Markie

http://timesbusiness.typepad.com/mon...y-ryanair.html

But while the airline can be cheap, the customer service truly sucks. So, here are 20 things to remember next time you are led into temptation by those 1p flights.

o0herbie

Thanks - I'm looking forward to my first ever RyanAir flights next week

Mid-week and only one night, so no luggage. Should be doable...

Roger

Gosh, what poor journalism. It justifies my decision never to buy anything managed by the Dirty Digger (Murdoch).

For a start (headings and my responses):

1. 1p flights are never 1p

Wrong, I have made several bookings at 1p per sector all-in. This week's offer is from £1 and I have booked several flights at £1 all-in.

2. The check-in charge

Optional - I book offers only and do online check-in with hand baggage. The check-in charge for these conditions is precisely £0.00.

3. The baggage charge

Optional - see #2.

4. The sneaky weight limit

Not sneaky - it's well known and is clearly shown in the relevant parts of the website.

5. Queues glorious queues

If you get it right, it shouldn't be the problem the 'journalist' describes.

6. The additional baggage charge

Who checks additional bags? Not me.

7. The website is rubbish. On purpose.

An opinion not shared by people who know how to use the web. The website doesn't crash on me. Using ''my dates are flexible" produces info not available on many competitors' websites.

8. Premium rate internet helpline

Who calls Ryanair? Not me.

9. You can only fly cheap mid week

Not true. I have some Saturday bookings. The current offer is for flights all week, though it's true that weekend flights often sell out first. Just like legacy carriers.

10. You have to travel at obscene hours.

Wrong. There are flights all day long.

11. The destination airports are in the middle of nowhere.

Most people don't fly to Hahn. Many of FR's airports are the conventional ones.

12. A bottle of water on board costs £3

Don't buy on board. A litre of water at WHSmith airside with a newspaper purchase (currently the Telegraph) costs precisely £0.00 and there are other opportunities to buy water at airports.

13. Sweaty, plasticky seats

I don't understand the comment.

14. The in-flight musak

I agree, though it's not a reason not to fly FR.

15. The fanfare

See #14.

16. You can’t book a seat

Jut like most if not all LCCs.

17. No refunds, ever

See #16.

18. Poor compensation

Don't check baggage.

19. You are always being flogged stuff

Ever booked other LCCs or some legacy carriers?

20. Michael O’Leary himself

A personal opinion. Whatever people think of O'Liary, his company has enabled transport undreamed of before Ryanair.

With just two possibly justifiable comments out of 20, the 'journalist' has failed to persuade me that s/he knows what s/he is talking about. I could do much better/worse. Will Murdoch give me a job?

stut

Also, it's a bit convoluted, but Entropay offer a virtual Visa Electron card which you can use to avoid the payment surcharges.

alanR

17. No refunds, ever - actually you can if it's Ryanair that changed / cancelled your flight. It's just that most people can't be bothered to contact Ryanair which is easier and cheaper for people outside Europe as they can use a "real" telephone number rather than a Ryanair "let's rip you off" number

2. The check-in charge - soon it's NOT going to be optional except for "promotional flights" in order that Ryanair can still have low "headline" fares

5. Queues glorious queues - my experience is that any queue moves very quickly and certainly a lot more quickly than with a legacy airline as you don't have to worry about people checking in everything including the kitchen sink

Roger

... true, but this won't affect me because ...... and will remain so.

YMMV but I can't imagine I would ever need FR for a stay involving hold baggage. My FR flights are discretionary and depend entirely on getting flights for 1p, £1 or whatever. 8 sectors booked today for £1 each - 6 with no other charges and 2 with 'taxes'.

Jenbel

But in fairness, that's how you travel. It's not how we all travel and it isn't always possible to fly without checking. So the fact you are saying 'it isn't a problem for you' doesn't mean that it's not a reason to not fly FR for others. So while you criticise the journalist for shoddy journalism, your logic - that because you don't see it as a problem, it's not a problem, is not applicable to everyone and so is equally as shoddy as the journalism

All you can do is present the full facts and let people make up their own mind.

Roger

I am duly reprimanded!

Quite right, which is why the Times article fails and should be ignored.

Showbizguru

Ryanair has introduced low-cost air travel to millions of people and were directly responsible for the break-up of the cosy cartel of high-cost carriers in Europe.
They have an excellent punctuality and safety record and fly modern planes.
If you follow their website guidelines to the letter you will encounter no problems.
They also offer genuinely low fares especially at non-peak times.
Their staff are no less professional or friendly than any other.
They also have an excellent business model.
All this is the direct result of their CEO Michael O'Leary who is a business genius.
He has every rght to tell the whingers to get stuffed.
Which they should.

And I don't even like flying Ryanair !

EuropeanPete

I used to fly Ryanair when they were new and exciting. No frills, sure, but actually pretty good service, brand new planes and good timeliness.

I had a few years without flying them and my last flight was with tired, hungover crew, long delays, problems getting drinking water and a seriously dodgy landing (I correctly identified the Captain as having been in the Italian air force from the way that he landed us in a storm..).

Another 18 months has passed since that last flight and I'm going Ryanair again in a couple weeks, as it's the only carrier that could get me to a friend in rural Denmark for under £300 (and at £55 all in, that's a lot under £300).

Let's see.

alanR

I do admit that Ryanair landings do tend to be a bit on the "heavy" side

ajax

There was a Channel-4-type expose a couple of years back which presented serious concerns about Ryanair's safety.

The terms are extremely onerous.

Not in my experience.

So does Southwest, but you don't feel dirty and shameful giving them your money.

He's an odious bulldog who lowers the tone for everyone in the airline industry.

If they're stupid enough to pay Ryanair their hard-earned money, they get everything coming to them.

Let's just say that the last time I flew Ryanair was the last time I flew Ryanair.

mti

My most interesting plane ride was to Kaunas (a stag do I was forced to attend). As we got off the plane, after a very bad landing, it was very hard to miss one of the engines on fire, with smoke pouring out of it. Of course, everyone decided to take lots of photos - cue to security taking hold of each camera and deleting the pictures, it was almost as if they were trained to do it.

Yes, it was Ryanair.

Showbizguru

That's a pretty serious criticism of Ryanair you make.
Exactly what were these safety issues and why have we heard nothing since about Ryanair being prosecuted.
After five months secret filming all they found were tired cabin crew and a seat smelling of vomit.
It was a joke.
Here's Ryanair's response from their website and the second item nails your criticism completely.

http://uk.wrs.yahoo.com/_ylt=A1f4cfl...6-02-10%5d.pdf

Everything else you mention is just a subjective opinion and, of course, you have exercised your right not to fly with them.
You are, however, in a minority which is why Ryanair's passenger figures for March 2009 were up 5% and the company currently has 2 BILLION euros in cash reserves.
Not bad for an odious bulldog operating in the middle of the worst financial crisis since the Second World War.
Taxi for Ajax !

NickW

Shame about the 100M euro Q3 loss and the declining load factors in March, though, eh?