If you are thinking of flying RyanAir, think again.
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 (USD$2.55 million)
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
USD$250,000 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.
