BLI-Flyer

MADRID — Spain's government says police removed more than 100 passengers from a plane preparing to leave the Canary Islands after a large scuffle broke out onboard.

La Provincia, a Spanish newspaper, said the disruption happened when low-cost Ryanair tried to charge one passenger extra for carry-on baggage and his friends aboard the plane "mutinied."

An Interior Ministry spokesman said the pilot was preparing for takeoff at Guacimeta airport on the Lanzarote island resort for Charleroi, Belgium, when she radioed for police assistance.

He said that, of the 168 passengers, only 64 were allowed to re-board Saturday's flight. The rest had to find other carriers and some spent the night on Lanzarote. He spoke on condition of anonymity in keeping with ministry rules.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-w...plane-scuffle/

goalie

I know I'll probably get flamed and sent to the sin-bin but imho, Ryan Air = WN for EU & the UK.

Fredd

Actually, Easy Jet modeled itself on WN. IMHO Ryan Air is a step or two lower. I'll defer to our European FTers for the definitive ranking.

goalie

Oh,, goodie, I'm not alone

alanR

90% of Ryanair problems are caused by customers who don't think the rules apply to them or didn't read the rules in the first place.

The remaining 10% are caused by Ryanair's belief that passengers are cattle.

goalie

Reduce one category by 1% and give that percentage to drunk/inebriated pax and then you are back to WN

PhlyingRPh

It's a self-sustaining model, with each fueling the other.

I'd kill myself if I had to fly Ryanair with any degree of regularity (or indeed, at all).

pinkcat

WN are loads better than that!

alanR

But that's true of every airline - well except Aeroflot.

marble

There's a press release from FR here. I'm glad to see FR are trying to spin it to sound like the police made them take all the students off, rather than being a decision they made.

I'm not sure it was worth it for the cost of one bag (especially since some of the students are going to have to make their own way back ... which is trickier given that FR are the only ones who fly that route). Still, I'm probably more suprised that this doesn't happen more often .

FriendlySkies

No flaming from me! ^

abhilife2001

+1..
And at the price most pax buy the tickets, they should be more careful..
heck, even LH and OS make so many problems when flying intercontinental for excess baggage for non status pax

Cavman

+1 Although I think you underestimate MO'L's contempt for customers. Back in the early 2000's we used to use FR quite a lot, get in early & you could get v low fares. Seem to remember about £4.99 for a return STN-Barcelona (OK Girona, not actually BCN).

The gradual splitting of fares into charging for flight, baggage, check in etc etc and the attitude that has gone with it has put me off in recent years. Even though I only live about 10 miles from STN I will now avoid them if at all possible. I can read all the T&C's and comply with them, I just happen to think it's not really worth my time to fly with an airline that would rather take my money & not actually fly me anywhere if they could humanly get away with it. YMMV.

the_happiness_store

Not even close.

I have flown FR, WN, and U2. FR is at least 10 levels below the other 2.

+1

robledouk

Ryanair gives lesson to 'mutiny' students

http://uk.travel.yahoo.com/p-promo-3360689