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Innovation

Ryanair's latest money-saving scheme: slower planes

Ryanair bets you won't mind spending two extra minutes on their planes.
Written by Tyler Falk, Contributor

When you fly Ryanair you're not looking for a comfortable and accommodating ride, just a cheap way to get from place to place. The no-frills airline is infamous for considering any and all ways to save money. They offer the most narrow economy seats of any airline and charge for just about everything they can get away with. The company has even considered charging to use the bathroom and standing-only tickets. Now a trip on a Ryanair flight is about to get a little longer.

To save on fuel costs, Ryanair has decided to slow down its airplanes, flying at less than 600 miles per hour and adding an average of two minutes to every hour of flying time, Daily Mail reports. It might not sound like a lot of time but it will add up to a savings of 15 percent of the company's fuel costs.

It's a good move for the airline, because while the company recently announced that revenue rose five percent in the first quarter its profits were down 21 percent thanks in part to a six percent rise in fuel costs.

Fortunately for passengers, Ryanair seems to be looking at smarter ways to save money that have minimal impact on passenger convenience. Along with cutting back on fuel use -- the company's "single biggest cost" -- it's also looking to advertise all over its fleet of planes, a move that has so far gotten "unbelievable reaction" from companies looking to put their logos on the planes.

Flickr/Jens Cedlind

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This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com

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