Michael O’Leary, chief executive of Ryanair, said airports should pay airlines that brought in the greatest number of travellers STEFAN ROUSSEAU/PAIt has long flown the flag for cheaper air travel, but Europe’s busiest airline is planning for the day when it doesn’t charge its passengers anything at all — and if it has its way, that could be in only five years’ time. Michael O’Leary, chief executive of Ryanair, said yesterday that he was considering moving from low fares to no fares for many travellers as a way of increasing passenger numbers. In return, he argued, airports should share revenues from their retail operations. He described airports as little more than “shopping malls” and insisted that they should pay airlines that bring in the greatest number of travellers. His comments follow the publication of a report in September that showed airlines were inflating fares by…

Source: The Times November 23, 2016 00:01 UTC