Ryanair - 6
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Originally Posted by lexoncd
So why have credit card charges, luggage charges, taxes and check in charges increased by almost 150%......call it what you want but its a fuel surcharge in disguise.
How long before FR introduces a "booking fee" on top of the credit card charges?
Join Date: Oct 2007
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I see that Air Berlin has a 10 euro "per person and booking" (?) service charge (for reservations made on the Internet) which is not included in the initial price quoted, so it too is presumably breaking the rules.
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It is quite simple really, with Ryanair you get what is on the tin, if you don't like them don't use them.
Surely everyone knows nowadays that what's on the first page isn't what your going to pay, despite what the regulations say. Do what I do, go through the process and see what the end result is, compare with other airlines, then book whichever flight is cheapest and /or suits your needs.
Constantly going on about surcharges or booking fees from whichever airline (and Ryanair are not alone) will not chnage things one bit.
Surely everyone knows nowadays that what's on the first page isn't what your going to pay, despite what the regulations say. Do what I do, go through the process and see what the end result is, compare with other airlines, then book whichever flight is cheapest and /or suits your needs.
Constantly going on about surcharges or booking fees from whichever airline (and Ryanair are not alone) will not chnage things one bit.
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Much of the criticism of Ryanair here and elsewhere comes from prospective customers thinking that their flight is going to cost a lot less than it actually does, once baggage/check in/credit card etc. charges are added. They feel tricked. I think some of this criticism is unreasonable (takes cover at this point!) because, in my view, the expection of such low fares is unreasonable.
Yes, Ryanair's "base" fares (e.g., for travel within the next day or two) can be high but, for the routes I'm familiar with at least, generally this is not the case. I think some historical perspective is called for. I have been flying regularly between the UK and the Spanish Mediterranean for twenty years and, fortunately, still have a record of what the earlier flights cost. In the late '80s I flew mainly on a "seat only" basis using companies like Jetsave and Thomson. A typical July/August return fare was £150. Now remember, that was twenty years ago. When I consider wages/salaries at that time and inflation since (not to mention the cost of jet fuel) the real cost was much more than the same journey today with Ryanair (if booked at the same point in advance). Remember, too, that these seats on charter flights were themselves much cheaper than those on airlines like Iberia.
Perhaps some of the criticism of Ryanair comes from passengers who do not have this historical perspective and do not, therefore, realise how low the cost of air travel now is in comparison with the past.
Yes, Ryanair's "base" fares (e.g., for travel within the next day or two) can be high but, for the routes I'm familiar with at least, generally this is not the case. I think some historical perspective is called for. I have been flying regularly between the UK and the Spanish Mediterranean for twenty years and, fortunately, still have a record of what the earlier flights cost. In the late '80s I flew mainly on a "seat only" basis using companies like Jetsave and Thomson. A typical July/August return fare was £150. Now remember, that was twenty years ago. When I consider wages/salaries at that time and inflation since (not to mention the cost of jet fuel) the real cost was much more than the same journey today with Ryanair (if booked at the same point in advance). Remember, too, that these seats on charter flights were themselves much cheaper than those on airlines like Iberia.
Perhaps some of the criticism of Ryanair comes from passengers who do not have this historical perspective and do not, therefore, realise how low the cost of air travel now is in comparison with the past.
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Originally Posted by pwalhx
if you don't like them don't use them
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My favourite part about FR is them bitching about increasing airport charges, when their own charges just go up and up.
Fair enough a lot of charges are avoidable (airport charges are not), but their latest increases mean we need to pay £4for the pleasure of buying a ticket. Yes, it is avoidable, but I've never even seen an electron! PB has also doubled, and baggage fees have pretty much doubled.
I've had current accounts with Barclays, Nationwide, Northern Rock - and I've a joing HSBC account - and they just gave me a Visa/MC debit card by default.
So yes, the plastic fee is avoidable, but only for a very small portion of people, and only for a limited time.
Fair enough a lot of charges are avoidable (airport charges are not), but their latest increases mean we need to pay £4for the pleasure of buying a ticket. Yes, it is avoidable, but I've never even seen an electron! PB has also doubled, and baggage fees have pretty much doubled.
I've had current accounts with Barclays, Nationwide, Northern Rock - and I've a joing HSBC account - and they just gave me a Visa/MC debit card by default.
So yes, the plastic fee is avoidable, but only for a very small portion of people, and only for a limited time.
Join Date: Aug 2007
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Now that fuel prices are starting to come down, will we see Ryanair reduce/abandon some of these ridiculous stealth charges, or, will they leave them there to be added into their profits ?
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Originally Posted by Aisle2c
Now that fuel prices are starting to come down, will we see Ryanair reduce/abandon some of these ridiculous stealth charges, or, will they leave them there to be added into their profits?
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Join Date: Mar 2007
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People have started to buy less fuel, especially in the UK. If you look down the main street less people are using their cars. I see more full buses and more people walking and cycling, well especially where I live anyway. Its great! I can see the price of fuel dropping as long as we don't have some smart arsed c**t who decides to speculate!
I think we should be watching the likes of BA who have heavily increade fuel surcharges over the past few months on both passenger and cargo traffic. Its very unlikely they will drop theirs. Unless the papers were to take note - I am sure there may be a small change!
Over the past few motnhs we have certainly seen the power of the people in the UK.
I think we should be watching the likes of BA who have heavily increade fuel surcharges over the past few months on both passenger and cargo traffic. Its very unlikely they will drop theirs. Unless the papers were to take note - I am sure there may be a small change!
Over the past few motnhs we have certainly seen the power of the people in the UK.
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Well, the retreat across the board. Look at this:
Source: irishtimes.com (just published)
Ryanair today said it has stopped negotiations to establish a base in Poland because of increases in fees charged to passengers in the country.
PANSA, Poland's national air traffic control authority, wants to increase charges for landing in the country almost 10-fold, Ryanair said today in a statement.
The Dublin-based carrier wants the Polish government to reverse PANSA's decision.
“Ryanair has decided to stop all negotiations with airports in Poland on the development of any bases as this cost increase has made many of the prospective and actual routes economically unviable,” the airline said.
The carrier had been talking with five Polish cities, it said.
PANSA, Poland's national air traffic control authority, wants to increase charges for landing in the country almost 10-fold, Ryanair said today in a statement.
The Dublin-based carrier wants the Polish government to reverse PANSA's decision.
“Ryanair has decided to stop all negotiations with airports in Poland on the development of any bases as this cost increase has made many of the prospective and actual routes economically unviable,” the airline said.
The carrier had been talking with five Polish cities, it said.
Hold your horses, let's wait and see how long this circle will be, it could be a very short phenomenon, unfortunately.
The markets are like sheep. They will realise that oil demand has gone down due to the economy collapsing and get back into commodities again as a hedge against the dollar. Which will hammer share prices until they stop buying oil and ..
The fundamentals problems are still there and they are long term. Increasings demand from outside the industrialised nations and no increase in production. Dollar falling due to excessive borrowing and being gradually dumped as the reserve currency.
Join Date: Jan 2007
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I know i might go on again.
I booked to go to Cork from EMA in august. and the flight was on special offer, and there was a advert for a £0 special offer flight... when i went to book it was okay, then when came to confirm the flight, I noticed I had to pay a extra £16 just for booking the flight, and then £8 for checking in at the airport as I will have luggage, and then tax and charges and god knows what else, and then it froze, so by the time i got back onto there slow website at the moment, it was a regular flight, i booked it anyway, but that was another £10, so where as I was planning to spend around £20, it came to £37 in the end... even though the atual seat on the plane was £0 and £9.99 on the way back
I booked to go to Cork from EMA in august. and the flight was on special offer, and there was a advert for a £0 special offer flight... when i went to book it was okay, then when came to confirm the flight, I noticed I had to pay a extra £16 just for booking the flight, and then £8 for checking in at the airport as I will have luggage, and then tax and charges and god knows what else, and then it froze, so by the time i got back onto there slow website at the moment, it was a regular flight, i booked it anyway, but that was another £10, so where as I was planning to spend around £20, it came to £37 in the end... even though the atual seat on the plane was £0 and £9.99 on the way back
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Not Just Ryanair at Stansted.
From Citywire.
Is this the beginning of the end for low-cost flying?
By Tony Bonsignore | 12:04:05 | 24 July 2008
More worrying news for the budget airlines this morning, with Easyjet announcing it had been forced to severely curtail its growth plans over the coming months.
The Luton-based cheap flight pioneer said it would slash its capacity at Stansted by 12% during the winter months, as well as close its base in Dortmund. Easyjet said its hand had been forced by the high price of oil and the worsening economic climate.
Annual fuel costs have increased by £185m, Easyjet reported.
The announcement comes just weeks after rival Ryanair said it would cut around 250 winter flights from Stansted in a bid to cut spiralling fuel costs.
The key question for investors – and travellers for that matter – is whether this a temporary blip, or the start of something more fundamental.
On the one hand our thirst for low cost travel seems unlikely to subside any time soon. The EU is expanding and its citizens becoming ever more mobile. And with money getting tighter many of us will be turning to the Easyjets of this world as we look to put together cheaper DIY holidays.
Neither should we forget the hundreds of thousands who have bought second homes on the basis that No Frills Air flies daily to an airport just 90 miles away for less than a fiver all in.
And yet…one can’t help but feel that there is something inherently unsustainable and perhaps indecent about flying to the south of France for the day for the cost of an M&S prawn sandwich.
Especially with the dollar cost of a barrel of oil still well into three figures.
And especially given growing concerns over climate change.
Today then, the Money Blog asks for your thoughts on the future prospects for the cheapy airlines. Are we witnessing the beginning of the end of budget air travel? The end of the beginning, even? How would you feel about the return to the days when a plane ticket to the continent cost hundreds - rather than tens - of pounds?
Or is this simply a minor setback in the inexorable growth story of the budget airlines, a trend which has rightly put regular air travel within the reach of the masses?
From Citywire.
Is this the beginning of the end for low-cost flying?
By Tony Bonsignore | 12:04:05 | 24 July 2008
More worrying news for the budget airlines this morning, with Easyjet announcing it had been forced to severely curtail its growth plans over the coming months.
The Luton-based cheap flight pioneer said it would slash its capacity at Stansted by 12% during the winter months, as well as close its base in Dortmund. Easyjet said its hand had been forced by the high price of oil and the worsening economic climate.
Annual fuel costs have increased by £185m, Easyjet reported.
The announcement comes just weeks after rival Ryanair said it would cut around 250 winter flights from Stansted in a bid to cut spiralling fuel costs.
The key question for investors – and travellers for that matter – is whether this a temporary blip, or the start of something more fundamental.
On the one hand our thirst for low cost travel seems unlikely to subside any time soon. The EU is expanding and its citizens becoming ever more mobile. And with money getting tighter many of us will be turning to the Easyjets of this world as we look to put together cheaper DIY holidays.
Neither should we forget the hundreds of thousands who have bought second homes on the basis that No Frills Air flies daily to an airport just 90 miles away for less than a fiver all in.
And yet…one can’t help but feel that there is something inherently unsustainable and perhaps indecent about flying to the south of France for the day for the cost of an M&S prawn sandwich.
Especially with the dollar cost of a barrel of oil still well into three figures.
And especially given growing concerns over climate change.
Today then, the Money Blog asks for your thoughts on the future prospects for the cheapy airlines. Are we witnessing the beginning of the end of budget air travel? The end of the beginning, even? How would you feel about the return to the days when a plane ticket to the continent cost hundreds - rather than tens - of pounds?
Or is this simply a minor setback in the inexorable growth story of the budget airlines, a trend which has rightly put regular air travel within the reach of the masses?
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OliWW,
East Midlands to Cork (return, I assume) for £37 - what are you complaining about?! Seems a very reasonable fare to me. (Remember, it's actually £27 plus £10 Air Passenger Duty.)
East Midlands to Cork (return, I assume) for £37 - what are you complaining about?! Seems a very reasonable fare to me. (Remember, it's actually £27 plus £10 Air Passenger Duty.)
Join Date: Jan 2007
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At the end of the day im still happy, because I think the service is good by FR, even though you have to pay for everything, i believe there flights are always ontime, aircraft clean and newish, and a happy environment, and i thought that was quite a lot, considering when i go to Dublin sometimes its about £18 all together...
Join Date: Jul 2004
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One other loss of revenue for FR in the future will be the subsidies from French airports. A growing row is now under way among local authorities at the fact these authorities gave out so much money to Ryanair with poor returns in terms of quality of service. Also Ryanair did not abide by what had been agreed, not delivering the number of flights that were part of the deals.
I believe this major issue will rise to the point FR will not get money any more for landing on these remote airports which I believe is the cut between profitability and losses.
I believe this major issue will rise to the point FR will not get money any more for landing on these remote airports which I believe is the cut between profitability and losses.
Join Date: Oct 2004
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Wheelchair Levy
Just for clarity, Ryanair has already been forced to stop charging the so called "wheelchair levy" to disabled passengers. What they do now is incorporate the charge on to all passengers, (and charging far in excess of what it actually costs to provide the service). This is within the law, so will make no difference to Ryanair's income. In accordance with their nasty approach to their passengers they choose to separate out the "charge" on the billing, which is potentially divisive.
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You will recall the original story in which Ryanair denied a gentleman a wheelchair without payment; condemnation followed around the world in the press, some of it in very strong terms.
Just a few weeks later I was medically repatriated via OPO after a bad break. Insurance paid for three seats and assistance but when I got to the airport, Ryanair refused to attend me and refused to supply a wheelchair. I was literally left standing with plaster up my leg, a flapping multiple break and not even a stick. Ryanair demanded that I pass through the airport first and they would take responsibility post security!
I was left with only one option which was to lay down on the concourse floor and refuse to move until the crowd of security guys that gathered forced Ryanair to act. I got a chair, and a ride to the plane in a van. Have not flown with them since.
Just a few weeks later I was medically repatriated via OPO after a bad break. Insurance paid for three seats and assistance but when I got to the airport, Ryanair refused to attend me and refused to supply a wheelchair. I was literally left standing with plaster up my leg, a flapping multiple break and not even a stick. Ryanair demanded that I pass through the airport first and they would take responsibility post security!
I was left with only one option which was to lay down on the concourse floor and refuse to move until the crowd of security guys that gathered forced Ryanair to act. I got a chair, and a ride to the plane in a van. Have not flown with them since.