I've always thought that sooner or later passengers are going to get sick and tired of being treated so poorly by certain airlines. I'd wager we have some distance to go yet though.
Does anyone here seriously believe that people will stop flying with Ryanair? People have a short memory and are hungry for a bargain. They will quickly forget this fiasco and come back for more punishment in the future. £9.99 to Malaga? Book it quick before the price goes up! Anyone with the slightest insight into economics and finance would judge that this is nothing more than a buying opportunity for Ryanair shares.
The reality is that we are all addicted to cheap travel, and cheap pretty much everything else. It's basically a drug. Who here hasn't seen something in a shop and then checked amazon before deciding where to buy it? Ultimately we're all guilty of the same rampant indifference when it comes to the consequences of our buying decisions, whether its Sports Direct, Amazon, Uber, Deliveroo... the list goes on and on. That is the nature of unbridled capitalism.
The only way the problem gets sorted is if one of two things happens.
1 ) Government and the regulators actually man up and hold companies like Ryanair to account, which is why it was at least a little gratifying to watch the CAA Chief executive get animated about the subject this week - god knows all of us who occupy these forums must have been wondering when and if he was even capable of it. It's also why terms and conditions in the USA are sky rocketing - because after the Colgan Air crash the regulator actually took some meaningful action.
Unfortunately the Irish regulator doesn't seem to be particularly fond of regulating, presumably because it would result in less airlines choosing to be registered in Ireland and less money flowing into the coffers. And we all thought it was going to be Brexit that was responsible for a low-regulation low-tax "rogue" state on the fringes of Europe. Anyone fancy an apple?
2) Employees finally realise that the only way to improve their lot is to unionise and hold companies to account through legally conducted IA. I don't really understand why this hasn't happened in Ryanair. Surely there must be an appetite for it?
Here's hoping that one or both of the above comes to pass or nothing at all will change.