When Ryanair split their B737 fleet 3 ways across Ireland, Poland and Malta, did they retain a single seniority list for pilots or are they now emoloyed by the local AOC holder and no longer a single pilot body in terms of industrial negotiation? And was that the plan all along?

Just about all. There aren't many airlines named after the founder, but there are a few - Braniff, bankrupt and closed long after its original founder was off the scene, got started again twice by others, using the original name.

Incidentally, Michael O'Leary was long just a front for Texas showman billionaire David Bonderman, longstanding Ryanair chairman - O'Leary is the Chief Executive - and his Texas Pacific hedge fund (which is what it is), who provided much of the capital for Ryanair's expansion. Actually I find both of them, although grating in personality and pronouncements, a couple of the most competent airline executives there have ever been.

I read that M O'L is going ballistic because the local authority which includes DUB is trying to make the airport enforce the limitation on night flights included in its planning permission.

More detail here https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c72vlp7q44lo
I'm sure a few airports in UK would love to have a limit of 65 flights between 23:00 & 07:00.

Aircraft interiors
 

Something I've noticed on several flights with FR of late: when flying on aircraft with the new sky interior, some aircraft have 'Ryanair' across the overhead bins (pretty standard I thought), but there are several a/c I've flown on where the bins are just plain white without the FR branding. Does anyone know if this is purely random, or whether certain aircraft (e.g. newer deliveries) now lack the FR branding on the luggage bins? Personally, I think having all-white bins adds to the simplicity of the cabin and makes it look a lot smarter.

Dry those tears O’Leary, this was probably in the original Section 106 drafted for the new runway many years ago!

It says so in the article:
"The cap was among the planning conditions that were imposed when the airport was granted permission to build a new "North Runway" in 2007."

So long ago, no doubt someone had either forgotten or hoped that it would be

probably saves 50 gram per bin on paint - it all adds up ................ MOL is not a man to miss an advantage of any sort

and of course you can get plain white bins on Amazon I'm sure for a lower price than elsewhere

It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest haha, but on this occasion, it makes the interior look nicer from a passenger point of view. Hope they do this on more incoming aircraft.

Ryanair makes friends again!
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-66500479

The company's website is a disgrace. It's fiendishly complicated, with all of the add-ons it pushes at the user, and full of "gotchas" for the less capable customers.

I was checking in for a flight this morning, for an out-and-back trip tomorrow, and, as well as going through all of the hoops to complete the process, I have to do the same again this evening for the return sector, as there would be a fee to check in for that flight more than 24 hours ahead.

It's interesting that the site now makes a virtue of telling you that unless you pay, you most likely won't be sitting with your travelling companion/s. I remember that when the random seating model was first applied, the company strenuously denied that there was any intent to split up families or others on the one booking.

I really feel for that couple :( I also agree with earlier comments- from my own experience when travelling with FR, the website is functional (I'd argue their app is even easier to use when checking in), but I absolutely loathe the fact that the booking process is diabolical, being bombarded with additional (chargeable) add-ons, one after another, making the process much more tedious than needs be. FR had been investing in their 'Always Getting Better' initiatives which were working well (unsure if these have been stopped now), but I can see it being enough to put some people off, especially elderly or less seasoned flyers. Even business passengers don't want the hassle of having to go through a long-winded booking process, especially if they are frequent flyers.

Why have an airport open 24 hours when there is no 24 hour transport for arriving / departing passengers.

It's one of the few airports in Europe without a rail link.

They actually have to use a fleet of polluting tanker trucks to deliver aviation fuel from Dublin port to the airport. How Eco friendly is that? They don't have a pipeline.

They have a monopoly on car parks and can charge what they want.

They don't care about noise restrictions and residents trying to get sleep.

I agree with the planners enforcing conditions. I agree with the competition authority investigating a monopoly in car parking. The DAA are a business trying to make money not presenting you with clean toilets.

A friend of mine from Canada recently flew Ryanair one way between the UK and The Netherlands. He paid £19 for the fare and was then charged £32 at the airport for his carry on bag (a standard size carry-on btw). For the rest it was OK for a 40 minute flight he said. Personally I never fly on that airline. I have found better options!

The thing about FR: I have found flying with them to become that much more enjoyable (dare I say it!) in recent years, as they definitely seem less strict on hand baggage size versus before they got their 'always getting better' programme going - and certainly less strict compared to Wizz. I do also appreciate that they have an impressive coverage of Europe, and fly to small regional airports that other airlines do not with decent timings. For example, I use the STN-PSR route fairly often to see family, and FR are the only airline who fly to Pescara from London.

However, on the flip side, I do find that they are now not always the cheapest carrier on routes with more competition (i.e primary airports) once all taxes and baggage fees have been taken into account. I've sometimes found flights with BA for example that are cheaper than FR fares. Plus it gives me a chance to avoid STN wherever possible, as it has become a zoo under MAG.

There is 24 hour public transport between Dublin airport to the city centre and Swords.

Granted that for some Ryanair are the most convenient carrier to use. I'm lucky in that where I live I have the luxury of several airports and multiple carriers to choose from. Incidentally, I don't fly Wizz either.

Sadly there is no such thing as a standard size carry on .... each carrier has their own sizing and Ryanair and Wizz are amongst the most strict. It pays (literally) to read all the fine print on the baggage section of the website ... and you can't be sure that it will remain constant from one day to the next!

... and I did enjoy their AGB period ... because it seemed to be happening. Not so sure now.

True. But there's basically nothing if you need to travel outside the pale.

Also true. That's something that should be regulated IMHO – it's crazy that every airline has different rules.