From ‘fat tax’ to pay-to-pee: The strangest money ideas a famous airline boss ever pitched

Airlines are always hunting for ways to save money and squeeze out a little extra profit. Fair enough - flying is a tough business, and every rupee (or euro) counts. But sometimes, in the race to be “smart,” ideas get a little too wild.

And when it comes to headline-grabbing ideas that made people go, “Wait, what?”, Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary is in a league of his own.

Over the years, he’s floated some truly out-there cost-cutting plans. Most of them went viral. Almost none of them actually happened.

Standing seats and one pilot? Yeah, no.

Back in 2010, O’Leary suggested adding standing-room seats on Ryanair planes. The idea was to replace about 10 rows with vertical “berths” so more people could squeeze in, boosting capacity by around 20 per cent. Sounds like a nightmare, right? Aviation safety rules shut that down fast.

He also once questioned why planes even need two pilots. In an interview with Bloomberg, he casually suggested letting one pilot and a computer handle the flight, with cabin crew as backup. Unsurprisingly, aviation authorities weren’t amused. Turns out, two pilots exist for a very good reason, safety.

The infamous ‘fat tax’ idea

In 2009, Ryanair floated the idea of charging overweight passengers extra if they spilled into the next seat. The airline even said it could encourage people to lose weight. The internet exploded. People were furious, calling it cruel and humiliating. The backlash was so strong that the idea died almost instantly.

Pay to use the toilet? Seriously?

Yes, that was actually suggested too. O’Leary once talked about installing coin slots on airplane toilets - basically paying £1 to use the loo. His team later brushed it off as “just an idea,” but people were horrified. European aviation rules killed that plan.

Not stopping there, he also suggested removing some toilets to make space for more seats and cheaper tickets. Because nothing says “pleasant flight” like fewer bathrooms on a packed plane.

No armrests, less ice… and adult content?

At one point, Ryanair even considered removing armrests to reduce weight, cutting back on ice, and slimming down the in-flight magazine.

Then came the truly bizarre one: an idea to offer gambling and adult content on handheld devices during flights. O’Leary argued that hotels do it, so why not planes? Unsurprisingly, that suggestion didn’t take off either.

What actually worked

Not all of Ryanair’s ideas were ridiculous. The airline’s “Business Plus” offering - with priority boarding, bigger cabin bags, and front-row seats - actually stuck. It’s now simply called “Plus” and is still part of their service.

In the end, O’Leary’s wild ideas might not have changed air travel, but they did one thing really well: keep Ryanair in the headlines. And honestly, some of them sound less like business strategy and more like a dare someone should’ve stopped him from taking.