Ryanair Rent-a-Mob

[Llademos]

<img src="rolleyes.gif" border="0"> typical MOL ...

Ryanair will tomorrow make an appearance in the Landgericht Koln to defend our right to advertise our Low Fares in the German Market and compare them to the high fares of our competitor Lufthansa. We have already received over 10,000 messages of support on our website from German consumers who are critical of Lufthansa’s high fare regime in Germany.

We now ask for your support tomorrow at the Landgericht Koln as we take on the high fare regime of Lufthansa. The first 1,000 people to appear at the Landgericht Koln, Luxemburger Str. 101, 50939 Koln at 1300 hrs, tomorrow 22nd January, with a banner in support of Ryanair’s Low Fares, or against Lufthansa’s high fares, will receive a free return ticket on one of Ryanair’s services from our new base in Frankfurt Hahn.

Note: Ryanair serves London, Glasgow, Shannon, Milan, Pisa, Perpignan, Montpellier, Pescara Bournemouth and Oslo from Frankfurt Hahn. Terms and conditions apply to free flights, passengers must pay their own taxes and charges.

[crewrest]

Is this an advert?

[Knold]

Blo0dy well looks like it

[Slickster]

Wouldn't go on Ryanair if they paid me! <img src="rolleyes.gif" border="0">

[FL310]

Also MOL may draw some kind of attention with this action, if this is true at all and not just a wind-up, creating such a situation is exactly what will him put into a very bad position in court.. .Nothing against aggressive competion, but mis-leading and wrong advertisement needs to be stopped.. .There is not one single connection of Lufthansa to the Hahn airport, nor does Hahn airport have anything in common with Frankfurt. And that is the reason why MOL was stopped immediately and that is why he will lose the case.

MOL should start a new campaigne...Luxembourg east would be suitable as well...

The media coverage, that is what he wants and in this he will succeed. Cheaper than bying air time in TV with a lousy commercial anyway....

[schwabn]

FL310:

I'm sorry to spoil the party but actually, HHN is a Frankfurt designated airport, just like FRA. It is IATA approved and no further than STN is from London. About time FR got support for its campaign and hopefully there will be a good turnout of support at the courts. If things go right it'll be another victory for MOL.. .Good Luck Ryanair!!!

[LIMA OR ALPHA JUNK]

Lets hope the low fares they advertise don't attract the wroth of the Advertising Standards Committee again by misleading the public.

Nothing against the airline or its employees, just the man in charge who can only be described as an oppotunist and exploiter of pilots. Hope they leave in droves when things pick up so he is forced to start paying a fair days salary for a professional job.

[LAVDUMPER]

Makes it sound like Lufthansa is just a scared, weak-child of an airline... It, like BA, will likely become another dinasoar if it does not become more cost competitive and address a growing low-fare market.

It knows that it can't compete with Ryanair on a cost basis, so, it will use well-oiled government cronies to block a legit competitor from using an outlying airfield. How LAME is that? I suppose LH management is effective in that it has successfullly thwarted competing threats, but German travelers suffer - and they are not entirely stupid...

Wake up and smell the sourkraut Lufthansa, your status-quo days are numbered!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! In a down-economy, passengers will always gravitate toward a low-fare airline - even a fair number of business passengers. You can only block airfare progress for so long...

Aufwiedersehen Kinder!

[FL310]

Irish flyer....STN to London same distance as HHN to Fra.... well...if you need to walk the additional miles, see you next week than, same place same time...

Hahn has one major advantage, distances to the chemical industry are almost similar and the left-Rhine areas are faster to access. But that is it really. Did you see me whishing FR not good luck with the operation? Certainly not. All these new routes and bases are good for our industry. . .In fact, even aggressive competition is always worth to wake up others and bring incentives.. .What MOL lacks is the professional appearance. He makes himself a clown with this cowboy-style approach. . .Substantiated facts, real comparision, that is what is simply not available. . .As I said in my previous post, he uses the back-door for publicity as he is obviously not willing to use proper and adequate fundings for a good and appropriate campaign.

[126.9]

Llademos. . [quote] We have already received over 10,000 messages of support on our website <hr></blockquote>

Now all you have to do is convince the other 80 million of us!!! And we don't like you already!!!

[faq]

The new (Gerald?) Ratner

[Sagey]

Seems a modified press release to me to be honest.

Good to see RyanAir Press department working hard <img src="wink.gif" border="0">

. .Sagey

[max_cont]

If I sent Ryanair a message of support, how much would they charge me for it?

I hope he gets his comeuppance soon.

[FU24-950M]

Just another example of the Gutter level management tactics we are fed daily from MOL and his Leprechauns.. .God have mercy on all ye Irishmen (and woman).

I'd rather milk cows than be employed by that low life. At least cows cannot stab me in the back.

A load ofr 'FISH & FOWL' in the hopper Jeeves!!!!

<img src="tongue.gif" border="0">

[Pirate]

Gosh, don't some people love to knock Ryanair? I have no axe to grind and, having passengered with them on many positionings, I have always found the service perfectly satisfactory. I think we should remember that this airline has:

1. created a lot of jobs for pilots and others in the industry,

2. opened up a number of new destinations,

3. provided consumer choice where little existed before,

4. made shedloads of money,

5. issued a wake-up call to the fossilised end of the industry,

6. brought a dynamic into the field of aircraft utilisation.

On this last point, the fast turn-around is not something that the present generation of low-cost carriers conceived. The BAC 1-11 was designed in the 1960s to have the capacity to turn round in fifteen minutes - it was the original "bus-stop jet".

I share just about everyone's dislike of the current recruiting policy and, yes, Michael O'Leary is a bit of a showman in front of an audience or when the cameras are present. But he's an Irishman, for Heaven's sake, it's in the genes!

Sorry to rock the boat but I believe that the low-cost carriers have made our world a far more interesting place.

[HugMonster]

Pirate, with a name like that you must be related to MO'L!

Most of your points are sufficiently debatable as to raise an eyebrow. If what you wrote in your post is all you can see about Ryanair, then you're either wearing blinkers, or you belong to the "If he makes money he must be a good person" camp.

A few other very widely-spread allegations that have been made against Ryanair:-<ul type="square"> They charge all crew for uniforms. The allegation as I heard it was that the charge is more than the uniform costs Ryanair's advertising is deliberately misleading ("Low fares, every day, every flight") Ryanair hides charges which other airlines make public (e.g. £28 to destination - oh - sorry - didn't we tell you that the flight back is £150?) Ryanair's attitude to Pilot Unions - artificially inflate the numbers of pilots on your payroll thus making a ballot require more votes than the law says to be passed - threatening union members with the sack - sacking the Union organiser - refusing to co-operate in the least degree with a respected and well-established professional union - etc etc. Encouraging such a climate of fear within the airline that safety concerns receive a back seat and that people raising safety worries are labelled "troublemakers" and legitimate concerns are ignored Recruitment policy - nuff said[/list]It goes on and on. I make no specific warranty as to the truth of any of the above. However, I have heard enough of these from enough different sources that I have little difficulty in believing the background to them.

[733driver]

just got back from court in cologne, germany. I read the initial post on this topic and thought I might aswell go there since I live and work in cologne and have the day off. First off there was hardly anybody there except 2or 3 students holding up some sheets of paper (not exactly banners) to get the promised free tickets. I did´nt even see those people but a journalist I talked to in front of the court-room told me he saw them. The "trial" itself was totally unspectacular. The room was tiny, just two seat rows for observers, there were approx. 15 journalists and three TV teams, from local TV stations I suppose. The whole thing was about a specific advertisement from Ryanair which they puplished November last year. They had compared prices between them and Lufthansa even though neither departure nor destination airport were the same, sometimes not even close. The court had earlier decided in favour for LH and made it illegal for Ryanair to go on with this specivic ad. Ryanair opposed and todays "trial" was to clarify if the initial court ruling would stand. Ryanair has changed their ads in the meantime, though. So the outcome of todays ruling does not affect the way they are advertising now or in the future. This would have to be a seperate case, according to the judge. Ryanair was represented by a german lawyer and one of their own legal people and the marketing and sales managers for germany. Lufthansa was represented by a lawyer, a LH legal person on one more lady whos function I don´t remember. My personal impression was that the LH lawyer must have been a very good one, and the ryanair lawyer seemed very unsure about the whole thing, interupting the trial several times to consult with the FR people. He also seemed to know that he didn´t have much of a chance in this particular case. I didn´t stay to the end so I don´t know the outcome, which doesn´t matter anyway, since this was, like I said, not about the name of Hahn airport or anything else interesting but only about one adverisement in the past.

[Pirate]

HugMonster

I wasn't nominating Ryanair for Employer of the Year or MOL for the next Pope - merely trying to put a different slant on the debate, sort of Devil's Advocate. I'm very happy for you to challenge my points but, by the same token, yours are also open to test. In any case, I'm sure that any pilot working for any airline on the planet could come up with six bullet points both for and against his employer. All I can add is that the half-dozen or so guys who I know that work for Ryanair seem fairly happy with their lot. How many of us can say more?

BTW if my name means I'm related to MOL, I dread to think what yours indicates!

[Doors to Automatic]

I learned something new about B737-200 performance last Friday - do FR pilots get a bonus if they make the first exit off the runway at STN?

Joking aside I had no complaints - STN-SNN-STN for £60 rtn. All staff very friendly and flights arrived early.

[Collibri]

Rynair is getting financiel support from the Belgium governement to operate from CRL.. .A lot of qualified pilots 737-800 have paid there fee for an eventual interview, payment done in November ,we are presently almost Februari NO single pilot has been invited to sit the interview.. .Are they playing with the feelings and money of those people as well.. .Ryanair is ussing the Belgium money to train there own pilots!!!!!!!???????. .What about the beautifull EU and JAA licenses.. .Aviation in Europe is over , it is just become a plying tool for those who wants to make fast money on the back of enthusiastic people who still believes in their profession.

A frustrated TRE/TRI 737 Efis/NG

:) :) <img src="mad.gif" border="0"> <img src="eek.gif" border="0">

[SLF3]

If you lot put as much effort into figuring out how to compete with Ryanair as you put into slagging them off you might not feel the need to slag them off as often as you do!

[iflyboeing747]

Wake up folks... .The future has arrived to Europe..

Did those of you who always gives the thumbs down to everything regarding Ryanair, EasyJet, Go..etc.., really think that you can expect those companies to stop operating..?. .They are here to stay, and that's wether you like it or not..

To be transported from A to B the cheapest way is here to stay, and good so..

I think it's OK thay some guys dare challenge the price policy of the "big ones"..and becomes the big ones themselves... .It's rediculous to pay a fortune for a 1 - 2 hour flight..

It's really waste of your own and everyone elses time to whine about these low cost carriers all the time... .They will continue anyway..

Krgds. .Monitor

[Flintstone]

monitor

I admit to being a Ryanair knocker but let's be honest, they ask for it. I think you should also ask yourself why there is nowhere near as much 'whining' about Go and easyJet.

The point being made is that Ryanair are often perceived as being cowboys. Their methods in some areas are, at the very least, dubious and they have no respect whatsoever for those in their employ.

Aviation is still, for some of us, an industry requiring a degree of commitment and professionalism. To see a fellow pilot, flight attendant or whatever go through the same rigours and sacrifices as oneself only to be treated so badly by their employer really rankles. That is why Mr O'Leary is viewed with such contempt.

. .SLF3

Would it make you feel safer as you taxi out on your next cheap flight to know that we had taken your advice to heart, wound our necks in and kept our mouths shut when we saw something wrong?

There's a country down under that has produced many of my favourite sayings one of which is 'Keep the b*astards honest'.

I'm sure you'd rather we did.

[ 23 January 2002: Message edited by: Flintstone ]</p>

[HugMonster]

Well said, Flintstone. I also admit to being a "Ryanair knocker".

It is NOT because I am anti-low-cost carriers. Far from it. I would love a job with Go or easyJet! It is purely because I am implacably opposed to what I have seen and heard of Ryanair's policies and practices which, as far as I can see, differ dramatically from those of Go and easyJet.

[farrenfour]

Well said flint, regardless of all its warts Ryanair offers a cheap and not so cheerful low low cost air service to those who want to use it.

It is low cost and it does have a "certain" value, how they treat their staff and how they manage their business amounts to the same end, they are in Business to make money and we forget that at our peril.

They're certainly not my cup-o-tea, but they are certainly amusing and sometimes hillarious and occasionally terrifying to fly with , I used to enjoy their negative G pushovers at the TOC, but as age creeps up on me I prefer to fly aeros me-self <img src="smile.gif" border="0">

They have shaken up the myth of airline "class" through out the industry - that is a good thing.

They have clearly demonstrated that the Big Boys had too much fat - a very good thing if you look at aer lingus.

. .They have clearly been successful at following SWA's low cost model - that is a relatively good thing.

They are certainly providing jobs, or mac-jobs depending on your position - sometimes not always a good thing. economics - not very honourable economics, but they are in business to make money.

They have consistantly managed to set low standards in terms of time, baggage, discomfort, delays, and service - once again proving you get what you pay for. Some of their cabin crew are absolutely appaling

Their "low fare" advertising is no more misleading than what most insurance companies offer, so who are the fools for entering into deal -I think we are ?

I personally have never managed to get a happy balance between their fares and their service, I think they should charge less or get nicer hosties <img src="smile.gif" border="0">

. .besides I usually try and get plastered before flying on them as a passenger - makes me less scared <img src="smile.gif" border="0">

. .F4

F4

[Flintstone]

Looks like Ryanair are getting their own back.

A mate travelled half way around the world. Visited family in Ireland and was supposed to be coming to the UK yesterday.

You guessed it, they bumped him!

(Shoulda told me who he was booked with. Silly boy).

Edited because I need a new keyboard

[ 25 January 2002: Message edited by: Flintstone ]</p>

[MEVERTSGB]

Don't know what that @rsehole has ordered 100 jets for. If he continues the way he has done recently, he won't be needing them !! The company is in desparate need of a new CEO.

[sycamores]

MOLlymaloneAir is a liability and accident waiting to happen! I remember the days when (allegedly) ex Romanian AF/ ex TAROM pilots were used ex dublin with their ass clencher aircraft.I remember taking off from Luton with a heavy thunderstorm o/head and the nose going up twice and not much else following(he went around and did it 3rd time lucky with a chorus of screams and without so much as an apology or explanation) More recently I remember picking the phone up to distraught elderly antipodean friends who had been B+A'd (Bumped and abandoned) and ended up coming BA.. .For a couple of quid more it is more refreshing to leave from a country you paid for (CPH read Malmo), be treated with civility and have worries smoothed over by a voice that knows hows to articulate and use a PA system.. .I also prefer to have uniforms on a/craft I travel on and not to have the living daylights sh+t out of me when the CEO pops up with the £4 Reprocessed sandwich that started the day in Lubeck and i'm eating it over Prestwick.. .I want an A I R L I N E. Not a Bus. If the latter were required i'd get a student card and travel europe that way.

'Nuff Said

[LIMA OR ALPHA JUNK]

I heard recently that a newish Ryanair F/O was disciplined for calling "ROTATE" on the taxiway !

How long till that first accident ?

[HugMonster]

At the speeds at which they normally taxy? Not long.

I gather that several airports have taken to logging taxying speeds of some carriers. FR have been clocked in excess of 70 kts.