Ryanair goes upmarket with corporate jet service
Mar 9, 2016, 6:30 am
#1
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Netherlands
Programs: KL Platinum; A3 Gold
Posts: 28,737
Ryanair goes upmarket with corporate jet service
Originally Posted by Ryanair
CUSTOMISED BOEING 737-700 FOR PRIVATE CHARTER
Ryanair, Europe’s No 1 airline, today (9 Mar) launched a corporate jet charter service, offering a Boeing 737-700 for corporate/group hire. Ryanair’s corporate jet charter offers:
• A customised Boeing 737-700 jet
• 60 business class, reclining, leather seats
• 48” seat pitch
• 2x2 configuration
• Crewed by Ryanair pilot and cabin crew professionals
• Medium to long range (up to 6 hrs.)
• Fine dining catering facilities available
• Ideal for private corporate, sports team or group travel
Ryanair, Europe’s No 1 airline, today (9 Mar) launched a corporate jet charter service, offering a Boeing 737-700 for corporate/group hire. Ryanair’s corporate jet charter offers:
• A customised Boeing 737-700 jet
• 60 business class, reclining, leather seats
• 48” seat pitch
• 2x2 configuration
• Crewed by Ryanair pilot and cabin crew professionals
• Medium to long range (up to 6 hrs.)
• Fine dining catering facilities available
• Ideal for private corporate, sports team or group travel
https://www.ryanair.com/ie/en/plan-t...orate-jet-hire
Mar 9, 2016, 9:03 am
#2
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: LON
Programs: BA Gold; LH FTL; IHG Diamond; Marriott Gold; ALL Gold
Posts: 1,758
Can't see this taking off. Isn't part of the point of a chartered jet for the "wow" factor and implications of prestige?
I'd imagine that the Ryanair brand might dampen that somewhat...
I'd imagine that the Ryanair brand might dampen that somewhat...
Mar 9, 2016, 9:09 am
#3
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,967
FR do have a 737-700 and it has been used by them exclusively for pilot type training. I imagine they have just thought let's make it available for hire if anyone wants to do so and if it is free. Not exactly a radical departure in to a new market, more an optimisation of existing resources.
Mar 9, 2016, 9:51 am
#4
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Netherlands
Programs: KL Platinum; A3 Gold
Posts: 28,737
Many airlines offer adhoc charters as it is. Here in Holland, Transavia currently offer this and KLM Cityhopper previously used to (no mention on the web about this currently being offered), while other European airlines (such as Aegean) also welcome queries for ad-hoc charters.
Given that FR has a jet that clearly cannot be scheduled for routine deployment - and given how hard they work their existing fleet (meaning that it is unlikely they will have a "regular" B737 available for long enough to actually be used for such charters) - the only surprise is that they didn't offer this facility sooner.
As said above - any additional use of a facility that they already have and that otherwise is costing money just sitting idle on the ground, is welcome!
As you see from the above, they are not just targeting the "corporate" market - but also group and sports travel. It's not quite the super-rich, Learjet/private jet market, indeed - but that is not exactly the market they are after.
Mar 19, 2016, 3:05 pm
#8
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Cambridge, UK
Posts: 261
It was definitely odd when Ryanair acquired this 737-700 (reg EI-SEV).
Firstly, it is already 17 years old, making it the oldest in Ryanair's fleet. For an airline that has just been buying plenty of brand new planes, going second hand seems strange.
The type difference was also noted. There were suggestions that a 737-700 is cheaper to fly for training purposes than a 737-800.
It seems this plane makes one or two return journeys each week, so sits idle most of the time.
Firstly, it is already 17 years old, making it the oldest in Ryanair's fleet. For an airline that has just been buying plenty of brand new planes, going second hand seems strange.
The type difference was also noted. There were suggestions that a 737-700 is cheaper to fly for training purposes than a 737-800.
It seems this plane makes one or two return journeys each week, so sits idle most of the time.
Mar 19, 2016, 3:14 pm
#9
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,967
It was definitely odd when Ryanair acquired this 737-700 (reg EI-SEV).
Firstly, it is already 17 years old, making it the oldest in Ryanair's fleet. For an airline that has just been buying plenty of brand new planes, going second hand seems strange.
The type difference was also noted. There were suggestions that a 737-700 is cheaper to fly for training purposes than a 737-800.
It seems this plane makes one or two return journeys each week, so sits idle most of the time.
Firstly, it is already 17 years old, making it the oldest in Ryanair's fleet. For an airline that has just been buying plenty of brand new planes, going second hand seems strange.
The type difference was also noted. There were suggestions that a 737-700 is cheaper to fly for training purposes than a 737-800.
It seems this plane makes one or two return journeys each week, so sits idle most of the time.
The charter flights are just a recent add on to presumably try and make some money from the aircraft when it is not being used for training.
Apr 13, 2016, 10:44 am
#11
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Netherlands
Programs: KL Platinum; A3 Gold
Posts: 28,737
Somewhat surprising:
Originally Posted by Guardian
Future customers will, however, have to move fast: for the time being Ryanair is devoting only one plane to the service and in the summer months, the luxury jet will be rapidly refitted as a standard aircraft to carry holiday-makers on packed European routes.