I flew Ryan Air and survived - just

[bbrown1664]

Sorry for the length of this post, but I hope it will be worth reading.

Last week I had the unenviable task of traveling to Palermo on business. I needed to be there early on Thursday until late afternoon on Friday. Alitalia appeared to be the only option with me traveling via Rome until they pulled the evening flight to HEathrow from their schedule due to the strike action that had this week. The only other option l had, living near to London was to travel Ryanair direct.
On arrival at Stanstead I was supprised, at 5am to find a massive queue still for the 6:10 flight. Having managed to check in with 5 minutes to go before the checkin officially closed, there was still a massive queue behind me. From the volume of people on the aircraft, I can only assume that they did even though we departed about 15 minutes behind schedule. The rest of the journey out was uneventful apart from none of the seats reclining. Am I the only one that wanted to sleep and couldn't?

The journey back however was a different story. Having got to the checkin 2:15 before departure, I was not supprised to see that it was still closed. I did however want to get a low number so that I could get a decent seat. Once the checkin opened, I was #2 in the queue until some Italian pushed in to the quese at #1 from the adjacent Milan desk. :\

Having managed to get boarding card #3 it was off for a weel earned coffee and cigarette before going through the security checks. First was the xray/metal detector, then, all London bound passangers were sent to another queue to have the explosive sniffer check, then finally to the passport check.

Having got through there I arrived at the departure gate to find a large queue already at the gate and all the seats taken. Oh well, with card #3, I will be on the aircraft soon and be able to choose a good seat then.

When the time came for the gate to open, it was a free for all. No priority boarding, just everyone practising for the 6 nations kick off next week. I managed to get through with about 50% of the other pax infront of me. Then can the next suprise. Once downstairs there was a bus waiting. why, the aircraft was no more than 50m from the stairs. On to the bus we went. Once the bus was full they made the other pax wait until the bus had arrived at the rear stairs of the aircraft before letting them all run up the front steps. Why did I bother checking in so early? :confused:

Having fought my way through all the muppets that insist on taking everything including the kitchen sink as multiple bags of hand luggage I found a relatively good seat. This one did not recline either :{ .

There were a large number of young Italians on this flight and were a little vocal at times. This I could just about manage to put up with. What got me though was the number that were standing up even as we pushed back long after the announcements had been made telling people to fasten their belts.
Only after we started taxying did one of the cabin crew make an announcement in Italian and got them all to sit down. Even following this, the one sitting near me was still unfastened and turning to his friends taking with the crew pushing past him in the aisle making no comment.

During the flight, one crew member spotted that the guy sitting near me was drinking his own (2ltr) bottle of whisky.and took it away. 15 minutes later, he got it back and continued throughout the flight swigging from it.

At another point, the crew turned on the seatbelt signs because of turbulance. guess who ignored it with no announcements being made? There were young Italians walking around the cabin still.

Even after landing, they were up out of their seats before we had stopped taxing with the crew taking no notice.

Why cant the flight crew, as a matter of procedure, stomp on the brakes at randon times during the taxi to get the message across?

Will I fly Ryanair again? Probably not through choice even if they are cheaper than the alternatives.

Off to Germany next week on QueasyJet as they appear to be the only people who fly direct to Cologne from Gatwick. Lets hope their crews are a little more safety aware.

[breagh01]

hey try G/Span

[Rollingthunder]

Reminds me of a Mexican bus trip.

[bbrown1664]

hey try G/Span

I assume you mean Globespan. How would they be of any use to me? They do appear to fly from Gatwick, but only to Canada. :confused:

[fade to grey]

well,it's simple:

Pay 9.99 for a ticket = sh**te service
pay 200.00 for a ticket = good service (hopefully)

If you bought a hifi from some bloke in a pub would you expect it to equal a bang and olufson ?

Nah,did n't think so !

[bbrown1664]

well,it's simple:

Pay 9.99 for a ticket = sh**te service
pay 200.00 for a ticket = good service (hopefully)

If you bought a hifi from some bloke in a pub would you expect it to equal a bang and olufson ?

Nah,did n't think so !

For £100 return compared with well over £1000 on BA/Alitalia I was prepared to put up with the crappy seats and stupid priority boardig stuff.

The bits that got me were the safety things like standing in the cabin, giving back the whisky, etc.

[Memetic]

Having fought my way through all the muppets that insist on taking everything including the kitchen sink as multiple bags of hand luggage I found a relatively good seat.
Try them again once the fee for hold luggage comes in. :(

[Getoutofmygalley]

Off to Germany next week on QueasyJet as they appear to be the only people who fly direct to Cologne from Gatwick. Lets hope their crews are a little more safety aware.

Yes we are (more) safety aware at easyJet - but you dare call it QueasyJet in front of me, and you might end up with a cup of hot coffee in your lap! (oops -turbulence! :* )

If you thought your trip with Ryanair was so bad, did you mention anything at the time? - Nope didn't think so!

Did you send them any feedback via their web site? - Nope didn't think you did that either! :*

[Georgeablelovehowindia]

bbrown1664: welcome to the Italian passenger experience! I hope the silly fad of stealing the seatbelts - the 'Must Have' fashion accessory for certain young Italians - has now died down a bit.

Long before RyanAir came on the scene, a certain British airline was boarding passengers at Naples. One of the stewardesses went to help a little old granny who was tottering up the steps with a large(ish) piece of handbaggage. To her astonishment, when she grasped it, her arm was nearly wrenched out of its socket by the weight. Closer inspection revealed that it contained a motorbike engine! (This got hold-loaded, of course.)

You were lucky ... ;)

[TheOddOne]

I'm sorry to say this, but a little while ago a party of Italian schoolchildren passed through our excellent terminal facilities. Not only did they take considerable quantities of goods from the duty-free shop, 'forgetting' to pay for them, they also wrenched the turnstile from the exit and took that, too!

Presumably it isn't worthwhile reporting any of the comfort issues to Ryanair as it doesn't look like any of their terms and conditions have been broken. You might have better luck reporting the safety issues to the Irish Aviation Authority (www.iaa.ie), as Ryanair is an Irish Airline, not a UK outfit. You could also try the UKCAA, as the flight operated into a UK airport. I'd be interested to hear of your success level, at either place.

Cheers,
TheOddOne

[Piltdown Man]

I think that you will find an improvement with Easy. But, to be fair, you got what you paid for with Ryanair! The seat are cheap seats, they don't recline. There are no window blinds. There are no safety cards. Currently, you get the air you breath in their planes for no charge and the use of seatbelts is free. The cabin crew are now increasingly from former Eastern Block countries, paid peanuts (600 euros per month to live near STN) and treated like poo. MOL doesn't give a stuff what you think as long as you pay. Try complaining and see what happens. I'll tell you in advance. Nothing!

[bbrown1664]

If you thought your trip with Ryanair was so bad, did you mention anything at the time? - Nope didn't think so!

Actually I did but they shrugged theor shoulders as if to say that they could not really do anything.

Did you send them any feedback via their web site? - Nope didn't think you did that either!

That will be happening once I find a place to put it.


The cabin crew are now increasingly from former Eastern Block countries


This did not appear to be the case on this flight but I can well believe it. all businesses are in it to make money. Sod the passengers as long as the shareholder(s) are happy.

[manintheback]

A scrum to get on board at an Italian airport?, well I never.

Try the first BA flight out to Linate on a Monday morning. At least 5 pax always run for the exit door before the plane has stopped. Why the desire to get on the bus first to the terminal I have no idea.....

[silverelise]

But, to be fair, you got what you paid for with Ryanair! The seat are cheap seats, they don't recline. There are no window blinds. There are no safety cards.
Not sure how much of that is in jest, but I have flown RyanAir to Grenoble recently and can confirm that the aircraft had reclining seats and window blinds which both worked, and the safety card was printed on the headrest of the seat in front.

[Final 3 Greens]

silverlise

You flew on an older member of the fleet, newer Ryanair aircraft indeed have neither window blinds nor a recline function.

Mind you, I don't recall seeing a recline function on the easyJet bus that I took to Slovenija at New Year - does one really need it on a short haul flight? I can sleep as well with an upright sleep as with a couple of inches of recline. Before outraged of easyJet replies, I am not saying that there was no recline, just that I didn't see a button for it :-)

[ryansf]

silverlise
You flew on an older member of the fleet, newer Ryanair aircraft indeed have neither window blinds nor a recline function.

Which planes do not have window blinds? I have been on numerous Ryanair aircraft, including the newest EI-DLD, and all had window blinds. The recline didn't bother me but I don't understand why people think they don't have blinds!

[airborne_artist]

Why cant the flight crew, as a matter of procedure, stomp on the brakes at randon times during the taxi to get the message across?

Because they don't really need to get to the ramp with a plane full of bruised passengers, ready to sue.

Seems that your only real complaint was that you had to share the flight with all those Italians. Next time go with Netjets (http://www.netjets.com/default.asp)

[Final 3 Greens]

Which planes do not have window blinds? I have been on numerous Ryanair aircraft, including the newest EI-DLD, and all had window blinds. The recline didn't bother me but I don't understand why people think they don't have blinds!Possibly because it was widely reported that Ryanair had deleted window blinds (with seat recline) from their future orders.

Anyway, as I have no plans to fly on Ryanair, I can't have a look next time.

[EI-CFC]

You flew on an older member of the fleet, newer Ryanair aircraft indeed have neither window blinds nor a recline function.

Either that or it was a chartered plane - they have a few in at the moment.

[VHF FLYER]

All symptomatic of the truely awful crap experience that flying has become.
Cheap is not the same as good value. Ryanair are cheap and they do what they do.
I, personally won't fly them anymore - they really don't give a damn but as others have said what else do you expect for that sort of money?
Although I have to fly all the time to do what I do, my New Year resolution is to do everything I can to reduce my flying this year - it really is that bad.

Is this the only industry where the customer is always WRONG?

[Sammie_nl]

Is this the only industry where the customer is always WRONG?

Nope, try fast food restaurants. Customer is always wrong attitude, god awfull food, rude employees, payed nothing and plastic seats.


Personally I'm thankfull for all Low Cost Carriers, making travelling so much cheaper and available. If you don't like their service, don't fly them. But I just love the opportunity to Fly RDM - DUB for next to nothing, just to pop in by same mates overthere.

[VHF FLYER]

Yep that's right Mr NL. Flying has become like the fast food industry.
But not everyone wants to eat burgers all the time.

Such is the impact of LoCos that they are undermining the other choices.

When all you have are LoCos / Fast Food, there is no choice and it will be no use saying 'don't use them' there will be no alternative.

Where next? Fat people pay extra for the extra fuel they use?

There has to be a 'middle way' between the 'abusive extreme model' of Ryanair and the 'rip off model' of BA and their like.

[Final 3 Greens]

There has to be a 'middle way' between the 'abusive extreme model' of Ryanair and the 'rip off model' of BA and their like.

You are not serious? BA is cost competitive with the locos on most occasions (in Y)

[BUSH BABY]

I have never flew with Fr, so can't comment on there in-flight service (or lack of it), but have experience of them on there TR. As for the massive qeaues at check in this probably stems for the fact that FR only pays for a certain amount of check in desks. At my airport it is only two. as you can probably imagine checking in 189 pax with only two check in desks in 2 hours is no mean feat. This problem is only compounded by the fact that they also will not pay for computerised check in (not sure if this is the case at stn with FR having such a large presence). As far as the scrum to get on board, this stems for very tight TR times were the groundstaff are under pressure to get the pax on and off as quick as possible. As you will appreciate it is easier to just open a door and let everybody out as oppose to trying to make everybody sit down and board by boarding card numbers. Yes, this may not be ideal but as others have said you get what you pay for.

[VHF FLYER]

BA is cost competitive with the locos on most occasions (in Y)

:confused:

[TFlyguy]

True - flying to Montpelier in Sept and BA from LGW is cheaper than FR from STN

[slim_slag]

Obviously worrying that I have nothing better to do than look at BA and FR prices in September but that is really stretching it. Maybe on one day you can just about make BA cheaper, but the other 29 days FR is cheaper and often significantly so. There are certainly ways FR 'could do better' but cost is not one of them.

[daedalus]

Seems to me that most of your problems stem from the fact that the pax were mainly Italian, not that you flew Ryanair. I have had similar experiences on very expensive airlines. BTW I bet the guy (or gal) swiggin whisky from a 2 litre bottle was NOT an Italian.
Italians are gregarious, noisy, and undisciplined, BUT they adore children, will help you out if you are in trouble, share their food even if they don't have that much themselves and are generally human and in fact, social and polite.
When our kids were small we always went to italian restaurants - mum and dad could eat in peace while the waiter or waitress paraded around the restaurant holding the bambini. In England we just got "NO CHILDREN" signs.
They are not queuers. I once forgot my ski boots up at the first cable car station in Courmayeur (Italy) and we had to leave. There was a long snake queue. I ducked under the barriers saying "Permesso per favore, scarpi" ('scuse please, boots) and was ushered right to the front.
The only problem came from the mutterings, nay insults, of vinegary Brits. Give me Italians any day. (BTW I'm English).:)

[Final 3 Greens]

Slim Slag

BA prices cannot be bettered by Ryanair on flights to CDG, BRU, FRA :}

Note that I said locos, Ryanair does plough its own furrow (secondary airports) and as such cannot be truly compared to BA, but many of the other locos can and comparison suggests that they are not operating a rip off model.

That, no more or less, what my point.

And I do agree with you that Ryanair are often significantly cheaper than MANY other airlines.

I've just booked a last minute BA C fare LHR/BRU and it was GBP442.50, but if I was prepared to travel at non peak times, I could have got a Y seat for under 200, which is not bad for a last minute booking.

Ryanair, same dates, (from PIK, as no STN flt) would be 99 & charges out and no availability back, so BA doesn't look too bad by comparison.

[kms901]

Italians don't queue. I have never had a priority boarding based on check-in number coming back from Italy.

Italians take ages to settle down as they carefully fold their designer jackets into the overheads.

Italians are gregarious and noisy. The still tend to applaud succesful landings.

They are polite, friendly, well mannered and helpful, and as said before, the whisky swigger would not be Italian.

As fpr the rest, Ryanair is a basic, cheap bus service. It does what it says on the tin.

[manintheback]

If people started costing their time and travel from airport, how often do locos using secondary airports measure up. Likes of Ryanair to Milan(Bergammo) for example when I actually want to go and work in Milan is a nonsense. Fine if I actually wanted to go to Bergammo but I dont. Ezy not so bad but they use Linate. And I've just managed to get tickets to Nice with BA cheaper than Ezy were offering.
However I am glad the locos are out there. I can still remember flying to Barcelona with BA back in the late 80s and cheapest Y class at any time of year with that dreaded compulsory Satueday night stay - a touch under £350!

[Pax Vobiscum]

Fair point, manintheback, but Bergamo is only a mile further out than Malpensa, where plenty of non-loco flights end up. Whenever I go to Milan, I always make sure to use Linate, but I guess a lot of folks that aren't regulars don't realise the difference.