The SSK
31st Mar 2005, 08:45
From today's Daily Mail: (OK, OK I don't buy it and I don't read it)
WITH NO-FRILLS FARES ADVERTISED AS LOW AS 99P, RYANAIR HAS MADE A FORTUNE OUT OF OFFERING PASSENGERS A CHEAP DEAL.
But when the drinks trolley rattles down the aisle there is little chance of a bargain - but every chance the airline will make more of a profit.
The airline's special brand of bottled water comes at a price that would make anyone gulp - nearly £4 a litre.
But the water hasn't come from a pure mountain stream or highland spring - it is nothing more than tap water.
The same product is pumped into thousands of homes by Thames Water at a cost to consumers of just 0.06p per litre.
The only difference is the sparkling version has been carbonated at a water treatment works in Beckton, East London, before it is bottled and labelled.
The revelation is another blow to Ryanair's reputation after the airline was fined this month for misleading customers with cheap flight offers.
It echoes Coca-Cola's failed 'pure' water product, Dasani, launched a year ago. It was also nothing more than tap water supplied by Thames Water.
Ryanair's Blue Rock water, which costs £1.85 for a 500ml bottle, is supplied by Britvic Soft Drinks which provides the airline with a range of products.
While the label does not claim to be genuine spring water, neither does it make it clear that it is tap water.
Britvic, which also makes Pepsi and Tango, last night denied Blue Rock, made exclusively for Ryanair, could mislead passengers.
It claimed the brand was about to be replaced by a new product called Pennine Spring, sourced from a natural spring in Huddersfield.
'We provided Ryanair with a product to their specifications,' a spokesman said. 'The label does not claim to be anything other than what it is and it is up to Ryanair how much they charge.
'The water was part of a wider package of soft drinks. A few years ago, Ryanair said they wanted the deal to include bottled water and as we did not then have a water brand on our portfolio we launched the Blue Rock brand. The water is processed at a plant in London.
'Last November we acquired a company supplying natural spring water and this is what Ryanair will be getting from now on.'
Dublin-based Ryanair, which made profits of nearly £24m in the quarter to last December, referred all inquiries about its water to Britvic. Earlier this month the airline was fined £24,000 after being found guilty of six breaches of the Consumer Protection Act.
Its website advertised bargain fares as low as £2.99, only to hit those who bought them with a series of hidden charges.
Customers were not warned about extra costs including taxes and fees for booking with credit cards that could add up to more than £30.
WITH NO-FRILLS FARES ADVERTISED AS LOW AS 99P, RYANAIR HAS MADE A FORTUNE OUT OF OFFERING PASSENGERS A CHEAP DEAL.
But when the drinks trolley rattles down the aisle there is little chance of a bargain - but every chance the airline will make more of a profit.
The airline's special brand of bottled water comes at a price that would make anyone gulp - nearly £4 a litre.
But the water hasn't come from a pure mountain stream or highland spring - it is nothing more than tap water.
The same product is pumped into thousands of homes by Thames Water at a cost to consumers of just 0.06p per litre.
The only difference is the sparkling version has been carbonated at a water treatment works in Beckton, East London, before it is bottled and labelled.
The revelation is another blow to Ryanair's reputation after the airline was fined this month for misleading customers with cheap flight offers.
It echoes Coca-Cola's failed 'pure' water product, Dasani, launched a year ago. It was also nothing more than tap water supplied by Thames Water.
Ryanair's Blue Rock water, which costs £1.85 for a 500ml bottle, is supplied by Britvic Soft Drinks which provides the airline with a range of products.
While the label does not claim to be genuine spring water, neither does it make it clear that it is tap water.
Britvic, which also makes Pepsi and Tango, last night denied Blue Rock, made exclusively for Ryanair, could mislead passengers.
It claimed the brand was about to be replaced by a new product called Pennine Spring, sourced from a natural spring in Huddersfield.
'We provided Ryanair with a product to their specifications,' a spokesman said. 'The label does not claim to be anything other than what it is and it is up to Ryanair how much they charge.
'The water was part of a wider package of soft drinks. A few years ago, Ryanair said they wanted the deal to include bottled water and as we did not then have a water brand on our portfolio we launched the Blue Rock brand. The water is processed at a plant in London.
'Last November we acquired a company supplying natural spring water and this is what Ryanair will be getting from now on.'
Dublin-based Ryanair, which made profits of nearly £24m in the quarter to last December, referred all inquiries about its water to Britvic. Earlier this month the airline was fined £24,000 after being found guilty of six breaches of the Consumer Protection Act.
Its website advertised bargain fares as low as £2.99, only to hit those who bought them with a series of hidden charges.
Customers were not warned about extra costs including taxes and fees for booking with credit cards that could add up to more than £30.