Ryanair - 6

[Steviec9]

I don't complain - it does what it says it on the tin

My first post – I have no vested interest in any airline and am not in the industry.

I fly frequently to/from UK/Ireland/Europe and occasionally long haul. I therefore tend to fly Ryanair frequently, using the high frequency Irish routes where there is little chance for much going wrong for long. When I am paying 1p for a flight and have no hold luggage and something does go wrong (VERY infrequently), I am an old hand – I simply wait to be bumped or I make alternative arrangements quickly whilst everyone else is shouting. I admit this is only possible because (a) I am a single traveller with flexible arrangements and (b) on the high frequency routes it’s not long before another plane arrives from somewhere. I do not feel that I am entitled to any recompense or payment if I do incur extra charges because I never pay more than £15 single inclusive. I block book tickets during sales and promotions and may or may not use them. I still have a return ticket from 1991, London to Antwerp, at £158 return to remind me of the scandalous fares I used to be charged before the advent of loco in Europe.

When I fly somewhere ‘new’ or somewhere with a less frequent loco service , I normally now choose NOT to fly loco but take a ‘legacy’ scheduled carrier where there is/should be better mitigation for me if something goes wrong. The price difference between loco and scheduled, where I need to take hold luggage, is now usually negligible (taking account of baggage fees and transfer costs from ex-Cold War airfields or similar normally used by locos).

For flights of less than 4hrs duration I am happy if the cabin crew appear competent (I couldn’t care less about their attitude as I never speak to them) and the aircraft is airworthy. For flights longer than that, I expect more and therefore I pay more.

In summary, Ryanair’s customer service may be woefully lacking but I don’t use it. I never call them, I never try to contact them if something has gone wrong – I just shrug my shoulders and make alternative arrangements, usually whilst everyone else is screaming blue murder. I do not expect anything from them other than getting me from A to B, roughly around the times they said they would. If I fly legacy scheduled, my expectations are higher, though not always met. It’s like comparing shopping at Lidl with Waitrose.