Ryanair planned to cut cockpits in half as wild money-saving method

Joshua Nair
2026-02-03T20:58:43.997Z
Lifestyle

CEO Michael O'Leary has had a number of outrageous suggestions over the years

Ryanair are known for saving money by any means necessary, but some of the attempts from the airline's higher-ups over the years have been baffling to say the least.

We all remember their attempts to add standing seats to their budget flights, which would have increased passenger capacity by 20 percent.

When it comes to Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary and his ideas, there isn't much stopping him from implementing them.

Rolling the clock back just 14 years, O'Leary said that he wanted his Boeing 737 and 800 models to be fitted with 10 rows of 'standing berths', as well as 15 rows of traditional seats.

Luckily, none of this came to fruition, but it isn't the only outrageous cost-cutting idea that he's tried to introduce.

Here's everything the Irish airline has tried to pull over the years.

Ryanair is a popular option for those looking to save money when jetting off overseas (Getty Stock Image)

Halving the cockpit crew

O'Leary suggested to Bloomberg back in 2010 that he might half the number of pilots needed - from two to one.

"Why does every plane have two pilots?" he asked.

The businessman added: "Let’s take out the second pilot. Let the bloody computer fly it."

He even said that a member of cabin crew could take over if the sole pilot had a medical emergency, but obviously, this wouldn't slide for a number of reasons.

Two pilots are needed in commercial aviation for safety reasons, workload management, while all reducing the likelihood of human error and cross-checking all actions during important phases of flying.

Introducing a 'fat tax'

This might be the most awful one on the list but back in 2009, Ryanair said that they would be looking to introduce something known as a 'fat tax' for overweight flyers.

Speaking at the time, a Ryanair spokesman said: "A 'fat tax' will only apply to those really large passengers who invade the space of the passengers sitting beside them."

Apparently, O'Leary got the idea after hearing feedback from customers.

"These charges, if introduced, might also act as an incentive to some of our very large passengers to lose a little weight and hopefully feel a little lighter and healthier," they said at the time.

This was never introduced though, for a multitude of a reasons.

Ryanair officials aimed to go more basic than what you can see in this image (Getty Stock Photo)

Issues with toilets

The same year, O'Leary told the BBC that he was considering the prospect of fitting the aircraft's toilets with coin-slots, meaning passengers would have to pay £1 to use them, like certain bus and train stations.

Despite these claims, Ryanair's PR chief at the time, Steven McNamara, said: "I don't think it's going to happen in the foreseeable future.

"It's one of those things that when Michael starts looking at something, you know, it's always up for discussion."

Luckily, the CEO backtracked and said that it wouldn't be feasible, as it would go against EU regulations.

Instead, he would later consider removing two of the three toilets on board flights to make room for more seats, which would save passengers £2 on tickets.

No armrests

You may enjoy a few things when it comes to a Ryanair flight, and one of these will be your armrests.

Back in 2012, Ryanair said they might scrap armrests altogether to reduce weight onboard - which was (thankfully) never finalised.

They also suggested reducing the amount of ice brought on, as well as the size of the only form of in-flight entertainment on offer - the Ryanair magazine.

X-rated in-flight entertainment

O'Leary claimed in November 2011 that the airline was working on an in-flight app, which would give paid content to passengers, which would include gambling and pornography.

No, seriously.

Speaking to The Sun at the time, he suggested: "It would be on handheld devices. Hotels around the world have it, so why wouldn’t we?"

Many people are stopped and fined when their bags are measured against these things (Getty Stock Image)

What was actually implemented?

'Business' seats

I know what you're thinking - you've never seen a business class on Ryanair in your life.

Well, the idea was to add a 'business' option for passengers which would give them a bigger bag allowance, fast-track boarding and 'premium' seating with more legroom (near the front of back of the plane).

It was called 'Business Plus' though there was no complimentary food or drink, lounge access, or separate cabin.

This package is known known as the 'Plus' option when booking, dropping 'business' completely.

Increased bonuses for finding non-compliant bags

Ryanair announced in Autumn last year that airport staff will be given unlimited bonuses of €2.50 for any non-compliant carry-on bags spotted.

This has gone up from €1.50, as passengers whose bags don't fit into the dimensions of 40x30x20cm for a small carry-on for free, or a small wheelie suitcase of up to 55x40x20cm, are charged fees of up to £75.

Their luggage would then be taken into the hold.

It is the bane of a lot of travellers' journeys, as some are only just realising that staff at the gate are incentivised to weed out oversized bags.

“We’re going to raise it from €1.50 to €2.50, probably from the start of the winter schedule in November this year,” O'Leary announced in 2025, adding: “And I make absolutely no apology for it whatsoever.”

He claimed: “We should encourage people. I want our ground handling people to be catching people who are scamming the system.”