Ryanair
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Ryanair
Travelled recently to ALC
Had a hip problem and nice young lady saw I was struggling and asked if I required assisted exit. Thought about and reluctantly agreed, escorted on a golf cart through passport (such as it is) control and whisked out of ALC within 10 minutes.
A real pleasure
Had a hip problem and nice young lady saw I was struggling and asked if I required assisted exit. Thought about and reluctantly agreed, escorted on a golf cart through passport (such as it is) control and whisked out of ALC within 10 minutes.
A real pleasure
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Don't feel guilty, you paid for it (£0.50 per sector PRM levy). Your contribution and the contribution of other Ryanair passengers has contributed over £35 million annually to their coffers since 2004.
Also services such as you mention are provided by the airport (in the EU) and not the airline. So thank ALC, not MOL!
Also services such as you mention are provided by the airport (in the EU) and not the airline. So thank ALC, not MOL!
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Have you actually flown Ryanair? I have - albeit only one round trip and I was quite impressed by the simplicity of it all, the crew's friendliness and the fact that their clear priority was to depart on time. This coming from a veteran of over 35 years of global business travel in all classes of the cabin and with just about every airline you can think of, by the way.
If the next trip with Ryanair changes my opinion I will comment here.
If the next trip with Ryanair changes my opinion I will comment here.
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DeepDene, I don't want to re-open the RYR pros and cons debate yet again. Suffice to say they are fine as long as all goes according to plan and you can live with their product. But that's it. 57 years regular air travel which kicked off on a BEA Airspeed Ambassador. 
Whatever you say about them, they make a profit, and you can't say that about a lot of airlines. Not that they have a product which meets my requirements, but that's me.
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Ryanair. Having flown with them at least sixteen times a year GRO-STN since 1998 we finally wondered why we were putting up with their cattle-class transport and the passenger-humiliation that is Stansted, tried the TGV as an alternative and never went back.
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Having used FR several times, I have always found that they do exactly what they say on the tin. They have an enviable on time record, they operate out of easy to use airports, they are cheap, have an excellent safety record and most important, and I know a bit about this (and, no, I haven't worked for them), their flight crew training is, arguably, second to none.
If you don't like what it says on the tin, don't buy it.
If you don't like what it says on the tin, don't buy it.
OFSO - without doubt, travelling by Eurostar / TGV is far more civilised than O'Leary Airways - I speak as someone who has travelled from London to Hong Kong entirely by train (it seemed like a good way to spend the 2 months between the end of university and starting a real job)
However, to travel from central London to central Girona, going via Stansted takes aprrox half the time and, if you can manage without checking in luggage, cost including going to+from airport is about 40% cheaper, hence the reason why many people continue to put up with all the cattle class grief.
09:17 from St Pancras to arrive in Girona at 20:08 or departing Girona at 09:44 to arrive at St Pancras at 19:39 effectively uses up the whole day with travelling.
Add the 30 min check-in at St Pancras and we get to 10h21 or 10h55 one-way. Absolutely charming the 1st or 2nd time you do it. Gets to be a bit of a drag eventually.
Flight takes about 2 hours. 1 hour from cental London to Stansted. 1 hour for check in. 1 hour to get out of Girona airport into the centre of town. You end up with just 5 hours by air rather than over 10 hours by train.
However, to travel from central London to central Girona, going via Stansted takes aprrox half the time and, if you can manage without checking in luggage, cost including going to+from airport is about 40% cheaper, hence the reason why many people continue to put up with all the cattle class grief.
09:17 from St Pancras to arrive in Girona at 20:08 or departing Girona at 09:44 to arrive at St Pancras at 19:39 effectively uses up the whole day with travelling.
Add the 30 min check-in at St Pancras and we get to 10h21 or 10h55 one-way. Absolutely charming the 1st or 2nd time you do it. Gets to be a bit of a drag eventually.
Flight takes about 2 hours. 1 hour from cental London to Stansted. 1 hour for check in. 1 hour to get out of Girona airport into the centre of town. You end up with just 5 hours by air rather than over 10 hours by train.
Last edited by davidjohnson6; 20th Jan 2013 at 21:37.
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With Cryanair 99.5% (or more) of the time your flights will be uneventful, on time and your bags will travel on the same plane as you. 0.5% (or less) of the time something will go pear-shaped. Often not Cryanair's fault but you will be on your own. Ground Handling staff (rarely employed by the airline) are given zero authority to solve your problem.
If your flight is cancelled they will try and fob you off with 'here's your money back, go away', (even though they are required to compensate and assist you) or come back tomorrow (or in a weeks time) when we have seats available, or get yourself to the next airport 50-100-200kms away and we'll take you on our flight from there.
But you're on your own, they won't put on a bus to get you (and the other 180 passengers on your flight) there. Not their problem. They will never book you on another airline. They will just hope you will go away.
They are profitable, which you cannot say is true of many other airlines. But their profits come at a cost, to a small percentage of their passengers.
If your flight is cancelled they will try and fob you off with 'here's your money back, go away', (even though they are required to compensate and assist you) or come back tomorrow (or in a weeks time) when we have seats available, or get yourself to the next airport 50-100-200kms away and we'll take you on our flight from there.
But you're on your own, they won't put on a bus to get you (and the other 180 passengers on your flight) there. Not their problem. They will never book you on another airline. They will just hope you will go away.
They are profitable, which you cannot say is true of many other airlines. But their profits come at a cost, to a small percentage of their passengers.
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Not unless he's joined the large Hungarian oil & shipping company.............
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Well, as a primarily business traveller, I can certainly live with their product. I don't care about meals, in-flight-entertainment, fancy shopping mall terminals or the sense of flying on a so-called "prestige" airline. On short-haul trips I just want to get to my meeting on time with the minimum of fuss and get back home again - on time.
Also, since I work in a highly competitive business, the cost of travel is vitally important to maintain profit margins on a business opportunity while remaining competitive on price. I have no reason to fly on anyone other than the cheapest, provided they're safe and reasonably reliable.
Also, since I work in a highly competitive business, the cost of travel is vitally important to maintain profit margins on a business opportunity while remaining competitive on price. I have no reason to fly on anyone other than the cheapest, provided they're safe and reasonably reliable.
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"HH. Unusual for you get your facts wrong"
Indeed - I have seen MOL Hungary pallets with petrochemicals on board being shunted around by road and rail but should have spotted the different logo
Indeed - I have seen MOL Hungary pallets with petrochemicals on board being shunted around by road and rail but should have spotted the different logo
..... the cost of travel is vitally important to maintain profit margins on a business opportunity while remaining competitive on price. I have no reason to fly on anyone other than the cheapest, provided they're safe and reasonably reliable.
I just returned from a trip Scotland-Norway which could only be achieved using a well known French/Dutch legacy airline. My business paid just short of £400 for the cheapest fare, a sum which could have taken me to USA. For that amount the extra benefits were a sandwich and a beer on each sector. Oh - and they lost my luggage for two days!
If a low-cost alternative were available I would have just Kept Calm and Carried On. These flights are a means to an end. One reason I no longer read Flyer Talk is to escape from those who need 'privileges'
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travel from central London to central Girona, going via Stansted
Which is not possible and hasn't been since last year. Very few flights to the UK now from Girona and none to Stansted. MOL's ops from Girona are currently nearly all to Germany.
My fastest time by TGV door to door was nine hours, when due to heavy snow in the UK, Eurostar were getting passengers onto the next available train. Whether the train is faster (not faster than flying, just faster !) depends on where your start/finish point is. Ours is near St Pancras Ldn.
Mrs OFSO takes the train every 4/5 weeks to London, and every now and then I allow her to fly (or used to when there were flights from GRO to London every day of the week, which is no longer true), cattle class RYR, to see if she still thought the train was more comfortable. Last time she said "no contest".
An addendum: our nearest airport from which reliable airlines fly (reliable in this case doesn't refer to mechanical matters, but to withdrawal of Girona services by MOL in reprisal for losing part of a subsidy) is Barcelona, and times from our house to Barcelona to the centre of London are the same as taking the train.
Which is not possible and hasn't been since last year. Very few flights to the UK now from Girona and none to Stansted. MOL's ops from Girona are currently nearly all to Germany.
My fastest time by TGV door to door was nine hours, when due to heavy snow in the UK, Eurostar were getting passengers onto the next available train. Whether the train is faster (not faster than flying, just faster !) depends on where your start/finish point is. Ours is near St Pancras Ldn.
Mrs OFSO takes the train every 4/5 weeks to London, and every now and then I allow her to fly (or used to when there were flights from GRO to London every day of the week, which is no longer true), cattle class RYR, to see if she still thought the train was more comfortable. Last time she said "no contest".
An addendum: our nearest airport from which reliable airlines fly (reliable in this case doesn't refer to mechanical matters, but to withdrawal of Girona services by MOL in reprisal for losing part of a subsidy) is Barcelona, and times from our house to Barcelona to the centre of London are the same as taking the train.
Last edited by OFSO; 27th Jan 2013 at 12:49.
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I got a ticket price for TGV Barcelona to St Pancras £145 and Monarch from Barcelona to Gatwick £61 including all fees and taxes and one hold bag. Add train fare Gatwick to London £18 and you have £78. That's less than half the TGV fare and a bit quicker (roughly six hours instead of nine by TGV). You pays your money . . .
(However, I should own up and say that I'm with OFSO on this one and as soon as the High Speed Line is extended from Barcelona to Valencia, I'll be on it!)
(However, I should own up and say that I'm with OFSO on this one and as soon as the High Speed Line is extended from Barcelona to Valencia, I'll be on it!)
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TGV Barcelona to St Pancras £145
I just bought a return Perpignan to St Pancras on the TGV for £200 first class (PREM) for mid-March, now that's a single seat "armchair" recliner with nobody beside you on all trains and includes 'meals' on the Eurostar with (at least) one bottle of wine.
Sure you can fly for much less, but at my age I value the comfort. It all depends what you want in life. And I don't want to be elbowing some smelly shell-suited fatso with two kids dropping crisps in the aisle and one sitting behind me kicking the back of my seat for two hours.....
I just bought a return Perpignan to St Pancras on the TGV for £200 first class (PREM) for mid-March, now that's a single seat "armchair" recliner with nobody beside you on all trains and includes 'meals' on the Eurostar with (at least) one bottle of wine.
Sure you can fly for much less, but at my age I value the comfort. It all depends what you want in life. And I don't want to be elbowing some smelly shell-suited fatso with two kids dropping crisps in the aisle and one sitting behind me kicking the back of my seat for two hours.....