I didn't intend for this thread to become another FR slanging match. I was just trying to find out if what the BBA guy at STN said was true. I was frankly shocked by the piss poor service I received from FR on a late night arrival at STN, on a bank holiday weekend, which meant I waited nearly 2 hours for my bags, only to be informed that this was a nightly occurence, had been going on for a year, and that as a result the BAA guy and his colleagues were leaving in droves as they were so fed up with it.
FWIW, I am with P1, on a qualified basis: that FR usually provides an excellent product at a very low price, and that when things run as they should, the customer is very happy. However, it appears that at STN I was not the victim of things going wrong, but the bog standard that is to be expected from FR for a late arrival. As has been stated, FR must be aware of what is going on and clearly can not be bothered to do anything about it.
If I could be bothered I would have complained and applied for compensation, but the fact I've advertised the situation with this thread and that it's been read by a large number of people is enough for me.
It's a shame, because right up to the last hurdle my first experience of Ryanair had been excellent and I had nothing bad to say about them.