Ryanair

[Reds]

Fly with Ryanair many times per year to Mallorca -yes its basic but its a two hour flight -so what ? Its also the most punctual airline I have ever flown with and when you are talking about weekends wasting hours in the airport matters.
IMHO Michael O'Leary is a brilliant businessman-the idea of being in business is to make a profit and he succeeds !

 

[Sans Bateau]

Glad to read so many of you think RA are OK. Trouble is in this country anyone who is successful and a little different to the norm are scorned on. That's why so many complain about Ryan Air. Toward the end of the program the reporter conceded that because people are going on an aeroplane they still expect a (1980's?) gold start service, but today people expect to pay a bus fare price. Well guess what Ryan Air IS a bus and a very efficient one at that.

Listen, if I can book flights with Ryan Air on the Internet without getting 'fleeced' with insurance I don't need, if I can get my boarding pass printed out, if I can count up to one piece of cabin baggage, if I can work out that the bag has a limit of 15kg, then I reckon anyone can do it!

There is no need to investigate Ryan Air, work the system, follow the (Ryan Air) rules or get another flight.

 

[asteven221]

All things considered RA are fine and good value, however they always give me the feeling they are trying to stitch me up. Why? Because they seem to have hidden Ts & Cs with which any mistake will see your wallet being emptied at the airport check in desk. To be honest it doesn't bother me too much, as I won't get caught out as I am too worldly wise, but for many innocent people that are not quite so experienced, they get stung badly. Okay, it's their own fault but somehow it's not fair on some people - especially elderley folk and suchlike. Maybe if they engineered their website to avoid people making mistakes instead of what appears actively wanting mistakes, then the feeling of rip-off would be turned around in many peoples eyes.

Whilst on the subject of RA. True story. Pal booked flight. Turned up in time at check-in desk at Glasgow Prestwick (actually an hours drive from Glasgow - assuming no traffic) and joined the queue. His turn to check in. Check-in staff took too long. Just about to check in. Told check desk now closed! Wouln't let him check in. Told to get another flight - and to pay for it! No matter what you say about value for money, that is just a crappy way of treating. Sure, fly RA, but accept it's on their terms and do not be under any illusion, these people do not have any morals whatsoever and whatever the situation they will sacrifice anything for profit. I just hope for all our sake who use RA, that the cost cutting doesn't occur when it comes to safety and maintenance on the stuff we don't see. One last point worth mentioning. RA are not always so cheap. This week I flew BMI - Glasgow to London and when all things were costed in BMI were about the same. There was however a significant difference in the level of service it has to be said, so at the end of the day you pays your money and takes your choice.

 

[Richard10002]

Whilst on the subject of RA. True story. Pal booked flight. Turned up in time at check-in desk at Glasgow Prestwick (actually an hours drive from Glasgow - assuming no traffic) and joined the queue. His turn to check in. Check-in staff took too long. Just about to check in. Told check desk now closed! Wouln't let him check in. Told to get another flight - and to pay for it!

Just like other low cost airlines - EasyJet have big signs up saying "If you're late, we wont wait"

I make sure I turn up before the earliest time suggested.

 

[Sans Bateau]

And if you check in on line, you just walk straight through.

 

[Sans Bateau]

Couple of years ago, we were doing our normal flight to Toulon, guy checking in, plus wife plus two teenage daughters (you know whats coming now!), they were going for two weeks, true, but they had so many cases I thought they were going for good. Saw the same guy at departures, he looked a bit glum, so I asked, "how much did that lot cost?", "£450", he says!

 

[rickp]

And if you check in on line, you just walk straight through.

Not for those poor suckers which paid for hold baggage, only to find ryanair opened just 4 desks to cope with 10 planes an hour.

 

[Shannoner]

The bottom line is 20 years ago a return flight from Dublin to London cost £173, If my memory serves me right that was roughly a weeks wages.
Lets say the average annual wage in the UK is now £20,000 pa, so £385 per week.
So if it wasn't for the likes of Ryanair and Easyjet, a flight from Dublin to London would now cost £385.
Would the forum agree?

 

[samwise]

I can't help feeling that there has to be a limit beyond which punters will not accept the Ryanair mega lean service. I'll declare myself as an easyJet man most importantly because they fly to the place they say on the ticket. I used Ryanair to make some regular trips to Oslo. Yes they were much cheaper than BA, but the late night two hour transfer from the Torp airfield to the city took some of the shine off the saving.

Rip off onboard refreshments are endemic to both airlines but in my experience easyJet supply the better travel "experience"

Certainly I can applaud O'Leary's business ability but I don't see why he should be so proud of appearing to treat his customers and workforce as cattle and peasants. I thought Panorama was very fair and showed O'Leary for the cocky, arrogant and ruthless character that he is.

 

[oceanfroggie]

People wanted buses, so O'Leary gave them buses. What people are really complaining about is that flying has gone down market, but a bigger market.

 

[Hurricane]

Thanks everyone - really interesting to see your thoughts

Ryanair usually play a little "ditty" over their intercom just after they land - "another flight arrives ahead of schedule" or something like that - cant remember the exact words. They do this because THEY CAN - In my experience over the last 6 months, BA cant because the simply dont get to their destination in time.

I've thought about the subject today and I admit that I dont have any loyalties to Ryanair. If say FlyBe flew from Exeter to Reus in Spain, I'd use them. I think it's just like taking a train - first you have to decide where you want to go from and to - then you get the best deal. Earlier this year I flew to MTU's factory in Friedrichstafen - and, yes, they have an airport - and, yes, Ryanair fly there from Stanstead so this was my obvious best route. So there are many examples of where the local airports score over the main ones.

Thanks for the comments - very interesting.

 

[hector]

Every time I've flown Robbinair they have been a nightmare! Couple months ago we were abandoned In Italy for 2 days with no support from the airline, when we asked about possible compo, they said write in,so sent a letter registered post,guess wot.......no reply.
There customer service is c**p.

The web site IS geared to trick and confuse,so as to relieve us a few more pounds than we thought.

I'm sure it suits some, but personally I prefer not to be treated like cattle!

 

[oceanfroggie]

Jeepers when we get stuck in a city do we expect the bus company to sort it out? No. Same applies for rail. Why do we expect an airline to be different? In the old days of high cost air travel and cartels we paid to be pampered, air travel was different to other modes of public transport. Not anymore. It does what it says on the tin, but we instinctively hanker after the service of the old days of expensive flying.

 

[mjf]

Eh? Yes of course

Jeepers when we get stuck in a city do we expect the bus company to sort it out? No. Same applies for rail. Why do we expect an airline to be different? In the old days of high cost air travel and cartels we paid to be pampered, air travel was different to other modes of public transport. Not anymore. It does what it says on the tin, but we instinctively hanker after the service of the old days of expensive flying.

Frankly yes. If I have paid for a service in advance and I am on parade as instructed I expect the travel partner to perform (sort it out) without undue inconvience to me.

Whats wrong with that?

 

[Sans Bateau]

Does anyone remember Eastern airlines in the U.S.? 'flying coach' I think it was refered too. Very much like Ryan Air I would say, nothing new. Main difference though, Easterns' aircraft were falling to pieces.

 

[Dyflin]

Every time I've flown Robbinair they have been a nightmare! Couple months ago we were abandoned In Italy for 2 days with no support from the airline, when we asked about possible compo, they said write in,so sent a letter registered post,guess wot.......no reply.
There customer service is c**p.

The web site IS geared to trick and confuse,so as to relieve us a few more pounds than we thought.

I'm sure it suits some, but personally I prefer not to be treated like cattle!

Get informed!

http://www.euclaim.co.uk/

 

[Observer]

I find a lot of these comments shallow and selfish. There is no such thing as a free lunch. Air travel is not the same as bus travel (do I need to explain why?) and it's fantasy to think that there will not be a cost that will be paid, sometime, somewhere by someone, if we try to make it so. I don't fully understand why and how the Ryanair/Easyjet business model works but I have to accept it does, at least in the short-term. However, I'm pretty sure that is not sustainable in the longer-term.

If you keep on dumbing down the air transport industry (particularly flight crew), you will get dumber and dumber operators (pilots). Then the safety gains that have been won over decades, paid for by higher price travel, will start to unwind and go in reverse. Spend some time on forums like Pprune.org and you might see the evidence that it's already starting to happen.

$16,000 p.a. salary (less than a 'burger flipper') for a first officer in a US regional airline? Trainees who pay the airline to increase their flight hours so buy their way on to becoming first officer on passenger carrying flights? These are just a couple of examples of an industry that is going the wrong way. The inertia of the system is (largely) masking these distortions for the moment, but the train will hit the buffers sooner or later.

 

[mjf]

Air travel is not the same as bus travel (do I need to explain why?)

Yes please

Quite why one is expected to arrive hours before a flight and have the performance of check in etc is daft.

Whats the matter of operating like Eurostar - turn up with / without bag and go minutes before sched. departure. Why not go direct to the gate?

I think Ryanair have the airport bit correct frankly.

 

[Observer]

Air travel is not the same as bus travel (do I need to explain why?)

Yes please

Doh! Because when an aircraft breaks down, it falls out of the sky. When a bus breaks down, it just stops.

Quite why one is expected to arrive hours before a flight and have the performance of check in etc is daft.

9/11? Walking bombs?

Whats the matter of operating like Eurostar - turn up with / without bag and go minutes before sched. departure. Why not go direct to the gate?

Nothing wrong with improving check-in procedures - I'm all for it. I don't have any issue with on-line check-in, baggage charges and so on. You pays your money ... etc

I think Ryanair have the airport bit correct frankly.

I don't know enough about Ryanair to agree or disagree. My comments are based on what I regard as the self-evident fact that you cannot keep squeezing fares down without paying a price elsewhere. Air travel should be more expensive than bus/train/car travel. It's only in a fools' paradise that you get quality/safety out of a system without paying for it. I'm not talking about in-flight service, check-in, etc. I'm talking about safety. It comes at a price. If that price is not being paid (it's hard to see how it is when, for example, aircraft handling skills are being steadily eroded), standards will fall. It's simple economics.

 

[Hurricane]

Doh! Because when an aircraft breaks down, it falls out of the sky. When a bus breaks down, it just stops.



9/11? Walking bombs?



Nothing wrong with improving check-in procedures - I'm all for it. I don't have any issue with on-line check-in, baggage charges and so on. You pays your money ... etc



I don't know enough about Ryanair to agree or disagree. My comments are based on what I regard as the self-evident fact that you cannot keep squeezing fares down without paying a price elsewhere. Air travel should be more expensive than bus/train/car travel. It's only in a fools' paradise that you get quality/safety out of a system without paying for it. I'm not talking about in-flight service, check-in, etc. I'm talking about safety. It comes at a price. If that price is not being paid (it's hard to see how it is when, for example, aircraft handling skills are being steadily eroded), standards will fall. It's simple economics.

I think you have been a bit unfair on mjf's comments - I agree with him.

Your last point - on other airlines there's a lot of "fat" in the system that can be trimmed out which is what Ryanair is doing. To date, there havent been any concerns about Ryanair's safety either. In fact it could be argued that its safer to take off using the slot thats been preallocated than to be late leaving the stand as happens (in my experience) with BA for example. A plan that starts late often gathers other problems later. Prompt schedules are often safer in these types of circumstances.