Past employees:
WARNING AGAINST RYANAIR
Last year, 350,000 passengers travelled to and from Norway with Ryanair. Now, several ex-Ryanair employees have come forward with warnings that the low-cost concept is comprimising safety.
With Ryanair, a flight to london can be yours for a few hundred Norwegian Crowns. But an earlier Ryanair employee who spoke with Forbrukerrapporten (the article publisher) claims that the cheap tickets are a result of a cynical business concept and dirty tricks.
"The company exploits its employees right to the limit," says ex-Ryanair pilot Petter Helland to Forburkerrapporten.
He flew for the Irish low-price company for 6 months before resigning in the spring of 2002. He'll never again step aboard a Ryanair aircraft - he has seen too much.
The Authorities are also worried about the development:
"Ryanair and other low-cost operators are cutting corners to save money," is stated in a British CAA report recently published.
The consumer-report (which this article is based on) published in February places the spotlight on low-cost carriers, and especially Ryanair.
Ryanair is one of the most successfull airlines in the world with contineous expansion and enormous proifits. The company is considered to be the third most valuable airline in the world.
BUT HOW IS IT MAKING MONEY?
Several ex-Ryanair employees are raising sharp criticism of the behind-the-scene operations.
"The management has an unofficial system of removing bothersome employees. If you're sick, land with too much fuel remaining in the tanks, or do something else 'wrong,' you're given a demerit point. When you've accumulated too many, they'll fire you," says Petter Helland to Forbruker-rapporten.
Everything must be efficient in Ryanair. Turnarounds are completed in 25 minutes. In that time, the cabin-crew must complete the boarding while the pilots take care of technical matters. Other companies hire additional employees for these duties.
"You hardly have time to stretch your legs. Before you know it, new passengers are onboard," says the Norwegian Ryanair pilot Tore-Eikenes.
Ryanair receives criticism from several sources in the february edition of Forbruker-rapporten, which has attempted to contact the Ryanair management for a comment on several occasions.
But press-spokesperson Paul Fitzsimmons rejects all accusations when confronted by Forbruker-rapporten, and says that on a general basis, "Ryanair has revolutionised airtravel for millions of people by lowering the prices."
Source:
www.forbrukerportalen.no
Apologies for any spelling errors. Done rather quickly.