Ryanair chief Michael O'Leary, known for his provocative ideas (or threats if you see them that way) has a new thought to chew on: Free airline fare to many destinations.
While in the past he's threatened to charge passengers for the use of toilets or even seats, O'Leary now wants to shift the cost of flights from passengers to the airports and airport stores and concessions that make their money from them.
At the recent Airport Operators Conference in London, he described a plan in which airports, which in some cases already subsidize airlines to provide flights, would share revenue from the concessions with the airlines, allowing Ryanair to offer free seats. The pitch to the stores is that passengers would spend even more in airport stores and everyone would come out ahead.
He doesn't expect it to happen everywhere: “I think it will happen. It just won’t happen at Heathrow or those big hub airports. But most of the other airports who are looking for big traffic growth, that process is already starting to happen, lowering airport fees and some of the charges.”
More detail and quotes from the Guardian (UK) HERE
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