Think of it as Potty Training 2.0.



Ryanair confirmed that it is working with Boeing on design changes that will allow the discount carrier to install pay toilets on 168 planes.



Last year Michael O'Leary, the aggressive, bombastic chief of the British discount carrier, said that he wanted to start charging passengers to use the toilet but that Boeing hadn't developed an effective locking system yet. At the time, some analysts said they weren't sure whether O'Leary was serious or poking fun at his own reputation for creating fees for all kinds of conveniences and services. Ryanair currently levies booking fees, baggage handling charges, and it charges for all food and drink on board.

Apparently Ryan meant what he said.



A Ryanair spokesman told the Daily Mail, who first reported the story, that the airline wants to reduce the number of toilets on board, leaving just one available for up to 189 passengers. That would allow the carrier to add a half dozen more seats.

"By charging for the toilets we are hoping to change passenger behavior so that they use the bathroom before or after,'' Stephen McNamara, a Ryanair spokeman, said.





Bloomberg News photo





