PDA

View Full Version : Ryanair named 'worst short-haul airline'


Auxtank
5th Jan 2019, 09:53
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-46761330

"A Ryanair spokesperson said the airline's success was not reflected by the survey"

Yup. No.

sonicbum
5th Jan 2019, 11:31
Regardless, they will still fly 140M plus cheap pax in 2019 and employ 5000 cheap pilots and several thousand cheap cabin crew.

Auxtank
5th Jan 2019, 11:42
This post will last 5 minutes.

Forgive me but it's done well over an hour now.
Perhaps it's because it's a news item relating to Aviation and this froum is the News and Rumour section of the Professional Pilots Rumour Network. I don't know just a guess.

Anyway, I posted it because I was rather amused by Ryanair's reaction to it and the carefully crafted vocab of their spokesperson.
Brought a chuckle to my morning coffee and biscuits.

Asturias56
5th Jan 2019, 12:13
Never say never - they fly to places other people don't - and if its a choice between an hour on Ryanair or a 5 hour train journey at weird times.....................

I avoid them but at least you know what you're going to get service -wise whereas a lot of "full service" airlines are anything but these days - I see BA crawled off the bottom in the listings after several years

edi_local
5th Jan 2019, 12:25
Would be interesting to know why these people voted it the worst. Perhaps they fell foul of their well known rules and had to pay up?

Personally I've used them several times a year since 2001, well over 70 flights now and never had a single issue, not even a delay (other than once I got caught up in a bomb scare at Kaunas airport which I can hardly blame FR for). It's funny, I have a friend who pays attention to every negative FR story out there, claiming they are a disgrace and he will avoid them. He's flown with them 3 times. Every time he arrived at his destination early, the flights were the cheapest by far, had good times and he even sat with his travel partner without paying for seats either. He's had nothing but good experiences but just likes to jump on bandwagons, as do a lot of FR detractors. Whatever they are doing they need to keep doing it. Surveys like this don't reflect on the fact that they are one of the most successful airlines in the world.

And no, I'm not an FR employee, I have absolutely nothing to do with them, just a very satisfied customer.

Stan Woolley
5th Jan 2019, 12:45
Would be interesting to know why these people voted it the worst. Perhaps they fell foul of their well known rules and had to pay up?

Personally I've used them several times a year since 2001, well over 70 flights now and never had a single issue, not even a delay (other than once I got caught up in a bomb scare at Kaunas airport which I can hardly blame FR for). It's funny, I have a friend who pays attention to every negative FR story out there, claiming they are a disgrace and he will avoid them. He's flown with them 3 times. Every time he arrived at his destination early, the flights were the cheapest by far, had good times and he even sat with his travel partner without paying for seats either. He's had nothing but good experiences but just likes to jump on bandwagons, as do a lot of FR detractors. Whatever they are doing they need to keep doing it. Surveys like this don't reflect on the fact that they are one of the most successful airlines in the world.

And no, I'm not an FR employee, I have absolutely nothing to do with them, just a very satisfied customer.

It’s called reality vs mind facts.

(Mind facts cause a lot of trouble.) :)

Hotel Tango
5th Jan 2019, 13:10
Asturias56, if you are referring to my previous post, which got deleted, I'm confident that in my case never means never. They are without doubt successful, provide lots of employment and offer the masses an alternative to air travel. But they are just not my type of airline.

Jonty
5th Jan 2019, 13:59
Would be interesting to know why these people voted it the worst. Perhaps they fell foul of their well known rules and had to pay up?

Personally I've used them several times a year since 2001, well over 70 flights now and never had a single issue, not even a delay (other than once I got caught up in a bomb scare at Kaunas airport which I can hardly blame FR for). It's funny, I have a friend who pays attention to every negative FR story out there, claiming they are a disgrace and he will avoid them. He's flown with them 3 times. Every time he arrived at his destination early, the flights were the cheapest by far, had good times and he even sat with his travel partner without paying for seats either. He's had nothing but good experiences but just likes to jump on bandwagons, as do a lot of FR detractors. Whatever they are doing they need to keep doing it. Surveys like this don't reflect on the fact that they are one of the most successful airlines in the world.

And no, I'm not an FR employee, I have absolutely nothing to do with them, just a very satisfied customer.

I can’t imagine the collective readership of Which? Would stoop to travel on Ryan Air very much, so while several thousand filled in the survey, I would think only a few hundred have actual experience of Ryan air.

What I find astounding is that Jet 2 come top. Although they are their “preferred partner” so that probably tells you everything you need to know!

I would question it’s impartiality

pilotmike
5th Jan 2019, 14:06
I believed this forum was intended for posting 'Rumours' or 'News'.

Ryanair being revealed as the worst short-haul airline won't come as any surprise to most, hardly qualifying as rumour or news....

Timmy Tomkins
5th Jan 2019, 14:43
News or not it is a subject of frequent discussion in the industry and so relevant. Like many I try to avoid them but sometimes they are the only carrier available within practical travel plans. I never have an issue with the crew and the service is usually reliable but Ryan being Ryan even when they deliver what you have booked, they manage to make you feel ripped off.

Unlike Herb Kellerher and Southwest who sold you cheap tickets AND an enjoyable experience.

Asturias56
5th Jan 2019, 15:34
Asturias56, if you are referring to my previous post, which got deleted, I'm confident that in my case never means never. They are without doubt successful, provide lots of employment and offer the masses an alternative to air travel. But they are just not my type of airline.


yes - it was a ref to your post - God knows why it disappeared..... I agree - but sometimes with work or family you have no choice - I don't like Merpati Nusantara or TAAG but they're the only show in town in some places I go

G-ARZG
5th Jan 2019, 18:20
Almost seems FR start to read Kelleher's excellent book....but never got around to finishing it...

langleybaston
5th Jan 2019, 21:20
A fair few people seem to do what I do after using Ryanair. Mutter "never again" and then use them again. My bottom line for short haul only is: cost, cconvenience, timeliness, safety record.
Ticks my boxes, and I just write off the journey time against benefit on arriving where I want to be, when I want to be, cheaply.

stallfail
5th Jan 2019, 21:55
Let’s face it, you’ll get what you pay for, Ryanair gets bashed all over, but still delivers what they are promising,….. namely nothing.. except cheap fares and not crashing an aircraft every year.

We can proceed to discuss how the industry has changed and how the commercial side took over decision making while not giving a sh*%t of providing a proper working environment nor giving their employees the necessary time to gain experience while paying them reasonable wages.

Nobody working in aviation more then 15 to +20 years does not feel the change and seems not to be worry about it. But unfortunately, thats the direction we are heading to….

Ryanair is just a mirror of our society and type of our current consumer behavior, cheap fares are posh and people don’t care getting treated like sh*%t as long as tickets cost less than the parking fee at the airport.

There are many Ryanair’s are around us, with different names and colors,.....things will even go worse.....

Gertrude the Wombat
5th Jan 2019, 22:41
Never say never - they fly to places other people don't - and if its a choice between an hour on Ryanair or a 5 hour train journey at weird times.....................
For me if it's a choice between Ryanair and walking I'll walk. (Or perhaps choose to go somewhere else instead.)

Gertrude the Wombat
5th Jan 2019, 22:43
Would be interesting to know why these people voted it the worst.
It's basically the way they treat their customers with complete and total and utter contempt. It might work on some people, but that's not how you get my business.

racedo
5th Jan 2019, 23:22
It's basically the way they treat their customers with complete and total and utter contempt. It might work on some people, but that's not how you get my business.

Its WHICH. No data provided on who actually flew with Ryanair rather than rehashing Daily Mail headlines. More about grabbing headlines for WHICH to increase subscibers than reality.

Gipsy Queen
5th Jan 2019, 23:40
Unlike Herb Kellerher and Southwest who sold you cheap tickets AND an enjoyable experience.

Agreed. Flown a lot as pax with Southwest and always found them well up to the job. Which is more than I can say of the old USAir.

Rated De
6th Jan 2019, 01:44
I can’t imagine the collective readership of Which? Would stoop to travel on Ryan Air very much, so while several thousand filled in the survey, I would think only a few hundred have actual experience of Ryan air.

What I find astounding is that Jet 2 come top. Although they are their “preferred partner” so that probably tells you everything you need to know!

I would question it’s impartiality



That is why airline managers much prefer Skytrax.

https://www.paddleyourownkanoo.com/2018/02/16/inside-strange-world-skytrax-aviation-rating-organization-probably-shouldnt-trust/

A little advertising spend, a consulting assignment and voila an 'award'.

A 2016 investigation, however, reveals that over 2,159 businesses were registered at 29 Harley Street. While there’s no indication of Skytrax, breaking the law, investigations revealed some companies using the site were involved in tax avoidance and international fraud. (Update: Skytrax has since changed its address to 85 Portland Street – the home of a business which acts as a “virtual mailing address”).

fox niner
6th Jan 2019, 03:54
It's basically the way they treat their customers with complete and total and utter contempt. It might work on some people, but that's not how you get my business.

(my post got deleted as well yesterday)
The point i was making then was, that the actual customers of Ryanair are the local governments and smaller airfields. NOT really the people they transport. That is why ryanair can treat its passengers the way they do. The passengers pay a small fee for insurance (called the ticket).

southern duel
6th Jan 2019, 04:38
You get what you pay for !! But with over 400 aircraft (the biggest fleet in Europe) and flying more International Pax then any other airline in Europe it cant be doing a lot wrong !!!
If pax want to pay 5 pounds for a ticket then let Ryanair fly them.

edi_local
6th Jan 2019, 19:48
It's basically the way they treat their customers with complete and total and utter contempt. It might work on some people, but that's not how you get my business.

I have never experienced this contempt myself and only ever see those who have ignored FR rules or disagree about one of their changes speaking of it.

What exactly are they doing that's different to other airlines? They charge for food, drink, bags, check in, ticket changes, priority boarding and seat selection. The website pushes things like insurance, hotels and car hire at you too. More and more airlines do these things these days. In fact in recent times I can think of more airlines that use these kinds of practices than don't to be honest, Are they also treating people with contempt or trying to make money like any business? If there is a mass cancellation or a delay does any airline come out smelling like roses? In the recent drone fiasco at LGW did FR not move almost everyone to STN to minimise the impact?

Hotel Tango
6th Jan 2019, 19:59
edi_local, maybe UK airlines. On my regular LCC, Eurowings, I can prebook and pay for a seat OR check-in online 72hrs prior to departure and select a seat for free. Of course, the choice could be limited (though I've always got what I wanted bar the once). I may also choose to check-in at the airport at no extra cost.

evansb
6th Jan 2019, 21:39
Meh. Imagine being named "Most Hazardous Ketchup of 2018". No big deal. People will always consume Ketchup, regardless of the rating. People love ketchup. But seriously folks, I have stated time and again, most of the "World's Safest, Best-est, Sexiest Airline" are usually long-haul benign climate airlines, with revenue generating first-class and business class service, and a HUGE tourist base. Do you want to fly daily from Winnipeg to Thunder Bay in winter and still be considered "Safest" or "Best" airline? And then rated by a bunch of pundits? Thought not.

Eutychus
7th Jan 2019, 06:13
I have never experienced this contempt myself and only ever see those who have ignored FR rules or disagree about one of their changes speaking of it. I agree with this. I've flown FR many times and never had a bad experience - given the terms and conditions. (For instance, I'd never count on them to make a connection as they are a point-to-point service).

When things go wrong, I've had experience of other carriers, both low-cost and national, behaving just as badly for a much higher ticket price.

From an uninformed SLF point of view I figure short hauls mean more takeoff and landing practice, and those are the two parts of the flight I worry about the most (although in the early days I do recall flying more than once out of my local FR airport with a pilot who I figured must have an air force background given his curt style, acceleration and rate of climb on takeoff).

Buster11
7th Jan 2019, 08:48
I use Ryanair regularly on LGW-DUB. For a one hour flight I think I can manage not to be able to stretch my legs straight out or to have 'complimentary' food and drinks offered to me; it's 300 miles and Ryanair sure as hell beats walking. Only slight concern is that almost all the cabin announcements are gabbled to the point of incomprehensibility, usually by someone without English as a first language. If something occurred that needed them to speak without benefit of a script then I doubt if passengers would be any the wiser.

kessler1
7th Jan 2019, 10:33
I do wonder how many of the satisfied regular users of Ryanair would think twice or differently about using them again had they experienced the last minute cancellation that I had to suffer last September, which resulted in a non refundable hefty return ticket price to get home.

San Diego kid
7th Jan 2019, 10:41
You know what you buy when you fly with them. Never had any trouble myself, using them a few times a year to fly EIN-IBZ and sometimes IBZ-DUB.
Always the cheapest, specially when you travel without luggage like I do most of the times.
there are far worse low fare carriers out there, but only they have their P.R. streamlined, and no Michael O'Leary to mess that up.....��

Asturias56
7th Jan 2019, 11:35
Astounds me that after 25 years people still complain that RyanAir isn't like a full service airline

It's a bus company that makes money on the extras. Everyone knows it , they have a world wide (rotten) reputation and brand name and have been very successful

just don't complain about them doing what they tell you they'll do (or more likely NOT do) for you

If you want full service go and pay full service

Auxtank
7th Jan 2019, 11:48
Astounds me that after 25 years people still complain that RyanAir isn't like a full service airline

It's a bus company that makes money on the extras. Everyone knows it , they have a world wide (rotten) reputation and brand name and have been very successful

just don't complain about them doing what they tell you they'll do (or more likely NOT do) for you

If you want full service go and pay full service

Indeed Asturias, not why I started the thread. I was simply amused by the vocab the Ryanair spokesperson used in response to the results. Not meant to be a bash-Ryanair but rather a chuckle over elevenses.

Hotel Tango
7th Jan 2019, 12:23
I think there are a number of posters who may be seen to be RYR bashers, but are not. RYR do not provide the product we desire when travelling and, therefore, we don't fly with them.

Nothing irks me more than those who do fly with them and then complain bitterly about the sort of operator they are. By not using them I ensure that I won't join that club ;)

Volume
7th Jan 2019, 12:49
I wonder what the discussion would be here, if the 737 would have been named "worst short haul aircraft" by passengers (flying it with ryanair)...
The whole topic is pretty nonsensense.
By not using them I ensure that I won't join that club
Succesfully tried the same for some 10 years, and then got weak last year. They were the only company offering a direct flight at the perfect time, so although not significantly cheaper, I selected them. I was actually quite impressed, comparde for example with the 28 inch seat pitch of iberia the seating was absolutely OK for european standards. Service was marginal, but friendly and appropriate. Both flights were on days with heavy thunderstorms and we were accurately kept current on the latest delay information, the girls at the counter were as quick as FR24 with providing the latest status. Compared to the FR Service I experienced, I would for sure not have put them at the end of the list.
But contrary to probably 90% of the people answering the survey, I would not take that decision after a single flight...

Winemaker
7th Jan 2019, 23:54
Well, this certainly doesn't help......

https://www.rt.com/news/448197-ryanair-flight-uk-greece-takes-day/

flyfan
8th Jan 2019, 10:11
Just to add that...

https://www.irishcentral.com/business/ryanair-worlds-safest-airline

wowzz
8th Jan 2019, 10:23
Well, this certainly doesn't help......

https://www.rt.com/news/448197-ryanair-flight-uk-greece-takes-day/

I think this is a demonstration of what many of us feel. Ryanair are a perfectly good airline when things go according to plan. It's when things go wrong that their shortcomings become apparent.

Eutychus
8th Jan 2019, 11:07
I think this is a demonstration of what many of us feel. Ryanair are a perfectly good airline when things go according to plan. It's when things go wrong that their shortcomings become apparent.

Can anyone name an airline for which this statement is not true? My worst passenger experiences have been with a national carrier.

Hotel Tango
8th Jan 2019, 11:32
You name the national carrier you had a bad experience with first! It is not an absolute, but, in this part of the world, you are more likely to be left in the lurch with RYR than any other carrier. This doesn't come from personal experience (never use them) but that of an ATC friend who (now WAS) a regular user. After three bad experiences costing him €€€ in additional expenses he finally gave up on them.

Sailvi767
8th Jan 2019, 13:53
My one experience with them involved walking across a ramp in a driving rainstorm. Are jetway rentals that expensive?

AdzMc
8th Jan 2019, 20:12
My one experience with them involved walking across a ramp in a driving rainstorm. Are jetway rentals that expensive?

On the contrary, Ryanair will try to avoid jetways where possible as it can pretty much double the turn around time due to only using one door to offload and reload passengers, especially if you have several disabled passengers.

Eutychus
8th Jan 2019, 20:55
@ Hotel Tango

Alright then: Air France. One emergency landing, one cancellation, both long-haul flights, on-the-ground service essentially non-existent in both cases, contradictory re-booking information from call centre (including instructions NOT to board the Air India flight they themselves had re-booked me on), etc.

I've flown more times on Ryanair and for the only major delay the terminal staff were present, poliite and informative (on another occasion I abandoned a short round trip because of a lengthy delay due to fog on the outbound leg but that was my choice).

I know AF doesn't get much love round here but it's my perception that for most European carriers these days, when things go wrong passenger support staff are basically invisible.

My criteria for choosing a carrier are basically: safety certification/record, convenience, connections, cost. I'll fly Ryanair if it's convenient and accept the limits of the service. I'm not more concerned about safety than on other European carriers.

Hotel Tango
8th Jan 2019, 22:20
OK, fair enough Eutychus, but Air France is an exception and I have to say that it's also an airline I avoid like the plague (There are others too). Remember that on this thread we are talking about service and not safety. As far as safety is concerned I have never doubted that Ryanair is as safe as any other European carrier. That's never been an issue for me not flying with them.

Baltic Skies
8th Jan 2019, 22:47
Having used many well established legacy airlines for more than 30 years,i can say,my flights with Ryanair have always been great value for money.
I have always departed and arrived on time,or early,travelled on a nearly new aeroplane and paid a fraction of the price charged by the major airlines.
It's not First or business class,but doesn't claim to be.
Flying all over Europe for the equivalent of a tank of petrol has to be amazing value for money.
Before condemning this operation,take stock of the fantastic savings it offers to Joe public.
Sitting bolt upright,eating a Boots meal deal and arriving in the Balearics 2 hours after you left the Uk for £70 return or thereabouts,is pretty good by any standards.

172_driver
9th Jan 2019, 07:10
Flying all over Europe for the equivalent of a tank of petrol has to be amazing value for money.
Before condemning this operation,take stock of the fantastic savings it offers to Joe public.
Sitting bolt upright,eating a Boots meal deal and arriving in the Balearics 2 hours after you left the Uk for £70 return or thereabouts,is pretty good by any standards.

I am sorry I cannot resist anymore, and don't take this personally. But boy.. what a manifistation of the cheap kind of spiecies we are. When you buy your £4 T-shirt from H&M do you pay any thought to the seamstress half an orbit away? There is a reason they're cheap. "Good value for the money".

Eutychus
9th Jan 2019, 07:20
OK, fair enough Eutychus, but Air France is an exception and I have to say that it's also an airline I avoid like the plague.

I'm not sure why Air France gets singled out. I have little choice where I live but to fly with them regularly if I want a connecting flight to my local airport; most of the time, the service is fine. It's when things go wrong that the service falls apart. When it has done, it has done so more spectacularly than Ryanair. I'm not convinced Ryanair's bad rep is deserved; I'm also not convinced other carriers do any better when things go wrong.

flyhigh85
9th Jan 2019, 07:38
Ryan air is responsible for the extreme poor T&C for aircrew personel in Europe. Every person who is working in the aviaton industry should despise them. Feel sorry for the people working for them!

172_driver
9th Jan 2019, 09:03
If you’re implying Ryanair pilots are poorly paid, I offer you this. I earned around £120k as a TRE working 5on 4 off ten years ago as a bog standard TRE. If people know what the salary is before they sign up, and they bloody well should, whether pilots or cabin crew, then they are idiots if they then complain about how much they earn. Money wasn’t a particular issue for any that I’m aware of.

I wasn't particularly implying pilots are poorly paid. Though cabin crew may very well end up being paid below a liveable wage, at least for any length of time. I have been contracting my services to Ryanair, I know the game. I never complained about my net salary. But I did observe an employment setup that put the money first and not the people. And that includes self-centered pilots with a sense of entitlement. I think you personally had a medical encounter while in Ryanair? And the treatment you recieved was second to none - which is great, exactly how it should be. Possibly because of the same reason you earned £120 000. You were something to them, the majority is not. Most crew are treated the same way as passengers are treated when things go awry - with contempt. You become a burden, not an asset.

The other side of this story is our consumption habits, everything has to be cheap. And there should be lots of it. But that may be too far of a digression to be considered in a thread which is about quality of an airline.

Hotel Tango
9th Jan 2019, 10:06
I'm also not convinced other carriers do any better when things go wrong.

That is gross generalisation Eutychus. Averaging 60 to 80 flights a year for the past 50 odd years I've naturally had my fair share of delays and cancellations. I have to say that in the vast majority of cases the problem was well handled by the airline concerned, including being switched to a competitor's flight (this on more than one occasion). There are still airlines out there who will do everything in their power to find a solution in the interest of their customer. That's the type of airline which gets my custom even if I have to pay a few quid more. At least I have peace of mind.

DaveReidUK
9th Jan 2019, 10:12
To call that ill informed and self righteous, is an understatement! :yuk:

Edit - I note p2-3 of your post history - Ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!!!!! I am humbled by your grasp of irony! :ok:

If only you could learn how to quote, then we'd know what post(er) you were referring to ...

DirtyProp
9th Jan 2019, 10:37
I am sorry I cannot resist anymore, and don't take this personally. But boy.. what a manifistation of the cheap kind of spiecies we are. When you buy your £4 T-shirt from H&M do you pay any thought to the seamstress half an orbit away? There is a reason they're cheap. "Good value for the money".
That's free market, like it or not. Meaning a customer can choose how much or little is willing to spend for a good or service. The problem might come when Joe Cheapskate wants to pay pennies but still expects the royal treatment, but that's another topic.
I dislike FR for other reasons, but moving plenty of people across the EU for a very low price is not a bad thing, in my opinion.

Stan Woolley
9th Jan 2019, 10:51
I wasn't particularly implying pilots are poorly paid. Though cabin crew may very well end up being paid below a liveable wage, at least for any length of time. I have been contracting my services to Ryanair, I know the game. I never complained about my net salary. But I did observe an employment setup that put the money first and not the people. And that includes self-centered pilots with a sense of entitlement. I think you personally had a medical encounter while in Ryanair? And the treatment you recieved was second to none - which is great, exactly how it should be. Possibly because of the same reason you earned £120 000. You were something to them, the majority is not. Most crew are treated the same way as passengers are treated when things go awry - with contempt. You become a burden, not an asset.

The other side of this story is our consumption habits, everything has to be cheap. And there should be lots of it. But that may be too far of a digression to be considered in a thread which is about quality of an airline.


I worked for many companies before Ryanair, and I think that basically every one of them “put the money first and not the people”. And I was something valuable to them, but not after I had the stroke, and that’s when they were good to me. I’m not saying that they don’t have faults, of course they do, but I think that people are their own worst enemy. I am well aware that given a different set of circumstances, I might well have a different opinion about things. I was criticised by a member of this forum after he read my book about my flying career for having little loyalty. As a colleague of mine is quoted in the book, “When you threaten to resign, it’s no idle threat!” :) I replied to him that if more were like me, and didn’t put up with poor rosters, which were my particular dislike, companies would be forced to change their ways.

I now consider Ryanair family, though I rarely communicate with them. I am so grateful for their kindness, and it was kindness. They had no reason to treat me as special, but that’s how I feel. :ok:

172_driver
9th Jan 2019, 10:54
The problem might come when Joe Cheapskate wants to pay pennies but still expects the royal treatment, but that's another topic.

Also Ryan Cheapskate believes he can get away with subpar treatment of passengers and staff because they paid so little.

The UK CAA's letter after the " rostering mishap" that had them cancel 18 000 flights: https://www.caa.co.uk/uploadedFiles/CAA/Content/News/News_files/2017/Julisz%20Komorek%20Ryanair%20270917.pdf

But as usual, I guess no penalty was ever enforced. I think they could get away with murder.

DirtyProp
9th Jan 2019, 11:12
Also Ryan Cheapskate believes he can get away with subpar treatment of passengers and staff because they paid so little.

The market seems to agree, despite our opinions about him. Everyone loves to slam FR but everyone keeps using them.

As for no penalty enforced, that is the responsibility of the judicial system, not FR.

racedo
9th Jan 2019, 11:34
You name the national carrier you had a bad experience with first! It is not an absolute, but, in this part of the world, you are more likely to be left in the lurch with RYR than any other carrier. This doesn't come from personal experience (never use them) but that of an ATC friend who (now WAS) a regular user. After three bad experiences costing him €€€ in additional expenses he finally gave up on them.

Anybody who has been left in the lurch by BA at LHR during a summer break may disagree. Difference is key journalists book economy and get upgraded so newspaper doesn't bite the hand that upgrades their editor.

Imagegear
9th Jan 2019, 11:48
I would be very interested in seeing a survey of numbers of crew found sleeping in airport carparks by Airline, frequency and Roster. :E

IG

172_driver
9th Jan 2019, 12:36
The market seems to agree, despite our opinions about him. Everyone loves to slam FR but everyone keeps using them.

As for no penalty enforced, that is the responsibility of the judicial system, not FR.

Agree on all accounts.

I was simply venting my own thoughts on Ryanair for all their apologists to listen to - which I did not myself believe would be very popular. It's become some God's given right to fly cheaply around the globe, without second thought to the consequences. Be it social or environmental. With the demise of several airlines this year, financial troubles for others and strike action by airport handlers around Europe as well as Ryanair I wonder if the lemon has been squeezed a bit too hard.

SeenItAll
10th Jan 2019, 02:10
People's complaints about Ryanair seem to be similar to those that various humorists have made about an unloved restaurant.

The food is lousy and the portions are so small
or
Nobody goes there anymore, it's too crowded.

Dunnyman
11th Jan 2019, 01:04
To expand the thread a little, not sure if this is common in Europe but here's the latest Loco development in these parts.
Jetstar is the loco arm of Qantas. They now have a scheme where they weigh all cabin baggage at the gate. It's a beautiful 2 person routine. Person 1 goes with mobile scales along the boarding line and weighs cabin baggage. Anything over 7kgs the passenger is told - "go see the gate agent over there, you'll need to check that bag in" Then the passenger wanders nonchalantly to the gate agent who writes out a baggage tag and then says, that will be 60 dollars please - about 30 quid. Here's where the fun starts as dismay creeps in across the passenger's face. "But I checked a bag in already" - "Too bad - you should have put all of your excess stuff in there" Last person I saw this week said it was nothing short of daylight robbery to which the gate agent suggested he should find another airline to fly with.
I get why this is done and in many ways support it. I've been dismayed at the growing number of passengers who bring on board a 20 kgs wheelie bag, plus a computer case, plus a massive handbag overflowing with all kinds of stuff. But the way it's been done with this airline leaves a bit to be desired. Yes the website says limit your cabin bag to 7kgs, if you buy checked in baggage at the airport it will cost you big time - but for a long time it was never enforced or policed. It's the change which has caught people on the hop and I wonder how many people will vote with their feet. If not already, how long before the legacy carriers emulate this revenue earning scheme ??

feueraxt
11th Jan 2019, 02:54
Passengers on diverted Ryanair flight forced to catch bus 770km to Greece (http://www.traveller.com.au/passengers-on-diverted-ryanair-flight-forced-to-catch-770km-bus-to-greece-h19wnd)

For about 200 passengers, the flight from London, UK to Thessaloniki in northern Greece took almost 24 hours.

Foggy conditions in Thessaloniki airport led Ryanair to divert the flight from London Stansted Airport to the city of Timisoara in western Romania, late Friday (local time).

Many passengers, already grumbling that the diversion was not made to an airport closer to their destination were outraged when the company offered buses to take them the 770kilometre distance in freezing weather.

Ryanair has scheduled flights to Timisoara, as well as Athens, Greece, and some passengers felt that the decision to divert to the Romanian city was made on the basis of minimising costs.

"They could have landed us at a Greek airport," flight passenger Sakis Papadopoulos, 36, said.

"Our flight was already delayed and then, around 10.30pm (Friday), they informed us we would be landing at Timisoara instead of Thessaloniki," Papadopoulos said.

A total of 89 refused to take up the offer of buses, despite what they said was pressure from airport authorities, who kept them in the baggage area overnight.

Papadopoulos, who had travelled to London for the holidays, said that the passengers were finally offered a hotel stay at 8am Saturday but they refused, saying they would stay put until a plane arrived to take them to Greece.

"Some of us contacted Greek media," Papadopoulos said.

Informed of the passengers' plight, the Greek government arranged with Greek carrier Aegean Airlines to send a plane to Timisoara. Transport Minister Christos Spirtzis weighed in against what he said were "low cost, low social responsibility" airlines.

The 89 passengers arrived in Thessaloniki around 5pm Saturday. The flight normally would have taken around 3.5 hours.

Ryanair issued an apology for the diversion, saying that it was "beyond our control".

DaveReidUK
11th Jan 2019, 06:28
Passengers on diverted Ryanair flight forced to catch bus 770km to Greece (http://www.traveller.com.au/passengers-on-diverted-ryanair-flight-forced-to-catch-770km-bus-to-greece-h19wnd)

See post #34 from last Monday.

Volume
11th Jan 2019, 08:16
Ryanair are a perfectly good airline when things go according to plan.
I tend to disagree, they are not perfectly good they are perfectly cheap. No frills, no luxury, no extras but a basic means of transportation at a very low rate. Perfectly adequate, but far from good.
Moderate issues (delays due to weather) were handled much more professionally by FR compared to some other much more expensive airlines I experienced.
And if things go wrong, even companys like LH can sometimes simply leave you to your own devices. Even if you are a gold member with a business ticket they may not offer you what they are obliged to by law (food, drinks, hotel...) !

Webby737
11th Jan 2019, 13:35
To expand the thread a little, not sure if this is common in Europe but here's the latest Loco development in these parts.
Jetstar is the loco arm of Qantas. They now have a scheme where they weigh all cabin baggage at the gate. It's a beautiful 2 person routine. Person 1 goes with mobile scales along the boarding line and weighs cabin baggage. Anything over 7kgs the passenger is told - "go see the gate agent over there, you'll need to check that bag in" Then the passenger wanders nonchalantly to the gate agent who writes out a baggage tag and then says, that will be 60 dollars please - about 30 quid. Here's where the fun starts as dismay creeps in across the passenger's face. "But I checked a bag in already" - "Too bad - you should have put all of your excess stuff in there" Last person I saw this week said it was nothing short of daylight robbery to which the gate agent suggested he should find another airline to fly with.
I get why this is done and in many ways support it. I've been dismayed at the growing number of passengers who bring on board a 20 kgs wheelie bag, plus a computer case, plus a massive handbag overflowing with all kinds of stuff. But the way it's been done with this airline leaves a bit to be desired. Yes the website says limit your cabin bag to 7kgs, if you buy checked in baggage at the airport it will cost you big time - but for a long time it was never enforced or policed. It's the change which has caught people on the hop and I wonder how many people will vote with their feet. If not already, how long before the legacy carriers emulate this revenue earning scheme ??

Ryanair tried the same, it p*ssed off SLFs but more importantly (for FR) the boarding took longer. It didn't last long, they scrapped the idea when they became new caring, sharing Ryanair.

racedo
11th Jan 2019, 16:52
Ryanair tried the same, it p*ssed off SLFs but more importantly (for FR) the boarding took longer. It didn't last long, they scrapped the idea when they became new caring, sharing Ryanair.

Didn't take any longer to board as gate crew had already gone through the SLF well before the incoming plane had landed. The moving from 1 to 2 bags gave people the idea they could take on loads of additional stuff and they duly did so.

Eutychus
11th Jan 2019, 21:33
To expand the thread a little, not sure if this is common in Europe but here's the latest Loco development in these parts.

As a resident of continental Europe I'm amazed a) they didn't get to you earlier b) that there are apparently now places where you can board LoCo airlines without this happening. Admittedly my most recent FR flight dates back a couple of years now, but I flew EasyJet last June and if I recall correctly, they were weighing as well as size checking carry-on luggage.

planedrive
12th Jan 2019, 08:48
@Eutychus - you recall incorrectly. There is no weight limit for cabin baggage on easyJet.

Mikehotel152
12th Jan 2019, 17:18
I would be very interested in seeing a survey of numbers of crew found sleeping in airport carparks by Airline, frequency and Roster. :E

IG

Someone is possibly 10 years out of date on the exaggerated rumour front :rolleyes:

Auxtank
12th Jan 2019, 17:27
Someone is possibly 10 years out of date on the exaggerated rumour front :rolleyes:

From the evil grin he used in his post ( :E ) - I think someone's having a bit of a laugh and not seriously suggesting that.