Ryanair - 7
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: North, UK
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The contradictory reports are contained in posts #1258 and #1259 where the BBC report first a denail then an admission from Ryanair.
I accept the response will be that it is our national broadcaster alleging what Ryanair says.
I accept the response will be that it is our national broadcaster alleging what Ryanair says.
As a previous fairly caustic critic of Ryanair, I have to acknowledge that on Sunday 9th May they performed as well as any other airline in getting us home to Luton from Murcia.
There had been nothing on the English TV channels about ash cloud problems and we drove off on Sunday not knowing of any potential problem.
On arrival the flight was showing as delayed and nothing on the ground.
Shortly thereafter a bmibaby to Cardiff arrived, loaded and departed while we formed a queue out onto the tarmac where our flight awaited. The scrum was busier than usual and instead of what we thought was a partially full flight it turned out to be packed.
On enquiring of our seatmate, we then found that all flights on Saturday had been cancelled through Northern Spain airspace, so any spare seats were made available to any who turned up. He and his family were originally on the Stansted flight but had made it aboard and sensibly had made contingency plans as to who of them were the priority to get home and how..
That seems to encapsulate the problem. Many seem to run around like headless chickens looking for someone to blame and demand compensayshun, rather than thinking through a contingency plan.
We knew about the initial eruption and possibility of further disruption. We did check but no general announcement was on TV news that we saw on the Saturday, nor we were contacted by Ryanair.
We had, however, talked to our car parking company at time of booking about what they would do if we couldn't get back in time, so we knew what costs involved, same with car rental company if we needed to retain the car for longer. We arranged with the apartment as well so if necessary we could return and how long for. We had email and phone contacts in case they were needed.
Had we been asked, we could have therefore given up our seats, but obviously not everyone has contingency plans in place.
As it was, we had no problems, 30 minute delay reduced to 12 by time of landing, and everyone accepted the situation with as good grace as possible.
So, efficiently handled, Ryanair got as many people home as possible. Well done. They might review if there are any improvements they can make, but I'm sure they only have a limited amount of staff and too many people to try and contact.
There had been nothing on the English TV channels about ash cloud problems and we drove off on Sunday not knowing of any potential problem.
On arrival the flight was showing as delayed and nothing on the ground.
Shortly thereafter a bmibaby to Cardiff arrived, loaded and departed while we formed a queue out onto the tarmac where our flight awaited. The scrum was busier than usual and instead of what we thought was a partially full flight it turned out to be packed.
On enquiring of our seatmate, we then found that all flights on Saturday had been cancelled through Northern Spain airspace, so any spare seats were made available to any who turned up. He and his family were originally on the Stansted flight but had made it aboard and sensibly had made contingency plans as to who of them were the priority to get home and how..
That seems to encapsulate the problem. Many seem to run around like headless chickens looking for someone to blame and demand compensayshun, rather than thinking through a contingency plan.
We knew about the initial eruption and possibility of further disruption. We did check but no general announcement was on TV news that we saw on the Saturday, nor we were contacted by Ryanair.
We had, however, talked to our car parking company at time of booking about what they would do if we couldn't get back in time, so we knew what costs involved, same with car rental company if we needed to retain the car for longer. We arranged with the apartment as well so if necessary we could return and how long for. We had email and phone contacts in case they were needed.
Had we been asked, we could have therefore given up our seats, but obviously not everyone has contingency plans in place.
As it was, we had no problems, 30 minute delay reduced to 12 by time of landing, and everyone accepted the situation with as good grace as possible.
So, efficiently handled, Ryanair got as many people home as possible. Well done. They might review if there are any improvements they can make, but I'm sure they only have a limited amount of staff and too many people to try and contact.
Join Date: May 2007
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Further piece regarding the FR return to Belfast. Thankfully only a minor issue.
BBC News - Belfast Ryanair landing due to cleaning chemical
BBC News - Belfast Ryanair landing due to cleaning chemical
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Shelton, Connecticut, USA
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Plovdiv (PDV/LBPD)
I guess it has been mentioned before but I couldn't find it in this huge forum.
So, to get to the point, Ryanair is supposedly in negotiations with Plovdiv airport to start flights. The bulgarian authorities lower the airport taxes three times. If I remember correctly from older news, people from Ryanair are actually in Plovdiv today.
...ouch, my very first post!
So, to get to the point, Ryanair is supposedly in negotiations with Plovdiv airport to start flights. The bulgarian authorities lower the airport taxes three times. If I remember correctly from older news, people from Ryanair are actually in Plovdiv today.
...ouch, my very first post!
Join Date: Aug 2006
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Italy's civil aviation authority says it has fined Ryanair some euro 3 million for failing to help passengers stranded last month when flights were canceled due to the Icelandic volcano's ash cloud.
The ENAC agency said in a statement Saturday that it had determined that there were 178 cases of passengers who didn't receive mandatory assistance such as food, drink and lodgings during the flight shutdown in much of Europe from April 17-22
The ENAC agency said in a statement Saturday that it had determined that there were 178 cases of passengers who didn't receive mandatory assistance such as food, drink and lodgings during the flight shutdown in much of Europe from April 17-22
Lets see whether it holds up under law and my guess is that it will not as will be seen as arbitrary with no basis for the fine.
They will be faced with proving everybody else was taken care of by every airline as a reason why no one else was fined nor treated in same way.
Think this as you point out is an attempt at revenge based on row earlier and believe its has likely only one outcome with fine being overturned in court on basis they have no legal right to fine anybody based on lack of clear evidence.
They will be faced with proving everybody else was taken care of by every airline as a reason why no one else was fined nor treated in same way.
Think this as you point out is an attempt at revenge based on row earlier and believe its has likely only one outcome with fine being overturned in court on basis they have no legal right to fine anybody based on lack of clear evidence.
Join Date: Mar 2008
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You could be right Racedo but I doubt it.
The figure of 178 seems less than arbitary to me, it suggests that 178 cases have come forward and their cases have been investigated and found accordingly.
Much though it pains me to say so (actually, no it doesn't) this is only the start, there are a heap of cases in Spain on the blocks.
Of all the locos RYR is by far the shoddiest looking to come out of this ash cloud incident and, to my mind, have demonstrated how little trust should be invested in them.
ROME - Italy's civil aviation agency says it has fined Ryanair some $3.7 million for failing to help passengers stranded last month when flights were cancelled due to Iceland's volcanic ash cloud.
The ENAC agency said in a statement Saturday it had found 178 cases of Ryanair passengers who didn't receive mandatory assistance such as food, drink and lodgings during the flight shutdown in much of Europe from April 15-22.
Ryanair said the company wasn't aware of any problems.
The ENAC agency said in a statement Saturday it had found 178 cases of Ryanair passengers who didn't receive mandatory assistance such as food, drink and lodgings during the flight shutdown in much of Europe from April 15-22.
Ryanair said the company wasn't aware of any problems.
Much though it pains me to say so (actually, no it doesn't) this is only the start, there are a heap of cases in Spain on the blocks.
Of all the locos RYR is by far the shoddiest looking to come out of this ash cloud incident and, to my mind, have demonstrated how little trust should be invested in them.
Join Date: Sep 2009
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Ryanair Alternative
Booked a flight from Angouleme to Gatwick on 04/06/10 one way and it cost me 49 Euros. That's all in! That was done after exhausting all possibilities, travelling with Ryanair, from my region in France. ie. Nantes or La Rochelle to S.E England. It would have cost me 3 times the amount! Please don't try to convince me that Ryanair is the best and cheapest, because it isn't, obviously! I haven't flown Ryanair yet, but I really hoped to do so this time, without listening to Ryanair bashers and die hard lovers. Anyway, due to Ryanairs high fare prices + tax etc, etc, I cannot yet comment on how good or bad they are. All I can say is that 15 euros for one hold bag is pretty bad, but 50 euros for 2 hold bags totalling 30kg is awful. Pity really!
Join Date: Jan 2009
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With this bleeding ash bearing down on us again i'm starting to panic now!
I have to leave this evening to get to BRS airport for my BRS-BTS morning flight. At the moment there isn't a problem at BRS. What crossed my mind was, is the plane used tomorrow the BTS-BRS flight that lands tonight and parks up overnight.
Should i not be able to get away i know all about getting a refund(30 day wait) but i wondered about my return flight. It is a separate booking and comes into STN on Wednesday am. If this flight is not cancelled can i still get a full refund as i can't get out there to use it?
I have to leave this evening to get to BRS airport for my BRS-BTS morning flight. At the moment there isn't a problem at BRS. What crossed my mind was, is the plane used tomorrow the BTS-BRS flight that lands tonight and parks up overnight.
Should i not be able to get away i know all about getting a refund(30 day wait) but i wondered about my return flight. It is a separate booking and comes into STN on Wednesday am. If this flight is not cancelled can i still get a full refund as i can't get out there to use it?
Join Date: Feb 2008
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Yes BTS is operated by a based BRS aircraft and shall be parked overnight, as long as it isnt stranded somewhere in Europe. With BRS being a 5 A/C base they should have 1 spare A/C but I know BRS is stand restricted so this might not be the case.
In terms of your BTS - STN sector this is classed as a separate booking and therefore would not be refundable to you.
Hope that helps and fingers crossed!
In terms of your BTS - STN sector this is classed as a separate booking and therefore would not be refundable to you.
Hope that helps and fingers crossed!
Join Date: Apr 2004
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Volcano ?
I see on the Ruinair website that the FR2504 Faro to Leeds this afternoon has diverted to stansted " volcanic activity at Leeds" being the reason.
So its not just the ash thats spreading
So its not just the ash thats spreading
Join Date: Sep 2004
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I see on the Ruinair website that the FR2504 Faro to Leeds this afternoon has diverted to stansted " volcanic activity at Leeds" being the reason.
So its not just the ash thats spreading
So its not just the ash thats spreading
Seems that its not just Ryanair, be careful not to judge to quickly!
Join Date: Sep 2003
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From Ryanair website
Ryanair Dismisses Enac’s False Claims of 178 Violations of EU261 and Their €3m Fine
Ryanair, Italy’s favourite airline, today (Tuesday, 18th May) condemned what it believes are the politically motivated actions of ENAC which announced on Friday night that it had fined Ryanair €3m for 178 alleged violations of EU261 between Sat 17th and Thur 22nd April last.
Ryanair confirmed that it will vigorously defend/appeal any such fines if or when it receives any notification of them. Ryanair finds it strange that no such violations (or fines) have even been brought to its attention by ENAC, who appear to have “investigated” and “fined” Ryanair in 178 separate cases without even allowing Ryanair any opportunity to defend or respond to these alleged claims. Ryanair pointed out the following facts:
1. During the disruptions from 17th to 22nd April, all Ryanair passengers in Italy were provided with the EU261 Notice either by Ryanair’s handling agents or through Ryanair’s website, where all passengers were directed for info and/or rebooking.
2. Many disrupted passengers in Italy were offered accommodation at Ryanair’s expense in local hotels, and those that couldn’t be accommodated (because of the extraordinary volumes) were advised to submit a claim for reimbursement of their hotel expenses to Ryanair at the end of their trips. This is the same procedure followed by all airlines in Italy and across Europe during the week of the 17th-22nd April and fully complies with EU261.
3. Ryanair and its handling agents complied with its EU261 obligation and continue to do so. ENAC referred to “investigations” into 178 cases, yet not one investigation or enquiry has been made by ENAC to Ryanair relating to any of these cases. How can ENAC claim to have investigated these cases and fined Ryanair, without seeking any response or defence from Ryanair?
4. ENAC cannot issue fines without first bringing the alleged violations to the attention of the airline, and allowing the airline to respond to such allegations. ENAC’s fines are therefore unlawful and in breach of the EU261 regulations and which Ryanair believes will be reversed.
Ryanair’s Stephen McNamara said:
“It is extraordinary that ENAC would announce on Saturday that Ryanair has been fined €3m for 178 alleged violations of EU261, without ENAC making any attempt to notify Ryanair of any of these cases, or allowing Ryanair an opportunity to explain how it complied with EU261 allegations before ENAC rushed to invent and then announce this unexplained €3m fine.
“At a time when all airlines across Europe were cancelling thousands of flights and disrupting millions of passengers, it is extraordinary that ENAC could investigate and then impose a €3m fine only upon Ryanair, yet not any other airline appeared to have warranted such sanction. This would appear to be the latest in a long series of biased, anti Ryanair rulings by ENAC, an organisation which has repeatedly shown its bias and its lack of impartiality when it comes to cases relating to Ryanair.
“In the meantime Ryanair welcomes the latest injunction secured against ENAC last week in which the Italian Courts have ruled that ENAC cannot prevent Ryanair’s based aircraft landing at Rome Ciampino in the late evening. This latest injunction successfully prevents ENAC from disrupting Ryanair’s flights and passengers or forcing them to divert to Rome Fiumcino, instead of landing at Rome Ciampino.
“Perhaps ENAC’s surprise announcement on Saturday of a €3m fine against Ryanair, for 178 claimed but unidentified breaches of EU261 is not unrelated to the fact that ENAC’s anti Ryanair activities were the subject of yet another successful injunction in the Lazio Courts on Wednesday of last week.
Ryanair Dismisses Enac’s False Claims of 178 Violations of EU261 and Their €3m Fine
Ryanair, Italy’s favourite airline, today (Tuesday, 18th May) condemned what it believes are the politically motivated actions of ENAC which announced on Friday night that it had fined Ryanair €3m for 178 alleged violations of EU261 between Sat 17th and Thur 22nd April last.
Ryanair confirmed that it will vigorously defend/appeal any such fines if or when it receives any notification of them. Ryanair finds it strange that no such violations (or fines) have even been brought to its attention by ENAC, who appear to have “investigated” and “fined” Ryanair in 178 separate cases without even allowing Ryanair any opportunity to defend or respond to these alleged claims. Ryanair pointed out the following facts:
1. During the disruptions from 17th to 22nd April, all Ryanair passengers in Italy were provided with the EU261 Notice either by Ryanair’s handling agents or through Ryanair’s website, where all passengers were directed for info and/or rebooking.
2. Many disrupted passengers in Italy were offered accommodation at Ryanair’s expense in local hotels, and those that couldn’t be accommodated (because of the extraordinary volumes) were advised to submit a claim for reimbursement of their hotel expenses to Ryanair at the end of their trips. This is the same procedure followed by all airlines in Italy and across Europe during the week of the 17th-22nd April and fully complies with EU261.
3. Ryanair and its handling agents complied with its EU261 obligation and continue to do so. ENAC referred to “investigations” into 178 cases, yet not one investigation or enquiry has been made by ENAC to Ryanair relating to any of these cases. How can ENAC claim to have investigated these cases and fined Ryanair, without seeking any response or defence from Ryanair?
4. ENAC cannot issue fines without first bringing the alleged violations to the attention of the airline, and allowing the airline to respond to such allegations. ENAC’s fines are therefore unlawful and in breach of the EU261 regulations and which Ryanair believes will be reversed.
Ryanair’s Stephen McNamara said:
“It is extraordinary that ENAC would announce on Saturday that Ryanair has been fined €3m for 178 alleged violations of EU261, without ENAC making any attempt to notify Ryanair of any of these cases, or allowing Ryanair an opportunity to explain how it complied with EU261 allegations before ENAC rushed to invent and then announce this unexplained €3m fine.
“At a time when all airlines across Europe were cancelling thousands of flights and disrupting millions of passengers, it is extraordinary that ENAC could investigate and then impose a €3m fine only upon Ryanair, yet not any other airline appeared to have warranted such sanction. This would appear to be the latest in a long series of biased, anti Ryanair rulings by ENAC, an organisation which has repeatedly shown its bias and its lack of impartiality when it comes to cases relating to Ryanair.
“In the meantime Ryanair welcomes the latest injunction secured against ENAC last week in which the Italian Courts have ruled that ENAC cannot prevent Ryanair’s based aircraft landing at Rome Ciampino in the late evening. This latest injunction successfully prevents ENAC from disrupting Ryanair’s flights and passengers or forcing them to divert to Rome Fiumcino, instead of landing at Rome Ciampino.
“Perhaps ENAC’s surprise announcement on Saturday of a €3m fine against Ryanair, for 178 claimed but unidentified breaches of EU261 is not unrelated to the fact that ENAC’s anti Ryanair activities were the subject of yet another successful injunction in the Lazio Courts on Wednesday of last week.
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daz - that's just the approach that the yield management bods in Dublin want to see - someone very keen to buy and possibly willing to pay extra for it. Don't expect any bargains during the initial release period for flights after late October - you'll have to be prepared to wait a few months for the bargains to appear.
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: STANSTED & MANCHESTER
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Don't you worry I know how to play the game and play the game I do, I just to make sure the days they fly match with the time off I book think it's Sat,Mon and Wed at the moment and if anyone from FR is out there a 1200 dep from STN would be better than the 1415 for so many reasons ...