I'm Mandy, Fly Me

I have just returned from Portugal after the annual 'Algarve Cup' tournament. I avoided winning the parrot for last place, and with two good and two bad rounds, I came mid-table.

I travelled over and back on EasyJet, but for some reason from Liverpool, John Lennon International Airport, they only fly one flight on the Monday, so whereas most of the team got back Monday night, I had to wait until Tuesday.

EasyJet are fine as long as they fly on time, I don't have a problem paying for baggage or golf clubs, and the staff are generally friendly and helpful. I was interested though to read about the extra charges being introduced at their hub in Luton, while travelling back.

I had already noticed that people are charged 50p for the clear plastic bag they put their make-up in, at Liverpool, and there is the lounge charge, the priority boarding charge and the fast track security charge which seem to be accepted these days. The announcement that people were to be charged £1 to drop people off at the airport though is a bit cheeky. Air travel is designed to be quicker than other modes of transport, so encouraging people to use the park and ride so way away is only going to erode the differential. I know its only £1 , but judging by the RyanAir announcement to their staff that theyneed to think of new ways of charging passengers, it could be the tip of the iceberg.

So, what are the suggestions; charging people to eat their own food on the plane ( food corkage equivalent), making fat people pay more money, or including your weight as part of your baggage allowance, and what else?

Well here are a few things for you if any RyanAir people read this.

Its 30p to spend a penny at Paddington Station in London, although you can slide in past the turnstiles if you know the trick!! So lets have a toilet usage charge on aircraft. What about paying so that the seat in front of you cannot be reclined, although a reclining passenger may need to be re-imbursed for not being able to be selfish and inconsiderate. Short haul don't have movies or entertainment, but that is an obvious one to charge for, if they do not already.

They could also sell papers and magazines, wet wipes and serviettes but they would all contribute to total takeoff weight and may not therefore be viable.

Alternatively of course they could just make everything inclusive and put the base price up, I am sure it will happen, but then don't Virgin and BA do that already?