No-frills airline, Ryanair, caused a stir in the travel industry yesterday by introducing a charge for each mile flown.
In a press handout, the company reported that from 1st April advertised fares will refer only to the cost of the seat. In addition to existing “extras” such as luggage and food, the company plan to charge customers for each mile travelled.
The press release continues – “A credit card reader will be installed in each armrest and all passengers will be required to insert a valid card before the aircraft is allowed to leave the gate. Passengers refusing to comply with this reasonable request will be subject to ejection. Cards will be charged as each mile is completed. We see this as a “win win” situation. In the event of an accident there would be no loss of revenue to the company and customers will only pay for actual miles travelled, not the uncompleted part of the journey. Passengers originating from countries using the metric system will have the mileage converted to kilometres using the company’s standard conversion rate.”
A spokesman for the company refused to comment on unofficial reports that plans were being made to auction off life-vests in the event of an emergency.