I worked for Ryanair and the rumours are true.
Good points(every airline must have some good):
i)they are successful(economically that is)and provide jobs to many
ii)they enable poor people to travel by air
iii)they pay well
But that really is about it.
Bad points/
i)90% of all people who work for Ryanair are rude SOB's...they cant help it...its de rigueur..if they ever left Ryanair,they'd probably be quite okay
ii)strong arm tactics against pilots..including but not limited to abuse of contract pilots(I was one) who dont conform to the Orwellian nightmare that is Ryanair..and if you dont join the club,they have some very handy little loophole's that work to their advantage..future Ryanair contractors be warned.
iii)Problems stem from the top as with all companies...its just not good business acumen to have an annoying little weasel as your CEO...and the chief pilot is a joke...no tea and biscuits with him,he doesnt even know your name,he doesnt want to know your name and if you have a safety concern or a problem,get a dog or a psychiatrist
iv)they'll do crazy things like send you to Bergamo to do a flight and then find that there's already a Captain rostered for that flight so the whole trip was a waste of time...and they dont apologize...no way,forget it.
v)a lot of Dutch/belgian F
's with 250 hours who think they know it all...thing is they're in hock with Ryanair and love the company because they do a lot of hours..woe betide if you get on the wrong side of this bunch..they make great spies for the Orwellian nightmare
vi)cabin crew are mostly a friggin nightmare..they must all come from the same backward town in essex or some godawful bogtown in Limerick...only nice ones were Spanish or Italian.
vii)most pilots are usually gentlemen..i mean you may not like someone but you recognize that he's straight-up...well,here they're breeding the new generation and its decidedly blue collar..of course,there are some nice pilots in Ryanair,but they'll get weeded out pdq
viii)They treat their passengers just like their staff...badly.Rememeber that awful TV program Airline where a bunch of people dressed in orange T-shirts were caught on camera being rude to their adoring public..magnify that fivefold and you've got Ryanair.
I could go on but whats the point anyway...