I have flown many times with FR and my daughter is CC for them. They are usually cheap and reliable, and I for one have never had or seen any problems before during or after the flight. The pre boarding scrum leaves a bit to be desired, but that is usually because the ground staff couldnt care less. Accept them for what they are..no frills, and if you are flexible, very cheap!
I arrived at STN last month for a flight to Austria, (cost £150 for 2 return including 2 x baggage and a set of skis) and all the check ins in that zone were via self service check in, with a single bag drop. It seemed to work, not much of a queue to drop off bags, the only issue was that new arrivals did not understand what was happening until a staff member arrived and started telling everybody how it worked. after that it was easy and smooth.
Time at the self service check in machine was about 20 seconds! BA and Lufthansa to name 2 majors having been introducing this sort of thing for years, I don't see what the problem is.
