There was a time – and yes, it was waaay before kids – when I used to fly quite a bit. I love to travel and when flying was cheap and I was carefree (there was such a day), I would pick up and go whenever the urge, frequent flyer miles and discount airfares struck me. One weekend, I even flew off to Europe on a whim to meet up with my husband, who happened to be working there at the time.
But here’s the awful truth: I hate flying. Hate it. And not the actual act of flying – just the awfulness of dealing with the airlines. Airlines have gone out of their way to make the whole experience miserable. My last few flights, even the ones for business, have just been horrible (thank you, USAirways). And since I still travel quite a bit for work, that can be a real problem: I recently took a 7-1/2 hour train ride to Pittsburgh just to avoid having to deal with the airlines.
And yet, the airlines keep insisting on making it worse. USAirways and other carriers charge extra for bags and even beverages rather than wrapping those costs into fares (like many service providers). Now, Ryanair, a discount carrier to Europe, is taking it a step beyond by imposing a “toilet tax” on their flights. That’s right: you’ll have to pay to pee. The toilets would be coin-operated (make sure that you have the right change when you get on board!) and would cost about one Euro per trip to the toilet.
The idea is to reduce the number of toilets on the flight to one (what, no back up plan?) and charge a fee to use it. They make more money – and have more room for seats.
The idea is to encourage people to use the toilet before they board the plane and then “punish” (my word) those that don’t – or those that can’t control their bathroom urges. Clearly, these people have never spent any time with children… As the mother of three kids, I can pretty much tell you that would put the kibosh on our family ever taking a flight on Ryanair.
But the annoying thing is that Ryanair isn’t alone in its determination to make airline travel as expensive as possible while pretending it’s still cheap. Base fares don’t mean anything anymore – by the time you add the actual taxes and surcharges for everything from bags to drinks to blankets. A “toilet tax” is just the next step in a laundry list of ways that airlines can make travel more expensive. In fact, a recent Private Letter Ruling issued by the IRS (downloads as a pdf) had so many variations of potentially taxable add-ons for travel that it made my head spin.
For what it’s worth, I understand that airlines are a business and it’s all about making money. I get it. I run a business, too. I just hope to never see the day where I think the best way to boost my profits is to charge my clients to use the toilet.
People don’t realize that the fees are what make the tickets so much expensive
One airline may offer a cheaper flight but when you add up the fees, it is much more.
Bag fees, check-in fees, etc…there are a LOT
Toilet Tax? Whenever I see the airlines adding another charge for something that should be included in the cost of the ticket I cringe. I’m old enough to remember when I got dressed up to travel on a plane and respected those people trying to make the trip enjoyable. I travel by plane now only because I want to see my children and g’kids who live across the country. How can the airlines make more money by putting on the facade of low fares and great travel when they have become a nickel and dime outfit?
Thanks, pat k
Thanks for your wit taxgirl. Like what you are doing on your blog.
I fly intercontinental quite a bit, and I follow closely these changes in the airlines that want you to pay for about everything. But … thanks for trying to make me pay $5.00 for a shitty meal, I can very well skip a lousy dinner and not be annoyed by “cheap microwave reataurant smells” when I fly.
Of course the toilet tax is so pityful as an idea that I can just imagine somebody with real retention problems and NOT THE RIGHT COINS IN THE POCKET to pee right in front of the toilet door, or in a hidden corner. I would, not to save one euro, of course, but just because I do not have the coins at hand when I most need them.
Why make flying more hell for customers, just to make an extra income? Very sad …
Thanks for the compliment!
Hold on a minute! Free toilet use is SOCIALISM! Having to pay to use them is FREE ENTERPRISE.
Same goes for other services taxed for, like health care, education, fire protection, police protection, etc. These things are a PRIVILEDGE, not a right, and should be reserved for those with the means to pay for them!
At least, that’s the philosophy I’ve been hearing lately from some very loud people. I guess I’m simply backward for not having believed in it up to this point.
So is the fee waived when your flight is so delayed you are literally running to make your connection and have less than 10 minutes to do so? I see lots of potential problems.. and possibly lots of people peeing in other containers. Won’t the flight attendants love to clean THAT up! 🙂