Passengers travelling with Ryanair will have to ask permission to use the toilet under new rules laid out by the airline, as it prepares to restart 40% of flights in July in the hope that government restrictions on travel in Europe will be lifted.
Europes biggest airline intends to run almost 1,000 flights a day from 1 July and to restore 90% of its pre-pandemic route network. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, Ryanair was operating 2,400 flights a day. It will restart flying from most of its 80 bases across the continent.
By September, Ryanair expects to be running 60% to 70% of its normal flight schedule, depending on customer demand, said Michael OLeary, the group chief executive. “People have been locked up since the middle of March. People are really gagging to get out and I think get abroad for the sunshine.”
His comments contrasted with remarks made by Matt Hancock, the UK health secretary, that summer holidays were likely to be cancelled this year.
In a return to flying video, Ryanair advised passengers to check their temperature before going to the airport, check in online and download their boarding pass to their smartphone. Travellers will undergo further temperature tests at the airport, must wear face masks or other coverings and wash their hands and use hand sanitiser in terminals.
On board the aircraft, they will be able to buy pre-packaged snacks and drinks, using cashless payments only. Queueing for toilets will be prohibited on board, and passengers will have to wait for permission from cabin crew to use the facilities. Physical distancing at airports and onboard will be encouraged where possible.
The measures include fewer checked bags and a deep clean of the aircraft every night with chemicals that are effective for more than 24 hours. All Ryanair planes are fitted with Hepa air filters similar to those used in critical hospital wards, the airline says.
OLeary brushed off the UKs planned 14-day quarantine for arrivals from abroad, from which French and Irish travellers will be exempt. He said the exemption showed the quarantine was not based on science, passengers would ignore it, and the UK government lacked the police resources to check on people.
But, he also added that British families could easily quarantine at home for two weeks after returning from their holidays, and if destinations such as Spain or Italy introduced similar measures, UK travellers could simply isolate in their holiday accommodation.
He told ITVs Good Morning Britain: “I dont think this 14-day isolation will be effective. It will have no credibility among the travelling public, but it is manageable.”
Earlier this month Ryanair said it would cut 3,000 jobs, or 15% of its 20,000-strong workforce as it did not expect passenger numbers or pricing to return to pre-coronavirus levels until summer 2022 at the earliest.
Ryanair will require all passengers flying in July and August to fill in details at the point of check-in of how long their planned visit will be, and their address while visiting another EU country. This contact information will be provided to EU governments to help them to monitor any isolation regulations.
Since the Covid-19 flight restrictions were imposed in mid-March, Ryanair has been operating a skeleton daily schedule of 30 flights between Ireland, the UK and Europe. The pandemic has forced airlines around the world to ground their fleets.
Other airlines including Wizz Air and KLM have also announced a return to flying. The British Airways owner, IAG, had been planning to run 1,000 flights a day from July, but its chief executive, Willie Walsh, said on Monday it would review its plans in light of the 14-day quarantine period. He said the number of flights would probably be “pretty minimal”.