My access to the BBC is BBC World here in Thailand. I will watch out for the program with great interest.
My experience with Ryanair ended several years ago. During regular business trips to the UK I was based in Bishops Stortford and with family in Cornwall, the Stansted to Newquay service was appealing. However (and very obviously) a week long visit to Cornwall entailed at least one checked bag to carry a change of clothing, toilet kit etc. As a businessman I carried my briefcase with whatever documents I was working on at the time, passport etc. and I carried my laptop computer with all its bits and pieces in a separate hand carry bag.
It all worked splendidly in the beginning. I would book the best fares I could get given the notice my job gave me for a trip to Cornwall - I think the best deal I ever managed was £5 in one direction and £36 coming back.
Then one day, after something like a dozen return trips over the years, a child with granny glasses at check-in Newquay (for the return leg) told me that I could only take one bag into the cabin. Either my laptop or my briefcase had to go into the hold. This came out of nowhere. 5 days earlier I had flown from Stansted with two items of cabin baggage with no problem whatever. I had to empty my briefcase and stuff the contents in pockets and into the computer bag and send my empty briefcase to the hold. There has to be some Irish logic in this.
Needless to say that was the last time I used Ryanair. I went back to using the train. And guess what? Given all the additioonal charges now levied by Ryanair, it is actually cheaper to travel from Bishops Stortford to Truro by train and the time difference (allowing for a taxi from Newquay to Truro) is within 20 minutes.
Bye bye Ryanair!

Why Hate Ryanair?

Because Easyjet does it better...

Why hate Ryanair?
 

Jealousy??

Now we all know where this thread is heading

Why hate Ryan Air, seems to be a good subject to me. It's an obvious 'Marmite' argument. The usual Daily Mail readers will partake in the BBC bashing as usual (No minds of their own). But, at the end of the day there is an undeniable love or hate divide (I suggest more hate) on the Ryan air debate.
Why should they be treated any differently to any other company who have been exposed by Panorama or any other programme come to that?
Whatever the outcome, I suspect more people will now watch the programme because of the row, than might have before it.

Why would the BBC pick on a company that is making profits during a recession?? A company like this offers employment for 1000's and offers the cheapest airfares around...

Yes they are cut throat, yes they add lots of fee's to the standard fare... but would you rather them not make money and go down the same route as BMI or Air Lingus??

People who slate Ryanair clearly haven't a clue about running a successful business..(or as stated previously.. jealous)

Call100

'(I suggest more hate) on the Ryan air debate.'

Is this comment from personal experience or
from reading posts on here?

What percentage of the 60M passengers carried
were unhappy do you think?

MM

Why should they be treated any differently to any other company who have been exposed by Panorama or any other programme come to that?

Mainly because Panorama very rarely records a programme where they offer a balanced point of view. Usual BBC claptrap from an ill-informed reporter trying to sensationalise something where there is nothing to be sensationalised. I'm sure O'leary is laughing his ass off again.

Usual rubbish from the BBC. FR is not the best airline in the world, but if you buy a ticket (which 67 million people did last year), you are agreeing to a "basic" standard of service. If you pay €1 for a flight you have no right to complain.

KISS: It is not rocket science, if you dont like FR don't fly with them.

I would love to see a documentary on BA or AL work practices...highlighting to utter waste of money and taxpayers dosh. Love or hate FR, but rememeber they earn their money unlike other airlines and the BBC.

Another great free advert of O Leary and co..well done :D


The Beak,

What airlines do feel are good to work for, since you are not a fan of FR?

I'll tread in here with some trepidation.

Firstly, I'll make clear I'm biased .... I spent over 17 yrs working for EI and enjoyed it.

You'll see from that I was working at the time FR came on the scene and started impacting.

I miss those times and particularly the folks I worked with.


I have flown with FR and I have to say that my experience to date has been that I got just what it said on the tin.

Paid very little, got from A to B and then back to A exactly as I should and on time.

Service was as expected/paid for ...... "hello, goodbye".

The a/c was newish ans the seat OK.

The only nit-picking criticism I can just about come up with is that the crew's english wasn't all that clear.

But then I've travelled with many "foreign" airlines with the same issue and havn't seen cause to jump up and down complaining of it.

Apart from the language bit I really saw no difference in the trip beween FR & EZY flights.


Because of my background I have a sort of love/hate/respect/annoyance viewpoint on FR.

I can't stand some of the rubbish MOL comes out with .. but I can't help admire his consistency and ability to promote the company and achieve objectives.



I will watch the prog with interest.

However, how often do you watch such things, with industry knowledge, and sit there willing them to actually ask the crucial question which would clear up something only for the interviewer to suddenly move on :ugh:


For me it boils down to the fact that I can get to travel at a low cost. I compare the fares and decide.

For day trips (planned in advance) with no bags then FR (or EZY) often work out better value.

For trips requiring luggage or the chance that my plans might need to change it might be a "legacy" carrier.


FR clearly meet a market demand at the moment. Time will tell if they can continue to do this and if it's FR being smart and responding to a market led demand or creating one.


Part of me would love to see the "good old days" back ... but annother part of me realises that might be good for me but not for the punters!

Probably because I don't know anyone who has a good word to say about them. I've flown with them twice and to be honest it was an horrendous experience. I will not use them ever again.
I don't base my opinions on what I read on here.....As it reads, 'I Suggest'. Leaving it open to counter argument and differing opinions.
If people love them then fine...As I said, it's a 'Marmite' argument. If people want to fly with them, good luck.
Oh and the one emotion I lack about the whole issue is one of jealousy. I don't run an airline so have nothing to be jealous of.

at the end of the day, travelling by air is not a novelty anymore. when travelling short haul, people just want to get from A to B in the shortest and cheapest way possible. ryan air aim to provide a cheap service, not a quality service they dont proclaim otherwise. we might hate them, but if the same flight with ryan air is £20 cheaper than easyjet, were still going to ryanair, just like we would choose the cheaper train or taxi service.

Personally, I like the way that Ryanair keep banging on about the fact that they don't lose bags like other airlines. That's because they don't carry bags like any other airline! I don't hate Ryanair and must commend them on being able to carry 67m passengers a year which not many airlines can boast at the moment. All that said, I do think FR's bubble is going to burst in the not too distant future. When the economy DOES begin to recover properly and when people DO have a proper choice about which airline they fly with, then we might be seeing a very different Ryanair in the future.

Oh we here on the volcano just love Ryanair.

Love them we do !

From the end of the month, they are starting weekly flights from a variety of European locations to our little sceptred isle.

We need the tourism, we need to fill our hotels and villas

Viva Ryanair.

They are no worse than any of the other shyte carriers that shoehorn you into your little space at £125 a cell.

With Ryanair you get it for around £35 or less, makes it a little more tolerable.

The quality of air travel provided by the major UK charters is a frigging disgrace and possibly even a danger. I hope I am never involved in an forced evacuation from one of their compressed spam cans.

The problem imho is that people who complain about these charges were the ones who decided they didn't need to read the terms and conditions. You buy a ticket, you buy a contract simples!

People here you constantly slag off a profitable company helping many economies either stupid enough to ignore the contract or were so useless at their jobs with FR they were released to go to greener pastures.

Call100

Can you explain what exactly was an 'horrendous experience'
when you flew with them - just out of curiosity.I have no
intension of belittling your complaint but would just like to
know what was wrong with it.

I agree with you about the 'marmite' comment but obviously
60m plus find something worth putting up with.

MM

Having only flown for one I am hardly well placed to comment. From what I have seen though I think the TUI group of airlines seem very good, I also generally like Easyjet, Jet2 seems good, Lufthansa, KLM, Thomas Cook and Monarch to name a few.

And loses money!

Ahem....
 

Nicley put.