Ryanair 'to cut frills further'
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Ryanair 'to cut frills further'
From BBC website :
Ryanair has confirmed it is taking "no-frills" flying a stage further by ordering a fleet of planes without reclining seats or window blinds.
The budget airline could make savings of more than £1.3m a year by removing all remaining "non-essential" items.
A Ryanair spokesman said: "We have made the decision to save costs that we can then pass on to our passengers."
It is also looking at the possibility of asking passengers to carry on their luggage, cutting baggage handling fees.
The airline spokesman said the carrier has ordered all luxury fittings to be taken from a fleet of Boeing aircraft.
"After looking at a number of different options, Ryanair is to go ahead with these adjustments.
"The order has been made to take out all non-essential items, which include the reclining seats, head rests and window blinds."
Advertising space
Seats will become non-adjustable, to cut down on replacements needed for reclining models, and there will no longer be a seat pocket, to reduce cleaning costs and turn around time.
Removing Velcro headrests could save the firm around £100,000 unless the items are used as a space for advertising.
The spokesman said the airline is considering changes to what type of luggage passengers will be permitted to carry.
This could save the firm 20% of costs, chief executive Michael O'Leary told the Sunday Times.
"Most of the space in airports is devoted to baggage handling. It's not just a question of staff. It would mean smaller airports, simpler facilities and lower charges," the paper quoted him as saying.
Subsidy payments
The carrier has expanded rapidly and made big profits in recent years.
But its share price recently tumbled after it issued its first profit warning, following a drop in passenger numbers.
The announcement came a day after the airline said it must repay millions of pounds in subsidies that the European Commission had found to be illegal.
Its full-year profit is forecast to drop by about 10%, but still be 215m euros (£148.4m; $271m).
Ryanair has confirmed it is taking "no-frills" flying a stage further by ordering a fleet of planes without reclining seats or window blinds.
The budget airline could make savings of more than £1.3m a year by removing all remaining "non-essential" items.
A Ryanair spokesman said: "We have made the decision to save costs that we can then pass on to our passengers."
It is also looking at the possibility of asking passengers to carry on their luggage, cutting baggage handling fees.
The airline spokesman said the carrier has ordered all luxury fittings to be taken from a fleet of Boeing aircraft.
"After looking at a number of different options, Ryanair is to go ahead with these adjustments.
"The order has been made to take out all non-essential items, which include the reclining seats, head rests and window blinds."
Advertising space
Seats will become non-adjustable, to cut down on replacements needed for reclining models, and there will no longer be a seat pocket, to reduce cleaning costs and turn around time.
Removing Velcro headrests could save the firm around £100,000 unless the items are used as a space for advertising.
The spokesman said the airline is considering changes to what type of luggage passengers will be permitted to carry.
This could save the firm 20% of costs, chief executive Michael O'Leary told the Sunday Times.
"Most of the space in airports is devoted to baggage handling. It's not just a question of staff. It would mean smaller airports, simpler facilities and lower charges," the paper quoted him as saying.
Subsidy payments
The carrier has expanded rapidly and made big profits in recent years.
But its share price recently tumbled after it issued its first profit warning, following a drop in passenger numbers.
The announcement came a day after the airline said it must repay millions of pounds in subsidies that the European Commission had found to be illegal.
Its full-year profit is forecast to drop by about 10%, but still be 215m euros (£148.4m; $271m).
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why not buy a Hercules or better (cheaper) an AN164 with a back entrance, so you can drive the airport-bus in from the back and fly the whole thing to the destination.... saves handling and transportation there too.... 
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Very good Vunzke !!
With no more back seat pockets, the floor of the a/c will get filthy very fast, therefore the next logical move of MOL will be to replace the floor carpet with a rubber lining, and just before the next load of cattle comes on board, the crew can clean the space below the seats with a karcher and a few buckets of water !
Eh ! what do you expect for 20 euros anyway ?
( Famous RYR slogan...)
But joke aside you have to agree that the guy has revolutionary ideas to reduce costs...
With no more back seat pockets, the floor of the a/c will get filthy very fast, therefore the next logical move of MOL will be to replace the floor carpet with a rubber lining, and just before the next load of cattle comes on board, the crew can clean the space below the seats with a karcher and a few buckets of water !
Eh ! what do you expect for 20 euros anyway ?
( Famous RYR slogan...)
But joke aside you have to agree that the guy has revolutionary ideas to reduce costs...
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If this indeed is true, at what point do the pax revolt? I mean it is getting pretty ugly, at this point, SWA wil look like first class compared to Ryan.
There is the perception of"cattlecar" and there is cattlecar!
There is the perception of"cattlecar" and there is cattlecar!
There's another thread running about the same issue in Airlines Airports etc.
I believe Ryanair will eventually manage to turn its punters away. Even the unwashed have limits.
I believe Ryanair will eventually manage to turn its punters away. Even the unwashed have limits.
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This is old news. On all 737-800's delivered since last September the seats already are non-reclining and there are no seat pockets. I cannot confirm the window blinds as I did not notice them. I have flown in several of these aircraft.
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If they remove the seat pockets, where will i go to find the safety card, that i have to read?
Can't see the baggage thing working though. I assume they're not going to ask pax to put it in the hold themselves?
Can't see the baggage thing working though. I assume they're not going to ask pax to put it in the hold themselves?
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wobblyprop
The safety card is now printed out on your PC at home when you purchase your ticket or sent to you by e-mail for later printing! As far as the baggage goes; there still is provision made for checking in of sharp objects, but the rest you drop at the aircraft to be loaded by the Ryanair pilots.
I've also heard that you can now purchase cardboard, disposable, window-blinds from the trolley at around twelve quid throw..? The great thing is that they double up as can holders for your five quid beer!
The safety card is now printed out on your PC at home when you purchase your ticket or sent to you by e-mail for later printing! As far as the baggage goes; there still is provision made for checking in of sharp objects, but the rest you drop at the aircraft to be loaded by the Ryanair pilots.
I've also heard that you can now purchase cardboard, disposable, window-blinds from the trolley at around twelve quid throw..? The great thing is that they double up as can holders for your five quid beer!
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I can't think of anything better...competitive, and higher percentage of costs devoted to crew pay...win/win, right? Max seats filled cheaply, to compete with trains/busses, and job security to boot. Spot On. Pax revolt, at those prices?
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No wobbly, the hold will be the lower lobe cabin, for the seats that sold for 99p.
It will be £40 to hire a seat belt for take-off , and a meter on the wall will accept £2 coins for lighting and heating.
A ramp will be provided to embark/disembark this area, but it will only be available for 180 seconds to speed up the turnaround.
Anybody who misses this will lose their money,and have to pay to travel on the next flight - and be fined.alot.
Coming back to baggage, a smaller suitcase will have to sit on your lap for the flight , or you may hire a halfords roofbox which have been specially modified for the 737 at a cost of £50/hour.
If you would like a smile on boarding, please pay the £5 surcharge when booking your ticket, likewise if you wish to have a smooth landing, a whipround will be offered during the flight, the takings of which will calculate the g-force/bump on landing.
Have a nice flight
It will be £40 to hire a seat belt for take-off , and a meter on the wall will accept £2 coins for lighting and heating.
A ramp will be provided to embark/disembark this area, but it will only be available for 180 seconds to speed up the turnaround.
Anybody who misses this will lose their money,and have to pay to travel on the next flight - and be fined.alot.
Coming back to baggage, a smaller suitcase will have to sit on your lap for the flight , or you may hire a halfords roofbox which have been specially modified for the 737 at a cost of £50/hour.
If you would like a smile on boarding, please pay the £5 surcharge when booking your ticket, likewise if you wish to have a smooth landing, a whipround will be offered during the flight, the takings of which will calculate the g-force/bump on landing.
Have a nice flight
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> If they remove the seat pockets, where will i go to find the
> safety card, that i have to read?
I flew on a 373-800 without seat back pockets this week. The safety card is now a label stuck to the back of the headrest in front - so you get to stare at it the whole flight. They haven't changed the pax safety briefing though, that still refers to the pocket.
The new seats were quite comfortable (probably because they were new) but oh dear what a dreadful colour scheme. I know the Ryanair yellow is a "low cost yellow" (not a rich yellow!) but they seem to have made it look even worse. The plastic backs to the headrests, and the doors on the overheads were a kinda "lime yellow" (if such a colour exists) and not really what you want to see at 6.30am on a winters day. They might need to put the pockets back to hold the sick bags.
Don't get me wrong I like Ryanair's prices and service. However on some routes they are now so cheap that it's no longer possible for them to make meaningful price reductions. (eg price cuts are diluted by tax and handling charges).
Our landing was slightly bumpy and I swear the announcement was.... "take care when opening the overhead lockers as your luggage may have become dislodged after _that_ landing" :-)
> safety card, that i have to read?
I flew on a 373-800 without seat back pockets this week. The safety card is now a label stuck to the back of the headrest in front - so you get to stare at it the whole flight. They haven't changed the pax safety briefing though, that still refers to the pocket.
The new seats were quite comfortable (probably because they were new) but oh dear what a dreadful colour scheme. I know the Ryanair yellow is a "low cost yellow" (not a rich yellow!) but they seem to have made it look even worse. The plastic backs to the headrests, and the doors on the overheads were a kinda "lime yellow" (if such a colour exists) and not really what you want to see at 6.30am on a winters day. They might need to put the pockets back to hold the sick bags.
Don't get me wrong I like Ryanair's prices and service. However on some routes they are now so cheap that it's no longer possible for them to make meaningful price reductions. (eg price cuts are diluted by tax and handling charges).
Our landing was slightly bumpy and I swear the announcement was.... "take care when opening the overhead lockers as your luggage may have become dislodged after _that_ landing" :-)
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Safety Cards on Ryanair Cattle Trucks
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Quote: If they remove the seat pockets, where will i go to find the safety card, that i have to read?
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I'm pretty sure that I may have seen a picture somewhere that shows the safety card 'fixed' to the seat-back (just above the tray-table). Thus there is no need to provide safety cards in the seat-back pockets. I'm not sure if this has been actually introduced yet, or whether this is still just a concept but it would certainly cut down the costs of printing the cards, and reduce the pilfering rate from the SLF. A shame for those of us who like to collect these things though.
Just one question though. Where do you store the sick bags...?
Quote: If they remove the seat pockets, where will i go to find the safety card, that i have to read?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm pretty sure that I may have seen a picture somewhere that shows the safety card 'fixed' to the seat-back (just above the tray-table). Thus there is no need to provide safety cards in the seat-back pockets. I'm not sure if this has been actually introduced yet, or whether this is still just a concept but it would certainly cut down the costs of printing the cards, and reduce the pilfering rate from the SLF. A shame for those of us who like to collect these things though.
Just one question though. Where do you store the sick bags...?
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Source: ABTN
ABTN notes that Ryanair has reduced its free allowance per passenger to 15kg
and insist that this includes carry on hand items. And as the
allowance is per person don't think that your 15kg can be combined
with your travelling companion. If your individual case is over 15kg
the cost is £4 per kg. For a couple a two way journey could cost a
maximum of £270 extra in luggage charges. Most carriers go for 20kg
and are much more flexible on what you take into the cabin, easyJet
for example allowing 20kg plus 5kg for the cabin and, space
permitting, an extra 10kg for sporting gear going in the hold.
http://www.ryanair.com
ABTN notes that Ryanair has reduced its free allowance per passenger to 15kg
and insist that this includes carry on hand items. And as the
allowance is per person don't think that your 15kg can be combined
with your travelling companion. If your individual case is over 15kg
the cost is £4 per kg. For a couple a two way journey could cost a
maximum of £270 extra in luggage charges. Most carriers go for 20kg
and are much more flexible on what you take into the cabin, easyJet
for example allowing 20kg plus 5kg for the cabin and, space
permitting, an extra 10kg for sporting gear going in the hold.
http://www.ryanair.com
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Ryanair
I don't know why O'Leary doesn't properly get back to basics.
He could commission a load of Roman-style catapaults, just load up the pax and Boinnngggg! Catapault them to Carcassonne...Slingshot them to St Etienne...Fling them to Frankfurt...
He could commission a load of Roman-style catapaults, just load up the pax and Boinnngggg! Catapault them to Carcassonne...Slingshot them to St Etienne...Fling them to Frankfurt...
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I have such a loathing for MOL that I paid £52 return to go by train to Blackpool when I could have flown for £38 from Stansted. It was a good move by me as the return flight I would have been on was cancelled due weather. I have no doubt that MOL would not have given a monkeys about his stranded passengers at Blackpool when the airport shut for the night. This is one passenger he will never see!