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The Ryanair experience....
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=985_1392881383
Firmly cements my policy to never fly that piece of trash airline. PAX appear to handle it quite well by the looks of the video. Feel for the staff... having to defend policy which is nothing short of scandalous. I suppose if they side with PAX, they are fired. Unfortunately, people are willing to pay for FR. |
I do - a few times a year. It's always been alright, particularly if you pay the extra for an assigned seat in the front row (you often get it to yourself, your locker space is usually reserved, and you get priority boarding - not that you need to be on early anyway).
They fly from an airport half an hour away (as opposed to an hour and a half) and I fly them when they take me to small regional airports I actually want to go to. And they're usually much more punctual. So I'll generally save 3-4 hours by flying them. Which makes it all worthwhile - even more so if you live away from London. Very willing to accept that they are extremely poor in IRROPS, but then, I can tell you some pretty awful stories about BA, KLM and pretty much all of the US-based airlines in that regard! |
I'm sure FR are fine in when everything's going to plan, but if this is what the 'new' Ryanair is like in IRROPS at one of their home bases, I think I'd rather still avoid them.
Presumably the passengers are due their EU261/2004 compensation for the delay, but is there any redress for the apparent complete lack of duty of care by the airline? (also, would having a US-style Tarmac Delay Plan have been any help here?) |
So they're flying a budget airline with adverse weather conditions around and have probably paid €29.99 for their tickets which is why they're on one of the last flights out of STN.What do they expect ?
I've lost count of the number of times I've flown FR without any problems at all. Consistently the cheapest and most punctual airline across the Irish Sea. For what it's worth I've been on plenty of rubbish BA flights and suffered long delays without much help from staff. If they want to be cossetted and given free stuff when crap happens pay full fare. |
Originally Posted by Petrus
(Post 22382520)
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=985_1392881383
Firmly cements my policy to never fly that piece of trash airline. PAX appear to handle it quite well by the looks of the video. Feel for the staff... having to defend policy which is nothing short of scandalous. I suppose if they side with PAX, they are fired. Unfortunately, people are willing to pay for FR. I have flown Ryanair many, many times (up to 50 sectors per annum) and can recommend the airline. Good crews, safe, reliable, punctual and excellent value. For context (in case anyone may think my positive view is due to not ever travelling on other airlines and therefore not having anything to compare Ryanair with), the vast majority of the rest of my air travel is in first and business classes with BA and Emirates'. |
I've read enough Ryanair horror stories to be convinced they are not an airline I want to do business with. So, what are the opinions of Aer Lingus, are they any better?
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Originally Posted by Seat64A
(Post 22383444)
I find it difficult to comprehend your feelings for Ryanair.
I have flown Ryanair many, many times (up to 50 sectors per annum) and can recommend the airline. Good crews, safe, reliable, punctual and excellent value. For context (in case anyone may think my positive view is due to not ever travelling on other airlines and therefore not having anything to compare Ryanair with), the vast majority of the rest of my air travel is in first and business classes with BA and Emirates'. Several posts in this thread would certainly make me consider FR if the need ever arose. |
FR is ok if you travel with the understanding that it will be expensive (so many extra fees), you will be cramped, and you will be sold things incessantly. For some routes, however, it's worth paying what I call the FR premium in extra fees and discomfort in order to arrive much closer to one's destination.
I used to do this quite frequently when travelling to DNR, for example, as it was so much more convenient than flying to Paris and then taking a train. As long as one's expectations aren't too high, FR is usually fine. |
Originally Posted by Georidian
(Post 22384154)
I've read enough Ryanair horror stories to be convinced they are not an airline I want to do business with. So, what are the opinions of Aer Lingus, are they any better?
As to EI, I've only flown them across the Atlantic, but I've found them to be absolutely fine. I'd go as far as to say they were on a par with BA, although perhaps with older planes. While they do have a reputation as moving towards an LCC model, I didn't really see evidence of that from their long-haul product. I was more than satisfied. |
Originally Posted by lwildernorva
(Post 22384269)
I've never flown Ryanair, but it's clear that a reputation has built up around the airline (fostered by many blogs and travel sites such as FT) that it is an unpleasant flight experience. In the US, Southwest had this reputation as well for many years (and, in fact, still is no favorite of the bloggers). I have had experiences on Southwest that appear similar to yours on Ryanair that make me suspect that some aspects of FR's reputation are blown out of proportion and that for many routes that it serves, it is a serviceable mode of transportation. I would also suspect that Ryanair's flaws, similar to Southwest's, are more noticeable the longer the flight or the less direct the route.
Several posts in this thread would certainly make me consider FR if the need ever arose. EI have all the attributes of a LCC but without the prices. |
Originally Posted by Showbizguru
(Post 22383121)
So they're flying a budget airline with adverse weather conditions around and have probably paid €29.99 for their tickets which is why they're on one of the last flights out of STN.What do they expect ?
If they want to be cossetted and given free stuff when crap happens pay full fare. The Ryanair attitude is totally unacceptable (and it's not limited to Ryanair, but they're an extreme case), no matter how cheap the ticket was. The problem is how they train their staff and pressure them (with menace of firing), so that in the end they lose all common sense out of fear of what their hierarchy will reproach them with. They do it with FAs, gate agents, pilots, and it's endangering people's lives (fuel reserves issue for instance...). It's a scandal, no matter how cheap the ticket, and no matter what advantages they offer (supposedly being more often "on time"). |
I've flown then four times and all flights went without a hitch. Considering I only paid something like a £1 for each of the flights it's no wonder my opinion is good.
However that was a long time ago so things might have changed especially the extra add on costs which didn't seem to be so much in evidence back then. The only regret I have about Ryanair is the fact that they weren't around when I was a young financially embarrassed backpacker. I would never pay big bucks to fly with them but would if the price was reasonable enough. |
We fly RyanAir often back and forth to Lithuania, and, as everyone has said, you get what you pay for. Rarely do we pay more than 75 euros a head though, and we know to expect absolutely nothing. With Ryanair you just need to be ready for the tricks (I'm amazed the currency exchange fee one is even legal). Still when you add it up it's just a cheap flight, nothing more, and you pray for no IRROPS.
Funny but pathetic story - I elected to take Ryanair to one of my client sites last year as it was a nonstop flight to this remote destination and cheap. I probably paid about 30 euros for the ticket. You can guess the punchline - my AP department wouldn't reimburse the cost for months because I bought the ticket on my own (Ryanair isn't in their system), and I couldn't prove that on the day of travel I couldn't have gotten a cheaper ticket through a legacy carrier, even though I had correspondence with my travel department beforehand. B*tards. |
I have flown Ryanair regularly. My daughter, S-I-L and grand kids live in County Galway. The airline often makes the most sense on schedule price etc. I have NEVER had a problem with them since I firts flew with them in the eraly 2000s. I have done BPL-DUB, LPL-SNN, MAN-SNN, LPL-NOC. They are safe and low cost and reasonably reliable. I would fly with them in a heartbeat tomorrow.
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And there's the rub.
All these so called horror stories about Ryanair basically stem from the fact that some numpties are still unable to access their website,follow the clearly stated T & C's,print off a boarding card,pack hand luggage within the clearly defined limits and present themselves at the check-in desk. |
Originally Posted by Andoreasu
(Post 22384909)
. . . and it's endangering people's lives (fuel reserves issue for instance...).
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Originally Posted by Showbizguru
(Post 22386415)
And there's the rub.
All these so called horror stories about Ryanair basically stem from the fact that some numpties are still unable to access their website,follow the clearly stated T & C's,print off a boarding card,pack hand luggage within the clearly defined limits and present themselves at the check-in desk. |
Originally Posted by ft101
(Post 22386497)
You might have had someone believing your rant until you came away with this obvious lie that has been proven false by the relevant authorities on investigation.
The "lie" (I'd call it a "fallacy"...) is to say they broke the law. No indeed they did not, those who say so are wrong. Playing around with rules is their speciality, so they know how to have the law on their side - not always though (cf. gross abuse of EU freedom of movement vs. establishment in France). They often carry the minimum legal requirement (and "50% of pilots choose to take more" dixit Ryanair management, well sorry even if that's true it's little), from that point of view they don't breach the law, yet they do potentially endanger people's lives* with risky behavior triggering emergency landings that ought not to be (*Be it for that matter or for exhausted FAs btw). Of course, it doesn't take away any of their merit in proposing commercially competitive rates for a good on-time record that people are so happy with, at regional airports abandoned by legacy carriers which may be useful to many pax (but then again thanks in part to taxpayer money subsidizing the FR flights and blackmailing tactics). |
Originally Posted by Seat64A
(Post 22383444)
I find it difficult to comprehend your feelings for Ryanair.
I have flown Ryanair many, many times (up to 50 sectors per annum) and can recommend the airline. Good crews, safe, reliable, punctual and excellent value. For context (in case anyone may think my positive view is due to not ever travelling on other airlines and therefore not having anything to compare Ryanair with), the vast majority of the rest of my air travel is in first and business classes with BA and Emirates'. Some people can't be pleased.;) |
Originally Posted by Doc Savage
(Post 22388307)
On a purely sexist note I also prefer the FAs on FR.Some damn fine East European babes as the annual Ryanair swimsuit calendar can attest to. |
The treatment of these pax was an absolute disgrace. I don't care how much they paid for their ticket. In a previous life, I worked for an airline where the rule was that a couple of staff had to stay in the office until the plane was airborne half an hour just in case it returned and the pax needed looking after. In this case, the plane didn't even got off the ground yet everyone in Ryanair headed home. Ryanair should have had staff available to look after these pax. I have flown many times with Ryanair and things have been fine. But the simple fact is that its history is littered with many examples where Ryanair has shown that it literally does not give a flying **** when it comes to the fare paying public.
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Time to Wake Up
I think you need to remember leaving aside all the debates about extra charges, printing your own pass etc.
The fact remains this is a company who actually woke up and admitted they treat passengers like rubbish and need to change thier act as they started to lose ground to rivals such as Easyjet. When you have a boss who makes speeches they way he does and rubs everyone up the wrong way, it is not a good thing. Time will tell if they actually change their ways. Regardless if how much you pay for a ticket or what you expect I think we all have to be honest and admit if you were on that flight you would be pretty pissed off. |
Originally Posted by Andoreasu
(Post 22388115)
The "lie" (I'd call it a "fallacy"...) is to say they broke the law.
The Spanish Civil Aviation Accident and Incident Investigation Commission (CIAIAC) agreed if you want to know the relevant authorities. Ryanair's positive spin on the incidents is to be expected and taken within an overall perspective of what happened. There was no need to scaremonger on this point, as it devalued what other issues you raised. |
Petrus - I suspect there are people that would happily allow Ryanair to physically flagellate them in their seats if the price was right and the plane got there on time. There may even be some out there that take perverse pleasure in going with the Fawlty Towers of the skies. And therefore FR will continue to exist, with a capital 'F', and there's no point trying to dissuade them.
I guess I have no major axe to grind here as I've never personally been the victim of their legendary approach to customer service. I simply choose not to put myself at risk of that happening, and go with other carriers instead. Incidents like the one in your OP are just a reminder to me why I avoid them. To everyone else that doesn't, I wish you continued luck! |
I don't fly them, as I prefer not to fly someone who works so hard to keep unions out their business, even to threatening and intimidating staff who want to start one.
http://www.irishtimes.com/business/s...-rpg-1.1568198 |
I suspect there are people that would happily allow Ryanair to physically flagellate them in their seats if the price was right and the plane got there on time. There may even be some out there that take perverse pleasure in going with the Fawlty Towers of the skies. I suspect most of the militantly anti-Ryanair types are near to airports where they have multiple choices - good for them. On the other hand, I recently heard a young woman from Bergamo (although not that far from MXP or LIN) rhapsodising about Ryanair, saying they had opened up the world for her. If flagellation was involved, she wasn't telling. |
Originally Posted by Showbizguru
(Post 22388875)
Oh I say, excellent internetting.
On a purely sexist note I also prefer the FAs on FR.Some damn fine East European babes as the annual Ryanair swimsuit calendar can attest to. So I found some here, and here, and here Now that's excellent internetting! |
I was wondering whether the EC261/2004 should not be limited to tickets above, say, 100 euros (including taxes and fees). While it's terrible for the affected pacs to be stranded like this at STN, opting to fly (ultra)-LCC should come with the understanding being treating like cattle… In any case, I am more than happy that the last flight I took with FR is almost a decade ago and never again.
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There are emergency exits on Ryanair planes.
Full power to the police for getting them off the plane quickly, and breaking into the airport. However I was under the impression that the police were allowed to check passports and let people in the country. On that flight of be very surprised of there was more than a handful of non eu citizens. Indeed g4s were approving people to fly on a domestic flight last night at lhr, based on their opinion of a driving license or passport photo. However these things happen. How soon we forget http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22717377 - British Airways passengers sleep at Venice airport €250 compensation and something on top of that (Ryanair Avios?) for the illegal treatment. Or you could try a criminal charge against the pilot. |
Originally Posted by paulwuk
(Post 22391358)
However I was under the impression that the police were allowed to check passports and let people in the country. On that flight of be very surprised of there was more than a handful of non eu citizens.
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Originally Posted by ajs123
(Post 22390451)
I was wondering whether the EC261/2004 should not be limited to tickets above, say, 100 euros (including taxes and fees). While it's terrible for the affected pacs to be stranded like this at STN, opting to fly (ultra)-LCC should come with the understanding being treating like cattle… In any case, I am more than happy that the last flight I took with FR is almost a decade ago and never again.
But I don't actually think this would work. Imagine the scenario we saw here... a planeload of angry passengers, all tired, hungry and thirsty... even if the FAs were somehow able to determine who paid how much for their ticket, can you really see a situation where they would hand out water to some of the passengers but not to the rest? And in any case... airlines can easily factor the cost of 261/2004 into the price of their tickets, and it probably won't come to more than a few pennies per passenger. |
I don't fly FR as a first choice - but it is an airline I will consider and do fly from time to time. When they fly to where I want to go, it is frankly difficult to justify paying 4-5 times the price to fly BA AND have the hassle of a longer journey with connection at LHR.
I wouldn't say it's a pleasant experience, but if you are properly prepared for their business model, and are big enough and ugly enough to look after yourself in the case of IRROPS, then it's fine. I've never personally had a problem whilst travelling with FR. I have seen others encounter problems - but these have largely been, as noted by others, people who have not read the rules on the size / weight / number of bags, need for self-printed boarding passes, etc. |
Originally Posted by Showbizguru
(Post 22386415)
And there's the rub.
All these so called horror stories about Ryanair basically stem from the fact that some numpties are still unable to access their website,follow the clearly stated T & C's,print off a boarding card,pack hand luggage within the clearly defined limits and present themselves at the check-in desk. Even this one? I mean, are you saying that because they have been unable to access Ryanair website, because they did not follow the clearly stated T&Cs, because they did not print off their boarding card, because they did not pack the hand luggage within the clearly defined limits and because they did not present themselves at the check-in desk, they ALL (in this case yes) boarded a plane left stranded on the tarmac at STN on purpose? WOW! Impressive. Ulxima |
Ryanair have released a statement about this flight:
http://www.ryanair.com/en/news/ryana...-february-2014 Due to strong winds across the South of England (14 Feb) over 20 airlines were forced to divert into Stansted from Heathrow and Gatwick airports which significantly disrupted handling and fuelling operations at Stansted. This Ryanair flight from London Stansted to Porto was delayed by the weather disruption and a subsequent fuelling delay at the airport. After approximately two hours waiting for fuellers, the Captain requested the handling company (Swissport) to allow the passengers into the terminal which was locked. The Captain switched on the aircraft’s air conditioning while waiting for Swissport staff to arrive and the cabin crew provided water to passengers. When Swissport failed to arrive the Captain requested the police to let the passengers into the locked terminal. The police subsequently arrived and allowed the passengers into the terminal. Passengers were then provided with refreshment vouchers on Ryanair’s instructions. The aircraft departed the following morning at 7.50am. Ryanair sincerely apologises to all passengers on this flight who were affected by this delay. Ryanair wishes to correct several false claims in relation to this incident; The claim that passengers had to call the police is untrue – the Captain called the police. The claim that the air conditioning was not switched on is false – the Captain switched on the air conditioning. The claim that passengers were held by Ryanair against their will is false – the Captain made every effort, first with the handling agent (Swissport) and then with the police, to arrange for passengers to be allowed into the terminal which was locked. The claim that passengers were not provided with refreshment vouchers or water is untrue – Ryanair crew provided water to passengers on board and refreshment vouchers were issued to passengers following disembarkation. I wonder - would there have been anywhere open in the terminal for them to spend those vouchers (not until around 0500, I'd imagine). |
Originally Posted by teflon
(Post 22393161)
Ryanair have released a statement about this flight:
http://www.ryanair.com/en/news/ryana...-february-2014 there's also a similar statement from Swissport on the above page. I wonder - would there have been anywhere open in the terminal for them to spend those vouchers (not until around 0500, I'd imagine). |
IIRC the supermarket is landside.
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Originally Posted by Alsacienne
(Post 22395191)
IIRC the supermarket is landside.
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Passengers subject to this kind of treatment should express their displeasure in the strongest possible terms by writing to [email protected].
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I've boarded Ba planes where refueling was still happening, but to board a plane before the fuel truck even arrives?
I wined how much if the decision was based on 1) not wanted to pay for 150 hotel rooms 2) not wanting to have the plane out of position the next morning |
Shouldn't this string be moved to the 'Budget European Airlines' forum http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/budge...-airlines-727/ and join all the other 'I hate Ryanair' strings?
(And yes, I do hate Ryanair; and no I would never use them unless they were the only option!) |
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