Ryanair Exposed?

[Colonel Klink]

This Wednesday, 4th June on BBC2 at 7.30 pm, a half hour documentary on Ryanair inlcluding an exclusive interview with MOL. Should be nauseatingly enjoyable...........................!!!!!!

[Spartacan]

Details are:

Ryanair's Cut-Price Route To Riches
Wed 4 Jun, 7:30 pm - 8:00 pm 30mins

Ryanair's Cut-Price Route To Riches

The airline industry is in big trouble yet one carrier is raking in the cash. What is it about Ryanair's operation that makes them so profitable? With profits of £100 million last year the low budget leader has become one of the most successful airlines in Europe, and they've done it by giving away millions of seats for free.
The Money Programme investigates the Ryanair operation, from the truth behind those free seats to the stark reality of their no-frills service and their extra sources of revenue. We talk exclusively to Michael O'Leary, the blunt-speaking Irishman behind the success story, and we reveal the many tricks he pulls off to make Ryanair so profitable.

[delta 2]

Michael O'leary certainly is ruthless. I Know this from personal experience of his service. I hope he is asked about the flights he runs to Knock Airport. Knock is a little airport in Co Mayo Ireland.

It is widely know by those in the industry that passengers flying to Knock subserdise O'learies cheap flights. His is the only airline which flies people to Knock from Stanstead and because of this he can and does rip his passengers off. Flights to Italy are twenty pounds he charges on average sixty or seventy to go to Knock and often a lot more.

He charges 25 euro each way to transport a fishing rod etc and you are have to sign a form stating that you are aware that if it is damanged they are under no liability to compensate you.

In short O'leary makes a profit because he serves some small airports and exploits those passengers.

[Findo]

In short O'leary makes a profit because he serves some small airports and exploits those passengers.

As an exploited passenger who regularly uses that small London airport of Stansted at ridiculously cheap prices ... Thank you Mr O'leary.

[fireflybob]

A business philosophy which is preached by one of the USA's top success coaches is:-

"You can have anything you want in life just so long as you help enough other people to get what they want"

I have not been a customer with Ryanair but if they are making substantial profits they must be providing a lot of people with what they want. Whether this can be sustained long term remains to be seen.

[kenoco]

Ryanair is ok,not always the cheaper,a lot to do with advertizing,but when something goes wrong forget it they don't give a damn.Even here in France the low fares are not very well regulated and apparently it's do as you please in the republic of ireland regarding crew and aviation laws?????xx M.

[efter]

It is widely know by those in the industry that passengers flying to Knock subserdise O'learies cheap flights. His is the only airline which flies people to Knock from Stanstead and because of this he can and does rip his passengers off. Flights to Italy are twenty pounds he charges on average sixty or seventy to go to Knock and often a lot more.

We live in a market economy. Dozens of people want to fly to Knock.........Thousands want to fly to Italy. By the way, only a few of the seats are £20.
Higher prices to Knock are not the reason why Ryanair are making huge profits!!

[Slim20]

Don't forget they have a no refund policy. Therefore every seat can in theory be sold several times over producing a yield per seat in excess of normal operators. Its the Three card monty - 189 seats, 220 sales? No wonder they can't give them away....

[Findo]

3 weeks ago I flew with them and for the first time in dozens of flights to Stansted the a/c went tech. Unlike many other carriers I have flown with I did not wait for hours wondering what was happening. Within 15 minutes of the scheduled departure time they cancelled the flight.

Ryanair is ok,not always the cheaper,a lot to do with advertizing,but when something goes wrong forget it they don't give a damn.
We were all asked to return to the ticket desk having collected any luggage. In a very orderly manner all passengers were informed what the options were -

According to your boarding card sequence number i.e. the order you checked, in you were offered a flight on the next couple of schedules.

If you had an onward booking at Stansted and had left a minimum of 3 hours between scheduled arrival and departure on the next flight they would guarantee to book you the next available seat for the connection.


Don't forget they have a no refund policy.
Any passenger who did not want to travel was offered a refund.

[halwise]

The sight of MOL dressed as Patton outside Easyland Luton
was a highlight, love him or hate him the Man knows how
to garner attention.

BTW

Could someone please tell me if there's any truth in the
suggestion within this documentary, that Ryan's were
able to negotiate a discount of around 50% on a new
738 at £34mill, or is that a bit wide of the mark?

[bmibaby.com]

Quite surprised to see that the BBC never tried to bleep or edit any of MOL's brash language for a show showing at 7:30 pm, I guess they wanted to show him as he was, including talking about the AUC as useful as a condom in a convent.

It was generally quite interesting, didn't really tell ME anything I didnt already know, but for the average street Joe was informative.

[sparkymarky]

I was entertained yet slightly disappointed by the program.

As bmibaby says, it didn't tell me anything new, but I do enjoy O'Leary's way with words, and his manner. Given the choice, I'd rather work for him, than one of the many dull penpushers in this world who get paid millions for running companies which fail!

I'd be REALLY interested to see a program, or read a book, which covers O'Leary and Ryanair the early days. To see how he turned things around. Can anyone recommend such a program or book? Or even better, anyone on here got tales to tell from first hand experience?

Also, Slim20, as I understand it Ryanair don't operate an overbooking policy, so unless people tell them in advance that they aren't travelling(which is pointless with no refund), they can't sell the seat twice over!?

[G-AMMY]

It was nice to see some of my colleagues appearing in the documentary! You know who you are. I hope you're not too embarrased. :O Some of the footage was taken quite a few years ago. Interesting, never the less.

G-AMMY

'Sparkymarky', Ryanair do allow the flights to be overbooked by a small percentage. The most I have ever seen is about 7 pax.

[sparkymarky]

G-AMMY, I'm not doubting you for a second, but I presume the overbooking you witnessed was some time ago, as Ryanair's Passenger Charter specifically prohibits this practise?

Otherwise MOL and the ASA may be having another chat!

[niknak]

I am a regular user of Ryanair's cheap ticket deals, I've never encountered any of the problems which some people like to hang MOL out to dry with, and I know that you get, more or less, exactly what you pay for, i.e a seat on an aeroplane to the destination that you've booked to go to.

I've worked in the industry for a very long time, and seen airlines come, a few stay, and a lot go.
Ryanair will stay for a long time because they don't make themselves out to be anything more than they actually are, and the vast majority of their passengers are savvy enough to know this.
If their operating standards were as truly appalling as some would have us believe, they wouldn't be permitted to operate in the UK, as for their arrangements with individual airports, thats entirely down to local management. :*