Ryanair - 9
A Runyonesque Character
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Except if Etihad decided to acquire full control over AZ, it would mean Ryanair's miscalculation.

Hahn airport reckon with 300.000 fewer passengers as a result of the reduction from 9 to 6.It is strange that FR start a customer care offensive a few weeks ago and since then they are pulling routes everywhere. Yes, pull routes if they are unprofitable but then why release them for sale p*ssing off customers who have then to make alternative arrangements. Did FR get their whole fleet management wrong?
Its why they claim each quarter they have little visibility more than 2 months ahead because people only book 2 months ahead.
Its not that they got fleet wrong its that significant opportunities are arising that they intend to grasp now because waiting for new aircraft to arrive will be too late.

While Etihad may well inject a big slug of capital into Alitalia (yes, still staying under the 49.9% cap on ownership), I would be hesitant to say Alitalia will disappear in 2014 - they've survived somehow through so many twists and turns, that I have this sneaky feeling they'll find some sort of escape route again...


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they have little visibility more than 2 months ahead because people only book 2 months ahead
PS. Etihad will not get full control over Alitalia, true. Its financial presence would however reinforce the Italian carrier, enabling them to survive the price war, if necessary.

PS. Etihad will not get full control over Alitalia, true. Its financial presence would however reinforce the Italian carrier, enabling them to survive the price war, if necessary.

A Runyonesque Character
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To be fair, there's also the geographical/economic/political paradox that the money is in one place and the political institutions in another - which of course gives rise to the political interference, overmanning and inefficiency you describe.


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Many FR connections will disappear from the Moroccan route map, probably as much as 30. The official reason: new air tax in this country. The tax will come into force on April 1 amounting to €9 / departing pax.

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From Aviation's week article:
Sincerely, I'm not sure if that's the way to go. An opportunity? Certainly yes, it's something worth trying. How many risks involved? Quite a few, I guess. Was the old strategy wrong? Not necessarily. Ryanair has been cherished in many places as very valued customer, maybe the only opportunity for numerous small airports to develop or even to keep running at all. For these big ones, Ryanair is sometimes an intruder, an unwanted nuisance. A couple of weeks I read the interview with Zaventem Airport managing director, less than content and somewhat offended by Ryanair's decision to "invade" the place. A totally different approach.
That's a big decision, probably triggered by the slight decrease in pax numbers and profitability. Was it necessary? The most important change needed to influence these numbers is the change of carrier's attitude towards passengers. Trying to address this issue right now, very awkwardly so far. An other issue is an urgent need for the diversification of the offer for small airports. After years of flying from XXX to, say, STN and Hahn, the local customers became bored with the offer, they want more comprehensive offer, more destinations, why not things like... connecting flights? If MOL wanted something revolutionary, maybe he needed something else, not necessarily bigger airports.
Fine, now the machinery became activated, let´s wait for the results.
_____
Concerning Morocco. Don't know pee's sources, what I found in the news is the article in French: Nouvelle taxe aérienne: Ryanair supprime une trentaine ligne entre le Maroc et l’Europe.
Opinion: Irish Airline Revises Master Plan
In a dramatic about-face, Ryanair will establish a “base” at Brussels-Zaventem airport in February. This is a sharp departure from the low-cost carrier's usual strategy to only serve secondary airports
...
For years, the airline's CEO, Michael O'Leary, has decried certain aspects of European hubs and major provincial airports. He criticizes their excessive fees and time-consuming, lengthy taxiway runs that make quick ground turnarounds difficult or fiscally undesirable. Ryanair's Boeing 737-800s usually remain no longer than 25 min. at the gate in order to log higher daily use, a goal achievable by serving secondary airports, avoiding the busy ones. In addition, continental Europe's secondary airports are largely under-utilized and local authorities are usually willing to absorb some of a newcomer's airport charges in order to attract more traffic.
...
Can Ryanair implement a genuine strategic reorientation by adapting its economic model to new realities or by seizing short-term opportunities? Serving Zaventem and Fiumicino involves an all-new marketing strategy and an acceptance of major airports' higher costs. But the move could help the airline garner a bigger share in the business travel market, with the benefit of higher yields. Indeed, the Belgo-Italian laboratory could forge the Ryanair of the future.
In a dramatic about-face, Ryanair will establish a “base” at Brussels-Zaventem airport in February. This is a sharp departure from the low-cost carrier's usual strategy to only serve secondary airports
...
For years, the airline's CEO, Michael O'Leary, has decried certain aspects of European hubs and major provincial airports. He criticizes their excessive fees and time-consuming, lengthy taxiway runs that make quick ground turnarounds difficult or fiscally undesirable. Ryanair's Boeing 737-800s usually remain no longer than 25 min. at the gate in order to log higher daily use, a goal achievable by serving secondary airports, avoiding the busy ones. In addition, continental Europe's secondary airports are largely under-utilized and local authorities are usually willing to absorb some of a newcomer's airport charges in order to attract more traffic.
...
Can Ryanair implement a genuine strategic reorientation by adapting its economic model to new realities or by seizing short-term opportunities? Serving Zaventem and Fiumicino involves an all-new marketing strategy and an acceptance of major airports' higher costs. But the move could help the airline garner a bigger share in the business travel market, with the benefit of higher yields. Indeed, the Belgo-Italian laboratory could forge the Ryanair of the future.
That's a big decision, probably triggered by the slight decrease in pax numbers and profitability. Was it necessary? The most important change needed to influence these numbers is the change of carrier's attitude towards passengers. Trying to address this issue right now, very awkwardly so far. An other issue is an urgent need for the diversification of the offer for small airports. After years of flying from XXX to, say, STN and Hahn, the local customers became bored with the offer, they want more comprehensive offer, more destinations, why not things like... connecting flights? If MOL wanted something revolutionary, maybe he needed something else, not necessarily bigger airports.
Fine, now the machinery became activated, let´s wait for the results.
_____
Concerning Morocco. Don't know pee's sources, what I found in the news is the article in French: Nouvelle taxe aérienne: Ryanair supprime une trentaine ligne entre le Maroc et l’Europe.

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Does anyone know why Ryanair still maintain some destinations on their drop down menus e.g. Biaritz from Manchester when they no longer operate the routes? Also does anyone know if Katorwitz and Tours are coming back from Manchester? Thanks, DomyDom

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Biarritz still showing up is likely just an oversight when the website has been updated
It looks like the routes to Tours and Katowice may not be coming back for summer 2014, however routes from Manchester to Poland are sometimes not announced until the last minute, perhaps this could be the case here? I do think the polish routes have a slightly later booking profile than some others, maybe someone could shed a bit more light on this?
It looks like the routes to Tours and Katowice may not be coming back for summer 2014, however routes from Manchester to Poland are sometimes not announced until the last minute, perhaps this could be the case here? I do think the polish routes have a slightly later booking profile than some others, maybe someone could shed a bit more light on this?

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when you book flights now it gives you the option of registering before you get to the payment page.
The problem I have now is that the only organisation that won't accept payments made with the Ryanair Cash Passport .........is Ryanair. I've made numerous attempts over the past 5 weeks and all have been rejected. No problem using it elsewhere.

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I came upon an interesting article in Belgian La Libre, shedding some light on Ryanair's decision to come to Zaventem.
While Brussels (European Commission) bans any public aid for airlines, an other government in Brussels (Belgian Government) tries to assist financially indebted Belgian airlines, mostly Brussels Airlines, but also Jetairfly and Thomas Cook. The best way to achieve it? Well, the aid package of 19 million euro will not be given directly to these airlines, but will be granted to the Brussels National Airport "for security infrastructure", as a legal public aid authorized by the Commission. Thereafter, the Brussels Airport will redistribute this sum of money as an incentive, to companies that fly over 400,000 passengers per year from Zaventem, excluding transfers.
Probably that was the main motivation for Ryanair to shift some capacity there thus getting a lion's share or at least a significant part of this aid. Smart move? Probably not enough. The Belgian government has just precised its rules, adding some text (as I understand it). The rebate will be "based on the latest comprehensive figures available, namely those of 2012." "According to that, companies are being selected from 2012 for next three years".
I simply cannot imagine Ryanair swallowing that without uttering a word...
While Brussels (European Commission) bans any public aid for airlines, an other government in Brussels (Belgian Government) tries to assist financially indebted Belgian airlines, mostly Brussels Airlines, but also Jetairfly and Thomas Cook. The best way to achieve it? Well, the aid package of 19 million euro will not be given directly to these airlines, but will be granted to the Brussels National Airport "for security infrastructure", as a legal public aid authorized by the Commission. Thereafter, the Brussels Airport will redistribute this sum of money as an incentive, to companies that fly over 400,000 passengers per year from Zaventem, excluding transfers.
Probably that was the main motivation for Ryanair to shift some capacity there thus getting a lion's share or at least a significant part of this aid. Smart move? Probably not enough. The Belgian government has just precised its rules, adding some text (as I understand it). The rebate will be "based on the latest comprehensive figures available, namely those of 2012." "According to that, companies are being selected from 2012 for next three years".
I simply cannot imagine Ryanair swallowing that without uttering a word...

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As I've mentioned in my earlier post, "For these big [airports,like Zaventem], Ryanair is sometimes an intruder, an unwanted nuisance. (...) Zaventem Airport managing director, [was] less than content and somewhat offended by Ryanair's decision to "invade" the place".
This morning Mr. Marc Descheemaecker, a new chairman of the board of directors of Brussels Airport, has expressed his view even more clearly: The arrival of Ryanair to Zaventem may in the long term harm the Belgian economy. That has been said publicly in "The Morning" broadcast on Radio1.
According to Descheemaecker the future of the airport in Zaventem could now be jeopardized. He fears that the Irish airline would provoke a 'disturbance'.
Descheemaecker calls to be 'strategically prudent' while dealing with the arrival of new players. "If Brussels Airlines becomes squeezed by Ryanair, the Belgian carrier might be forced to reduce its flights to Africa and travellers will have to fly from other European airports", he said.
No matter how much is the reason, I don't think such publicly expressed hostility towards a newcomer is a good start for a partnership.
The recording of this interview in its entirety can be found here (in Dutch only).
This morning Mr. Marc Descheemaecker, a new chairman of the board of directors of Brussels Airport, has expressed his view even more clearly: The arrival of Ryanair to Zaventem may in the long term harm the Belgian economy. That has been said publicly in "The Morning" broadcast on Radio1.
According to Descheemaecker the future of the airport in Zaventem could now be jeopardized. He fears that the Irish airline would provoke a 'disturbance'.
Descheemaecker calls to be 'strategically prudent' while dealing with the arrival of new players. "If Brussels Airlines becomes squeezed by Ryanair, the Belgian carrier might be forced to reduce its flights to Africa and travellers will have to fly from other European airports", he said.
No matter how much is the reason, I don't think such publicly expressed hostility towards a newcomer is a good start for a partnership.
The recording of this interview in its entirety can be found here (in Dutch only).

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