Ryan Air

[PullMyFinger]

before the arrival of the budget airlines the public were being ripped off to a much greater extent by the likes of B.A

Exactly, Return flight (direct flight) from Scotland to Costa Brava for less than ?100. That would never have happened before, there's a lot more choice available for destinations and operators. The budget operators are also forcing the big companies to compete rather than operate their price fixing through cartels.

[Kirishima]

Yeah, i can't say I agree with Charles. Ryanair have exposed how cheap air travel can be, and how much BA etc have been ripping people off. They are changing the sector, and soon airstewards will be on par with waiters. I can't see being cheap as being bad.

While supermarkets rip off farmers which i hate, i dont think Ryanair ripping off airports is comparable.

[Charles Bannerman]

Yeah, i can't say I agree with Charles. Ryanair have exposed how cheap air travel can be, and how much BA etc have been ripping people off. They are changing the sector, and soon airstewards will be on par with waiters. I can't see being cheap as being bad.

While supermarkets rip off farmers which i hate, i dont think Ryanair ripping off airports is comparable.

The point is that Ryanair are not nearly as cheap as they say they are because it is effectively impossible to travel for their headline price only before they add hefty and quite absurd charges for other things. The latest I heard today was that someone who had paid a tenner to print their own boarding card at home was refused access to the aeroplane because the ink on the card wasn't dark enough.

They are effectively a bunch of profiteering cowboys but on the other hand if people are prepared to accept the level of service they pay for then that is up to them. And that's before you consider how a waiter would cope with an in-air emergency or even a crash landing.

I don't actually have too much of an issue with other "cheap" operators. I just find Ryanair - and especially the loutish Mr. O'Leary - especially objectionable.

Edited April 8, 2010 by Charles Bannerman

[PullMyFinger]

The latest I heard today was that someone who had paid a tenner to print their own boarding card at home was refused access to the aeroplane because the ink on the card wasn't dark enough.

There is a ?5 online check in charge, payable for outward and inward journeys. This reduces the need for staff at check in desks and speeds up the bag checking in process. When you print the boarding card there is a barcode printed which is scanned when checking bags also to speed up processing at boarding. If the barcode is not dark enough for the scanner to read the system won't accept them. I agree that it may have been harsh to refuse travel but I have experience with barcode readers/scanners and the print must have been extremely feint for it not to scan and as such the text must have been barely legible if even that. I suggest that the passenger should have noticed this and made arrangements to print an alternative copy elsewhere.

I am happy to work with Mr O'Leary, my last trip to Barcelona (Girona) was with hand luggage only which meant I walked through security to Departures, waited for my departure gate to appear on the board and walked straight onto the plane. Ryanair are one of, if not the best airline operating from Britain when it comes to punctuality and flight cancellations.

If you add all the "hidden charges" (incidently they are well publicised on their website) to the cost of the flight they are still a considerable bit cheaper than the likes of BA.

I really don't see where your dislike for all things O'Leary has come from.

It's the best service available at the moment from a consumers point of view.

[Yngwie]

They are effectively a bunch of profiteering cowboys but on the other hand if people are prepared to accept the level of service they pay for then that is up to them. And that's before you consider how a waiter would cope with an in-air emergency or even a crash landing.

When they need to deploy oxygen masks, you only get one after you've inserted ?1 into the slot.

[TSTtiger]

The latest I heard today was that someone who had paid a tenner to print their own boarding card at home was refused access to the aeroplane because the ink on the card wasn't dark enough.

There is a ?5 online check in charge, payable for outward and inward journeys. This reduces the need for staff at check in desks and speeds up the bag checking in process. When you print the boarding card there is a barcode printed which is scanned when checking bags also to speed up processing at boarding. If the barcode is not dark enough for the scanner to read the system won't accept them. I agree that it may have been harsh to refuse travel but I have experience with barcode readers/scanners and the print must have been extremely feint for it not to scan and as such the text must have been barely legible if even that. I suggest that the passenger should have noticed this and made arrangements to print an alternative copy elsewhere.

I am happy to work with Mr O'Leary, my last trip to Barcelona (Girona) was with hand luggage only which meant I walked through security to Departures, waited for my departure gate to appear on the board and walked straight onto the plane. Ryanair are one of, if not the best airline operating from Britain when it comes to punctuality and flight cancellations.

If you add all the "hidden charges" (incidently they are well publicised on their website) to the cost of the flight they are still a considerable bit cheaper than the likes of BA.

I really don't see where your dislike for all things O'Leary has come from.

It's the best service available at the moment from a consumers point of view.

exactly this

[latviaman]

Sorry Charles, what you pay is what you get ... PMF has obviously read all the charges however well people say they are hidden.

I hear tales of people turning up with overweight luggage , expecting the weight of bags for two people on the same ticket to be consolidated, doesn't happen , with my company to my knowledge.Suspect Ryan air are the same.

We have computations to make prior to each flight and weight is calculated. How much e.g does a passenger weigh as well.

I am only pleased that all I do is point the plane and go leaving all the hassle to ground staff

Edited April 9, 2010 by latviaman

[caley100]

Aye as long as you dont mind getting treated like cattle, hemmed into hard,uncomfortable seats unless you are 5' 2" and weigh 6 stone, screwing you for everthing when they can, i prefer to pay more have better room and service and actually ENJOY the flight.

[Bridge_Ender]

Don't have any problem with Ryanair personally, use them and EasyJet pretty much as first port of calls when booking flights.

You pay for what you get, sure Ryanair can be a bit cute about prices/charges etc. but they are still considerably cheaper than most other operators. I've flown Ryanair loads of times dotting around Europe for Scotland games and never had a problem. Same with Easyjet. Only time I've ever been subjected to overbooking was with BA on a return from JFK to Heathrow and I was left with a $200 hotel bill which I never managed to reclaim from them... que sera.

To me flying is just the quickest means of getting from A to B and the budget airlines do that for a great price and without the outdated exclusivity pretensions you find from some of the other carriers. Cattle class is still cattle class whatever the airline!

[PullMyFinger]

Aye as long as you dont mind getting treated like cattle, hemmed into hard,uncomfortable seats unless you are 5' 2" and weigh 6 stone, screwing you for everthing when they can, i prefer to pay more have better room and service and actually ENJOY the flight.

I don't fly for the flight but to get to the destination, much like jumping on a bus. I suspect you'd rather get a taxi?

If I could afford to pay for luxuries like a little extra legroom I may choose that option, however I cannot afford that so will continue to use the budget airlines as and when I travel.

[latviaman]

Well PMF if you ever decide to come to sunny latvia, there is a new Czech Airline wizzair comes to Riga from Luton, wizzair.com as you are a wizz at reading the small print check them out. I did well she did a check last night and they are cheap.. if wrong tell me and I will kill my researcher (Mrs L)_ she thought how can they do it!!!!!

Pse do not book Air Baltic too expensive, crap trolley dollies and stressed pilots till early May

[The Mantis]

I heard that Michael O'Leary turned up at Dublin airport and asked for a pint of Guinness in the bar. The barman said 'Certainly sir, that will be one Euro'.

O'Leary hands over the Euro, saying how that's a marvellous price and he's glad people are adopting his business model.

'Now' says the barman, 'Will you be wanting a glass with your pint, Mr O'Leary?'