Ryanair Airport With Paid Toilets Sparks Outrage

A major Ryanair airport that introduced paid toilets, charging passengers 1 euro to use them, has caused outrage among travellers.

Paid airport toilets

Passengers flying in or out of Brussels South Charleroi Airport in Belgium, a major hub for low-cost airlines such as Ryanair, must pay to use the toilets.

The toilets in the main arrivals and departures hall, as well as those in the baggage reclaim area, can only be accessed by passengers willing to pay the 1 euro fee to pass through the barriers.

The toilets can only be paid for by card, as cash is not accepted.

Only the toilets in the airside area beyond security at Brussels South Charleroi Airport remain free for passengers.

Arriving passengers

Arriving passengers at Brussels South Charleroi Airport are hit hardest by the chargeable toilets.

If you step off a Ryanair flight at the airport, only paid toilets are available, as both the facilities in baggage control and the main arrivals hall charge 1 euro for use.

Unless you want to pay 1 euro to use the toilets, you are therefore better off using the lavatories on your Ryanair plane before landing at Brussels Charleroi Airport.

Introduction of paid toilets

Brussels South Charleroi Airport switched to paid toilets in 2022.

According to the airport management, they took this unusual step because the “employees of the cleaning company were too often confronted with dirty toilets and vandalism”.

Even though the paid toilets were introduced years ago, they are still catching passengers off guard.

I only became aware of the existence of these paid toilets when a friend sent me a picture of them after arriving at Brussels Charleroi Airport on his Ryanair flight.

He told me: “This really is a true Ryanair airport – even the toilets are for paid use only!

“Entire Brussels Charleroi Airport is a shambles and severely understaffed, with huge queues at check-in and security.”

Although Brussels South Charleroi Airport (IATA code: CRL) has paid toilets, the main Brussels Zaventem Airport (IATA code: BRU) still offers free facilities throughout its premises.

Criticism

The introduction of the paid toilets has been met with widespread criticism among passengers.

Belgian news channel VRT NWS interviewed passengers, who said they believe freely accessible toilet facilities should be an “service that is part of the airport”.

A female passenger blamed the airport authorities for “taking advantage” of the situation, saying it is “not OK”.

Experts voiced scepticism over the airport authorities’ reasoning for introducing paid toilets.

Behavioural scientist Mathias Celis of the University of Ghent told VRT NWS that passengers do not necessarily make less of a mess in the toilets just because they have to pay to use them.

He also said he is unsure what the management of Brussels Charleroi Airport plans to do with the extra income and wonders whether the money will actually be spent on improving the toilet facilities and their cleanliness.

Mr Celis said: “Turning something that was free into something paid without providing extra quality is not something that is usually appreciated.”

Conclusion

Brussels South Charleroi Airport, a major hub for low-cost airlines such as Ryanair, is charging passengers to use the toilets.

While the facilities in the airside part of the airport beyond security remain free, the toilets in the baggage reclaim area and in the main arrivals and departures hall are paid, with passengers charged 1 euro for access.