The Ultimate Airline Outrage

The president of Ryan Air, Europe's larges budget carrier, announced that his airline is considering charging passengers to use the onboard toilet. When asked what would happen if a passenger didn't have the money, he replied that no traveler boarded a plane without at least one pound (US$1.40) in his or her pocket. He has yet to announce whether you will have to carry the exact change.

When the airlines started charging for everything from water to baggage, I made a little joke, which invariably produced either a chuckle or a sneer: "The next thing the airlines will do to save money is to install pay toilets and have reusable air sickness bags," I joked. We'll it's not funny any more; I lost a good line.

Traveling by air today, especially in the US, is like being in a prison. Before boarding, check-in and security are similar to how new prisoners are processed into jails. Time spent in the plane itself is the sentence. If, for instance, I'm boarding a plane for a five-hour flight, I think "I've got to serve time for five hours; I can do that. I know that my sentence will be extended beyond my scheduled five-hour term, but I can do that also." BTW, flying in Asia is better than in America and Europe, but Asia is beginning to adopt the same policies, practices and procedures that make flying a nightmare.

Some creative wit posted this on the Internet:

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