They charge for absolutely everything, that is how. You want to book by phone? They charge like a 900 number, by the minute. The only way to pay is by credit card, and they charge you a fee to cover what the card company charges them, and some. They charge a pound (or 1.5 Euros, an even more favorable conversion) for a 200 ml soda. Everything on board, they charge for. They don't even handle their own planes on the ground at their base airports, even STN. They do everything to make their costs the absolute lowest. They do pay their employees competitively, but they keep staffing levels at the bare minumum In a message dated 12/7/2004 5:20:01 PM Central Standard Time, mcb@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx writes: OK, how do they do it? I looked up (haven't booked it yet since I don't have the exact date) a Ryanair flight from London Luton to Dublin, and the fare (one way) was GBP0.99. (Yes, 99 pence.) There are GBP13.65 in fees and taxes. I had seen stories about fares like that, but assumed they were one-time-only promotions, but apparently regular fares on that route are GBP0.99-12.99 with most at 1.99 or 3.99. What's the catch? I read the fine print and the baggage allowance is strict, with only 15kg/pax free, and GBP7.50/kg above that. And this is the airline that has dispensed with seat-back pockets, window shades, and air-sickness bags. But still... how are they making any money on this?