The Real Slim Shady, I cannot undersatnd your pessimsism about RYR's fleet numbers. Current published plans, all of which are in the reservations system and with bookings being taken require 232 aircraft before the end of March. The current delivery rate is 4 aircraft per month. Still to be announced are the additional routes and frequencies that will inevitably be announced for later in 2010. Every month for years now RYR has announced new routes and frequencies. Sure there are cancellations and winter cutbacks. The net effect however is a growth rate that has not been below 12% per year for years now. It will be the same for this year and next year.
On this basis the maximum fleet to be operated this summer will be around 245 aircraft and in 2011 it will be in the range 270-280, maybe just a few more. The 2012 figure will be around 315-320.
What MOL is talking with Boeing about is primarily a net fleet increase beyond these figures to around 360 in 2013 amd over 400 in 2014.
The are a lot of RYR knockers in these columns but do not forget that RYR has become by far the biggest single European airline in terms of pax carried. Over these next four years its annual pax will grow from 67 million to around a hundred million in 2013.
RYR has enormous growth opportunities. It is truly a pan-European airline. In this field it is already half as big again as its nearest competitor and the gap is growing rapidly. It has achieved this by growing the market and bringing airline service to cities that effectively had none before. It can do this by sheer efficiency.
I have been a big user of RYR in the last couple of years. All my flights have arrived on time or early. Not one minute's delay. Every time I have checked baggage it has been on the belt before I have got there. I have never experienced this level of service on any other airline. On top of all that my travel bill has gone down about 40%. I can now even use my phone on board.
That is why people use RYR. It has got all the key components that people want to buy and it is becauase of that that it wiii acquire those planes and people will buy seats on those planes.