Ryanair - 8

[blueplatinum]

You know that incredibly annoying challenge in the FR booking page where you have to read horribly distorted letters and type them back in ? Well recently I have seen another web site that has a much better alternative. They ask a multiple choice question, you click the radio button next to the correct answer and you can proceed. e.g.

Q. What is two plus four ?
- LONDON
- YELLOW
- SIX
- FANTASY

or

Q. What is the capital of France ?
- THIRTEEN
- DESIRE
- GREEN
- PARIS

I know it is not quite as secure but it is a lot easier for the user, especially when the booking system often insists on challenging multiple times. I wish Ryanair would give this a trial as replacement for the existing horrible system.

[davidjohnson6]

blueplatinum - the approach you suggest is helpful to those who wish to use a website, but is not that great at preventing automated screen-scrapers.

There are only so many questions that have an answer known to 95% of the population - maybe a website has a store of 1,000 questions which are asked at random. Of course, the screenscraper can store the answer to each of these questions when newly encountered, and then automatically respond when they are seen again in the future. The effect is that screen scrapers have a temporary inconvenience, while people have a long term inconvenience.

The advantage of Captcha, is that one can automatically generate millions of questions, making it impossible to store the correct answer for future retrieval - only a human can correctly answer the questions on a reliable basis, thus fulfilling the aim of Captcha - Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart

The whole issue comes fundamentally down to a few questions
1 - How transparent does Ryanair want be in its pricing ?
2 - How easy or difficult does Ryanair want to make price comparisons against other airlines ?
3 - Has the "Ryanair are the low fares airline" perception been sufficiently installed into consumers' minds that there is less need to constantly justify it ?
4 - How much is saved in website running costs by blocking screen scrapers ?
5 - If screen scrapers are allowed, is there any effective way to enforce that bookings be made only via the FR website, so permitting the sale of ancillaries ?

[Ironside0]

EMA to Nantes

Apologies if i missed this somewhere,just tried to book flights from EMA to Nantes and seems the route is no longer available,anyone any idea if this is seasonal or more likely a permanent route dropped?
Have been using this route for a number of years and allways seems very full,if fact there dont seem to be any Ryanair flights from the UK to Nantes anymore?

Regards

Dave

[j636]

Ryanair Plans Buybacks, Dividends in 2013, Sunday Times Says - Bloomberg

[davidjohnson6]

j636 - if Ryanair has now become a large stable company that is no longer in a fast growth phase - I hesitate to use the word 'mature' :-) - and is now paying dividends, does that mean MOL will finally step aside following his oft-repeated promise to retire and leave the suits with MBAs to run the company ?

[anna_list]

Q3 results

Q3 results - summary:

• Q3 profit of €15M, compared to loss of €10M for the same period last year
• First Q3 profit since 2007/8 (up until that point the quarter had always been profitable)
• Average fares up 17%
• Full year FY2012 guidance raised from €440M to €480M, although this would still mean that they expect to lose up to €80M in the final quarter
• 1 more base for summer 2012 to be announced shortly
• Fuel bill for FY2013 to rise by €350m compared to this year - "a significant cost challenge for next year."

3rd Quarter Results - London Stock Exchange

[Bearcat]

Markets will like this......I hear they are still taking deliveries from Boeing.

[FA10]

anna_list wrote:

1 more base for summer 2012 to be announced shortly

let´s start the guessing game - my bet is on Treviso. With the renewed runway and CAT II (III?) coming up they have done a lot of their homework!

[EI-BUD]

let´s start the guessing game

Would expect continental Europe rather than Ireland/UK.

MOL going to BCN today to work out discuss how it can provide extra capacity, new routes or increased frequency in light of JK collapse.

Are there any cities in Spain where Spain had significant operations that would warrant a base, but where FR dont already have one?
EI-BUD

[sunday8pm]

Could possibly be BIO? Don't think Ryanair fly there, although Easy already do BIO-STN and others. Granted Spanair didn't use it though.

[peppo_8787]

The new base should be Warsaw-Modlin, No?

[befree]

# Full year FY2012 guidance raised from €440M to €480M, although this would still mean that they expect to lose up to €80M in the final quarter
# 1 more base for summer 2012 to be announced shortly
# Fuel bill for FY2013 to rise by €350m compared to this year - "a significant cost challenge for next year."

3/4 of the profits next year would be wiped out by rising fuel bill if nothing changed. The response will have to be higher fares and more planes rested each winter. Ryanair is not on good ground when it has to hike its fares. Not only has 99p flights gone - we will soon lose most of the below costs offers.

[pee]

Ryanair is not on good ground when it has to hike its fares.

That's right. The question is: what has been done to convince customers to accept the (unavoidable) fare rises? When actually the Development Phase Two (shaping the customer friendlier airline) will start?

As very few here speak Finnish, I'll not bother to quote any local opinions, but the latest FR policy changes (including this unfortunate Captcha thing) did not add Ryanair any friends among the Finnish customers. The same mulish attitudes of FR bosses are even more pronounced nowadays and fares are rising at the same time. Not a very good sign.

There are still good opportunities around (like Spanair's collapse for example) that will allow MOL to continue in the old bullheaded style, but he should at least try to change some of his typical attitudes early enough to stay competitive in the future.

does that mean MOL will finally step aside following his oft-repeated promise to retire and leave the suits with MBAs to run the company?

I think Ryanair still need MOL. He however could get somebody to help change Ryanair's public image, for his company's sake.

[j636]

New 2 daily flights from BCN and MAD to Asturais starting April, replace Spanair

[racedo]

3/4 of the profits next year would be wiped out by rising fuel bill if nothing changed. The response will have to be higher fares and more planes rested each winter. Ryanair is not on good ground when it has to hike its fares. Not only has 99p flights gone - we will soon lose most of the below costs offers.

Is that it ?

Seriously ?

Every time FR announce results you come suggesting that the sky is falling in and if nothing changed they would be bust.......

Funny thing is that things change every day for every business and the businesses that react best survive..................

I'm tempted to repost one of your warnings from a couple of years ago but this is not the humour forum.

[jabird]

17% rise in fares from one year to the next is a massive change, well above inflation.

However, I don't think this puts Ryanair 'in a bad place' - I presume with more a/c rested, the bottomed out yields have been removed, so the average goes up - and there has to be some accounting for fuel costs.

As for BIO? I just can't see that ar the next Rynairport - is it not more in the Taj Mahal category (with wings) - yes, Easy have tapped the market a bit for architectural tourism, but would local managament yield to MOL's demands?

[befree]

Hi Racedo,

I do not claim the sky is falling in but point to the end of the good times for ryanair. For a firm with so much cash any fall will be very slow but like any giant the fall will come. The start is the firm going ex-growth.

The price of jet fuel means the 99p offers have gone. Also Boeing will not now sell FR planes so far below cost that they can be sold 2nd hand at a profit.

Also for pax cash is tight and weekend breaks are the first thing to go.

Ryanair are still going to be here in 4 years time - it is just they are going to be in decline.

[pee]

The flights from EDI to Berlin disappearing in May have found their new destination. It's Szczecin in Poland, not so far away. However only Tue and Sat flights arrive in SZZ. Thu flights' destination still unaccounted for.

[Seljuk22]

Palma will get a 5th aircraft and 4 additional routes: Malmo, Oporto, Roma, Smaland
Ryanair anuncia el quinto avion y 4 nuevas rutas en su base de?

[lexoncd]

MOL states he is in discussions with Chinese and Russian aircraft manufacturers. If you google the Panorama report on Ryanair you will see a dismissive comment from the boss of Airbus, John Leahy where he gives his thoughts on dealings with Ryanair. Clearly they dont take negotiations too seriously believeing in my opinion that talks are just to get the Boeing price down. Boeing as widely reported believe MOL got a never to be repeated deal and it is alleged he stated he had raped Boeing over the deal to buy 737's so I think they will take a tougher line.

Like any good negotiator and he is without doubt in a class of his own he will seek to create competition in the form of new entrants. Now it could be argued if you are a launch customer you will get a great deal but on a new aircraft with a manufacturer having to establish the support functions necessary in the timescale available i think not. Likewise who would take the aircraft after Ryanair and what will happen to their values.

It will suit MOL not to expand in the current marketplace and look to drop low yielding routes but in time he will need new aircraft.... Going to be fun watching this one run.

I reckon he will do a deal with Boeing on a new design 797 stating We will be the first operator of a new Boeing aircraft bla bla bla