Ryanair, a discount airline has found a legal, yet distasteful way to advertise free, to insanely low airfare.

I agree with Ryanair’s the minimalist pay-as-you-need business model. By paying only for what you use, you can save yourself plenty of cash that would otherwise be wasted on unwanted or unused pleasantries. With a little adjustment, this method could be applied to other industries and services and could potentially make consumers more aware of their spending, and reduce waste in an accidental push towards sustainability.

Where I begin to disagree with Ryanair, is the extreme to which it applies it’s policy. By advertising a low price hardly achievable by any traveler it’s falsely marketing itself. It makes up for this low entry fee with some ridiculous charges. The £40 charge it classifies as a debit transaction fee is nowhere near the actual cost of the transaction to the company and is a great of example of hidden the costs.

A more ethical and fair approach to the Ryanair strategy needs to be implemented. Increasing it’s base fee to a more realistic number would allow it to accept smaller profit margins on extra charges that are essential to a passenger’s flight. With some adjustment Ryanair can keep it’s competitive edge and system of business, albeit in a more virtuous manner.