Pee Fee & Others

I came across an article on BusinessWeek which mentioned about ‘hidden charges’ to be slapped on airlines passengers. Here is the excerpt:

The announcement that Spirit Airlines will charge as much as $45 for a carry-on bag provoked a torrent of reaction. Spirit described its change as “the next phase of unbundling” and an effort to lower fares. I was heading home Tuesday from a weekend trip when the Spirit news broke and in the 90 minutes it took to fly from Chicago to New York two friends had dropped emails expressing their outrage. “The bastards!” said one. The other’s note referred to buggery.

The very next day, Ryanair – never to be outdone when it comes to stoking media outrage – renewed talk of pay lavatories on its 737s as a way to eventually remove all but a sole loo and add seats. The idea being that a fee to pee will make a single WC adequate as opposed to the current three, but regulators are likely to consult on that plan before it actually were to happen. Ryanair also boosted its baggage fee by 5 euros to 20 euros ($27) per bag for the peak travel months of July and August.

(source)

Back in 2008, the crude oil price rose to historic high of US$147 per barrel. Oil price crumbled when the world was mired in recession. Now, as the economy improves, the price is going up again. At the time of this writing, crude oil is sold at over $85 per barrel. I won’t be surprised if it breaches the $100-mark this year. Expect more budget airlines to imitate Spirit Airlines and Ryanair.

What other things can airlines do to keep their cost low? ‘Fat tax’ is another option – the heavier a passenger is, the more he/she pays. Some airlines are also considering planes with stools instead of chairs in order to squeeze in more passengers.

But here is my proposal to Datuk Tony Fernandes: Outdo Ryanair by taking away ALL lavatories. Sell adult diapers for RM10 per piece!