We rarely do anecdotal stuff here, but I thought this was interesting enough to comment on.

I was sitting on a Ryanair flight from Berlin to Dublin this morning. As you may or may not be aware, Ryanair is an airline that slaps wings on disused porn theaters and sends them up into the skies. 25% of Ryanair passengers fly for free: the rest pay very low fares, as little as 99 cents each way.

How do they make their money? They charge for everything. Refreshments. Checked baggage. There’s rumblings of branching into in-air gambling. Today’s anecdote is probably the rumbling of that distant thunder.

Today, as I was sitting on the plane, I was amazed to hear the stewardess mention that everyone who bought refreshments or concessions off the cart would be entered into a raffle to win a free Ryanair return ticket. It was 9am, so I bought a beer.

And wouldn’t you know it? They called my number. I felt like Charlie Bucket for a brief second, until I realized that, instead of a ticket to a surreal chocolate factory, I’d won yet another uncomfortable flight in a shrieking metal belly filled with overflowing toilets and wailing infants, retail value: 99 cents.

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.