Hand Rails In Planes? Pee Fees Donated To The Incontinent? Ryanair's Crazy CEO Speaks
December 9, 2009 at 2:41 PM | by JetSetCD | 0 Comments
Listen here, Michael O'Leary, CEO of Ryanair, when you recently talked with the Wall Street Journal about your vision and your ideas for the future of low-cost airlines, you sounded both crazy and wise. And you know who typically sounds crazywise? Prophets. We're definitely not about to bow down to you, but you might have something there when you talk about in-flight paying-to-pee and standing room-only; you did after all begin the charging for checked bags thing before most others, and now it's almost standard, and on legacy carriers.
Still, you are one crazy businessman. Especially when you say things like this:
WSJ: How has the recession affected Ryanair, and how have you used it to your advantage?
Mr. O'Leary: We love recessions.
WSJ: Your costs are already low. Do you reach a point where it's hard to keep cutting?
Mr. O'Leary: ...Now we're looking at charging for toilets on board—not because we want revenue from toilet fees. We'd happily give the money away to some incontinent charity... Another one we're looking at is taking out the last 10 rows of seats and putting in handrails. In that case, you'd be able to offer on each flight, say, 125 seats. But you'd also have standing room for maybe another 100 passengers. And the proposition would be that if you want a seat, you pay €30 ($44). But if you're willing to stand, you pay €1.
Incontinence charities? HAND RAILS ON PLANES? O'Leary, you are as plain a talker as there ever was. But we think you drove the point home when you said this: "And that's what people really want—affordable, safe air transport from A to B. It's a commodity. It's not some life-changing sexual experience, which is what the other high-fare airlines have tried to convince you that it is."
Has this man had sensitivity training? If this is the stuff that flies out of his mouth during interviews with the Wall Street Journal, then—boy oh boy—what we'd give to be a fly on the wall in their brainstorming conference room. But then again, perhaps it's for the best that we can't eavesdrop on your insanity. We'll keep letting the WSJ do it for us.