Posted Mar 02 2009, 01:30 PM
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Comments

 

SusieQ said:

Considering that many (if not most) toilets in Europe are pay, this doesn't seem that out of the ordinary.  It would be weird here in the U.S. since we are accustomed to free public restrooms.  I don't recall seeing anyone "relieve him or herself" in protest at any of the train stations, grocery stores or shopping districts with only pay toilets on my travels.  You get used to carrying change.  It's a different culture.  Go figure.

March 2, 2009 1:39 PM
 

lovedannygansle said:

They've (Ryanair) since squashed the idea...

March 2, 2009 2:03 PM
 

Shana said:

SusieQ, there is a big difference between having to pay to use the toilet when you are at the mall in Stockholm (which is about $0.50 generally) and being on a plane flight where you really do not have the opportunity to just try somewhere else.  It is unfair to expect people to pay for every little thing pssible on the planes these days.  Besides you can get around the food thing by bringing yor own.  Not so much with drinks or the toilet.  And as someone that is currently pregnant and possible heading to Sweden this summer (a six hour there, nine hours back!) the whole idea of having to pay every time I piss is ridiculous.

Besides, quality of service has drastically gone down over the years.  The food is worse and there is drastically less space than there was just ten years ago.  But of course, flying has not exactly gotten much cheaper.  

They are just trying to get every little dime they can.

March 2, 2009 5:59 PM
 

John said:

This is just so plain stupid for me. You're right. What if those circumstances happen? There are people with pea-sized bladders you know. Switch it to the simple extra drinks and chips instead of charging for the commodities. It's just really stupid knowing that it's an airline commodity.

March 2, 2009 7:41 PM
 

MamaBear said:

While living in Europe, I once see a father helping his young son pee to the side of the entrance to a highway rest stop. These rest stops have pay toilets, but give a full credit which can be used in the restaurant/shop, so the facilities end up being effectively free. Maybe the father didn't have the change on him, but for whatever reason, the little guy relieved himself right out in the open, just steps away from a well-maintained loo.

March 13, 2009 12:50 AM

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