Europe's largest lo-fare-high-fee airline has said it wants to operate 40% o its normal scheduled flights from 1st July and it won't be leaving the middle seat free. CEO Michael O'Leary confirmed on Tuesday that he wants to cram as many people as possible on the flights.
of course, the introduction of the rapid increase in flying will be subject to Government restrictions on intra-EU flights being lifted as well as effective public health measures being put in place at airports.
Ryanair also released a return to flying video, encouraging passengers to observe effective health measures to limit the Covid-19 virus. These include fewer checked bags, check-in online, downloading boarding pass to the passenger smartphone, as well as undergoing temperature checks at the airport entry and wearing face masks/coverings at all times in the terminal and onboard aircraft.
Of course, like other airlines Ryanair crew will wear masks, they will demand passengers wear them as well. The carrier will offer for sale a limited range of pre-packaged snacks and drinks - with card sales only. Ryanair will make its cabin crew toilet monitors, no one will be allowed to queue for the loo and need permission to go as access is only available after a passenger request it.
Ryanair aircraft are not cleaned between flights, other than a rapid flit through the cabin by the usually underpaid staff, although the airline says it will disinfect interior surfaces every night.
In addition to this, Ryanair will require passengers to provide full details of their address overseas and how long they are staying for - which will be passed on to EU authorities for monitoring.
Ryanair’s CEO Eddie Wilson said didn't seem to care if it was safe or not, claiming: “It is important for our customers and our people that we return to some normal schedules from 1 July onwards. Governments around Europe have implemented a 4-month lockdown to limit the spread of the Covid-19 virus. After 4 months, it is time to get Europe flying again so we can reunite friends and families, allow people to return to work."
The airline says it will work with public health authorities so its flights comply with effective measures to limit the spread of coronavirus COVID-19. "As already shown in Asia, temperature checks and face masks/coverings are the most effective way to achieve this on short-haul (1 hour) within Europe’s single market," Wilson said, yet over 76% of Ryanair flights are longer than an hour.
The carrier says the flights are on sale now and all normal rules will apply, yet the airline still owes more than 100,000 passengers refunds for cancelled flights, with no date in sight of when they will get their money back.
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