Well indeed, Ryanair website has been extremely busy yesterday, partially down as well.
Originally Posted by The Scotsman
Passenger frenzy grounds website as Ryanair launches free flights
RYANAIR has opened a new front in the bitter airline price war by offering completely free flights for the first time.
However, the no-frills carrier's website was unable to cope with demand for the one million free seats yesterday
(...)
Analysts said the new approach was to lure passengers from rivals as Ryanair increased flights to France, Italy and Spain as part of a planned 27 per cent growth in capacity this year. They said the airline would want to ensure the new aircraft which are joining its fleet to serve the routes were filled.
Further expansion is due to be announced by Michael O'Leary, Ryanair's chief executive, at East Midlands airport today.
The experts predicted airlines such as Alitalia, Iberia and Air Berlin could be hardest hit, while Ryanair said it was also stepping up the pressure on British Airways and EasyJet.
Nick Van den Brul, an aviation analyst with brokers Exane BNP Paribas, said: "To keep load factors [proportion of seats filled] up, Ryanair will have to discount seats, effectively starting a new price war." However, he warned that the free tickets could lead to Ryanair increasing the price of other seats on some flights to maintain revenue levels.