Ryanair said on Wednesday it had formed a gaming partnership with Internet bingo group Jackpotjoy.com, adding another new revenue stream as it seeks to boost cash flow from areas other than ticket sales.
Ryanair will allow passengers to play bingo on its website under the deal which will move into its second phase mid-2007 when the airline hopes to start offering online gambling on board planes.
"We might have the pilot calling out bingo numbers. That would get everyone's attention," Chief Executive Michael O'Leary told reporters.
The move is Ryanair's latest push to introduce paid inflight entertainment after it last year scrapped plans to introduce portable entertainment units which would have allowed passengers to watch movies and television shows.
Ryanair, which will take a cut of Jackpotjoy.com's revenues, did not disclose the terms of the deal. O'Leary said he expected to make "millions upon millions" from the deal but declined to give details.
In-flight sales and services such as hotel bookings and car hire are a key driver of growth for the group, which believes ancillary revenues will one day form such a big part of the business that passengers will effectively fly for free.
Such businesses generated 259.2 million euros (173.5 million pounds) in turnover in the year to the end of March 2006, which was 15.3 percent of Ryanair's total revenues of 1.69 billion euros. O'Leary said this was expected to increase to 20 percent in the next 5 years.
Ryanair said it would marry the gaming partnership with new technology which will allow passengers to use mobile phones onboard planes by mid-2007 under plans announced earlier this year.
Passengers would be able to access the gaming website using their mobile phones on BlackBerrys in-flight, O'Leary said. He said start-up costs for the venture were low.
O'Leary declined to comment on Ryanair's 1.48 billion euro takeover bid for Irish carrier Aer Lingus.
He also attacked calls to introduce taxes on airlines to help cut carbon emissions as "environmental claptrap".
"Taxing aviation won't have the slightest impact on its growth ... it certainly won't affect the growth of low-fares airlines," he said.
Shares in Ryanair were down 0.23 percent at 8.83 euros by 3:17 p.m., trading broadly in line with a slightly weaker Irish market.
source : www.reuters.com
