browserden

Is there any other option to BTS? I know BA don't do the route.

That said I think VIE is close as one time in the distant past they'd advertise BTS as Vienna (Bratislava).

It's too soon to tell whether it's a case of same old Ryanair, it'll take a while for staff to get into a customer service culture after previously having to enforce rules to the extreme.

_nate

Far, far too often people follow bad instructions or expect the honouring of false promises made by staff then suffer as a result but companies refuse to take the blame.

Final 3 Greens

+1 ^

Absolutely bang on the money, in the airline sector.

I had it on Tuesday (on a Star Alliance member, travelling in business, connecting from LH to SH), 'we are late, but our groundstaff will assist you to make your next flight.'

They got us on a bus (not dedicated) from a remote arrival stand at 1205 and dropped us at the coaching arrival gate at 1215, for a flight where the boarding card stated boarding at 1155.

No assistance, even when requested, lots of people telling me 'you have time', had a stand up row with the security who wanted me to join the end of a queue of approx 300 people (now 1220) and had to walk to the front of the queue, fortunately the other pax could see the boarding time and were very good in letting me through. Security took 5 mins, all in, now 1225.

The gate was a 10 min trek from security and I arrived towards the end of the boarding, go on the aircraft at nearly 1240. They closed the door at 1245 and pushed at 1255.

I asked for a complaint form and showed it to the SCCM, who said I would definitely have missed the flight if I had waited in the security queue.

This is a tangible and recent example supporting nate's point.

shady

Here is the sum up of the story and with link on the guy's FB, where he has posted his rant.
http://travel.aol.co.uk/2014/04/30/p...nt-goes-viral/

PUCCI GALORE

The letter was far far too long. Although it was entertaining, it left me with a lot of questions about why the writer allowed things to get this far. Wouldn't any of you gone and found someone/anyone and told them that they had been waiting in a queue waiting to check or something?

We all know that Ryanair's idea of Customer Service is to more or less tell you to Eff off. That said I have flown them to places that no one else flies to directly. They are ruthlessly punctual, efficient to a rigidity that knows no slackness, and incredibly cheap. Even now. I have flown Vueling who are so much nicer to deal with (along Ryanair's grossly overpriced rubbish to be purchased on board) and whose seats are so much less tattier than Ryanair's.

I had read this letter and, as often happens after living with a policeman for these many years, just wondered how much exaggeration had been made to make a point. I know that we are all totally prejudiced against Ryanair with their track record, but I would love to hear the other side of the story. Sorry to play devil's advocate, but some things here just do not quite add up to me.

Swiss Tony

Thing is I heard a very similar story from a colleague of mine. Taxi was late so he missed the train so he arrived late at the airport. Bag was 1kg over so had to join another queue to pay then he joined check in again to find the flight closed.

To be honest he was a fool for going Ryanair as for 20 pounds more he could have flown from Gatwick.

He ended up buying a new ticket on easyjet from Southend then hiring a car. Got caught speeding on the motorway as well just to add to the misery.

uk1

I think what is overlooked is how many retro-fit how they would have behaved, but they are in the lucky position to benefit from hindsight and understand how the story ended and are also FT'ers who have seen these issues before, and may even have experienced them.

Human nature being what it is, if you are told by an employee that "if you do this" then you will make your flight, most decent people will believe what they are told at the time - they have no reason not too normally - and not make what they think would be a needless fuss, and then of course it is too late and what they didn't do is open to criticism by all who both know more and know the outcome of the saga.

The complaint is clearly over the top in order to be amusing, but I see little that is so unbelievable to cause doubt, and on the substance too many posts have lacked empathy as to the issue as it evolved rather than looking back and being critical with the benefit of knowing that the outcome was that he missed his flight.

LondonElite

Well wedding reception, fair enough, I would probably have gone out the day before, but generally I try to stick to conformance times. Unless there is a real snafu in the system, I can gauge pretty easily how long it will take me to get through most of my regular airports.

csutter

I'd go for VIE no doubt. It takes around 45 minutes to drive from the airport to downtown Bratislava now that they've extended the highway to go all the way to the Slovakian border.

There's also a more or less hourly bus service from VIE to Bratislava.

layz

Let's throw this thread a little off topic.

PUCCI: we need a new TFTG, they're long too, but very entertaining.

BTS: is it worth a visit? Someone suggested it a few years ago but I never bothered due to lack of direct flights.

I'm in PRG often, and I assume the trains would run to Bratislava, particularly considering they used to be in the same country!

corporate-wage-slave

Well you'd have thought so, wouldn't you? But to cover 180 miles it takes over 4 hours by rail! I often wonder how BA executives get to their Service Centre in BTS, as far as I am aware there is no oneworld service to the whole of Slovakia, not even Air Berlin! It's a Skyteam stitch-up basically.

callum9999

I spent a night there on the way from Budapest to Vienna and found both of them vastly better than Bratislava.

I was pretty tired so didn't spend too much time seeking out stuff to do (so I'm open to be corrected!) but there didn't seem to be much around and none of the architecture, parks etc. stood out to me as anything special.

layz

Even with SkyTeam the options aren't extensive, last time I looked it was just OK, and they no longer fly from London (or anywhere from the UK for that matter) so it's not a simple connection anymore.

Sounds like it's more of a place to visit as a daytrip if I hire a car in Vienna anytime.

TPJ

Well - there is a small Old Town and basically that's it... Good for a day trip from VIE to have relatively cheap beer....

csutter

A smattering of more or less interesting nightlife options in the old town too.

I remember in my student days we would occasionally drive to Bratislava in the middle of the night when we got bored of whatever we were doing in Vienna...