Shock today as Michael O’Leary announces plans to charge passengers for actually flying to their destinations. Controversial boom time poster child O’Leary has been rapped in the past for his airline’s bullying staff, it’s tight arsed baggage fees, and it’s crude and bawdy adverts – but the new plan, which sets a price for the actual journey (actually two fees, one for passengers to travel their destination and one to ‘return’), could be a step too far.

O’Leary was dissed earlier this year for his “Let them stew in their own piss” comments, when he suggested charging passengers to use the jacks on short haul routes.

Some commentators, like the Irish Times loveable toff Briant Cosgrave, have slammed the move, suggesting that, like the wee charge, it’s just a tasteless publicity stunt.

Cash strapped commuters will withstand a good deal of inconvenience and minor charges for a holiday bargain, but there’s no way the scobes will go back to actually paying for their flights.

Despite the news, Ryanair report tickets for their latest ‘Slags, Sin and Sangria’, European weekend break offer, are flying off the virtual shelves like soft, sweet, imaginary hotcakes – with Malaga being particularly popular.

If O’Leary does insist on moving forward with the plan, the Observer newspaper have threatened to add the imaginary nation of ‘Rat Bastard’ to their yearly index of the worst human rights abusers.

O’Leary in happier times

Red Head Jesus thinks this could be the boot that finally kicks the cash strapped airline out of the skies and underwater. Perhaps O’Leary could find a new career – one better fitted to his talents. According to geek haven Boing Boing:

Asked if he would be interested in charging £5 a toilet visit in order to eliminate the need for the loo altogether, [O’Leary] said: “If someone wanted to pay £5 to go to the toilet I would carry them myself. I would wipe their bums for a fiver.”