Ryanair Customer Care. (or not?)

[exeng]

Ryanair bashed again, this time in todays Evening Standard. Please see link below.

<a href="http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/dynamic/news/business_story.html?in_review_id=487634&in_review_text_id=44 4466" target="_blank">http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/dynamic/news/business_story.html?in_review_id=487634&in_review_text_id=44 4466</a>

Something about complaints from the public about unclear advertising. Surely can't be true can it as MOL seems such a sincere sort of chap?


Regards
Exeng

[HugMonster]

Hmmmm - "Every seat on every flight" in MOL's book means only Tuesdays, Wenesdays and Thursdays. Is this man a crook, or is he just a cheap crook?

[Tommyhawk]

Have just used Buzz for the first time Stansted-Lyon and return . Both Departures exactly on time,
Smiles and excellent service from ALL crew in abundance and everything spotlessly clean..All for £80 return each in Christmas week!..Fair to say I'll use them again. <img src="wink.gif" border="0">

[World Traveller]

I have also had the very very fast safety demo, on a BHX-DUB flight, by a crew of three who were unbelievably miserable. I couldn't follow it, but thankfully I'm reasonably familiar with the 737-200. Same as the experience above, the return crew were very pleasant an seemed interested in their jobs.

As a punter I do not expect the fake smiles etc etc that some airlines feel the need to convey, but common courtesy costs nothing. Hell, if the poor CC have to say hello to 150 punters, the least I can do is return the greeting!

I also find the stampede for the free seating all very silly, and very offputting.

I did respect MOL but I think the costcutting/minimal staff levels (not to mention the new pilot paying to apply process) has gone too far. The FR/MOL bubble will burst.

Long may Babs and Stelios have a 1,000 737s each and rule the (European) airways <img src="smile.gif" border="0">

World Traveller
&lt;Haway ah gan&gt;

(edited to remove massive-and stupid- assumption)

[ 09 January 2002: Message edited by: World Traveller ]</p>

[schwabn]

World traveller,

Babs will be gone in the not all too distant future and Stellios and MOL will split the market between them. Buzz is an insignificant player that can safely be ignored.

Just do remember that FR policy is to fly you cheap and reliably. That's exactly what they're doing and they are right to sacrifice over the top levels of customer care for lower fares, which at the end of the day benefit the travelling public. FR also recommends you book travel insurance covering you for these eventualities.

[brain fade]

Ryanair are not always as cheap as they seem. Our party of 3 paid £23.50 (return) PIK-STN each. Fair enough. Return leg, checked in 59.5 minutes before STD to be told (along with many others) 'you are late, the captain won't take you, your ticket is cancelled!' NB our mistake was to stand at the Ticket desk, which wasn't, obviously(?) the check in desk. Many furious pax arguing with the check in staff who plainly were very used to this. I asked how it could be that the Captain could say he wouldn't take us when at that moment the a/c not yet arrived? everyone mightily pi**ed off, we all paid an extra £25 to be home much later. An Irish chap paid his by cheque which he vowed to stop as soon as he got home. We all know Ryanair is cheap. They can also be rude. They can be un cooperative. Deliberate sharp practice is company policy. When you fly with Ryanair remember they will try to squeeze you for a few quid extra if they can and they dont care if they never see you again once they have done so. and in my case they never will again. This is a policy that has sent many a good company down the toilet, as there is a finite number of people out there willing to be mugged twice!

[Knold]

Like I wrote earlier, when are people gonna realise that there is no magic going on at FR. They have the same costs as everybody else (in general that is, excluding the subsidies they got in Belgium).
If you pay squat you are gonna get squat.
Just because it’s called air travel don’t necessarily make it the same air travel as the regular airlines you’re used to provide.

I’m not saying it’s a bad idea Ryan has, it’s a great thing for backpackers and so on, just don’t expect any more.

[Lee Palmers]

Did anyone on PPRUNE also know that at Luton one of the Cabin Crew girls does the gate, I would have thought their time would be better spent pre-paring the aircraft for the next sector. Many times you see them running out at last minute, up the stairs, door shuts & plane pushes.

[HugMonster]

Knold, in the first place, Ryanair are not exactly cheap. Furthermore, customer care costs little and goes a long way to encouraging the passengers to use you again. But if all you're interested in is making a quick buck, then sod 'em.

Otherwise, good news about service people have received travels quite fast, but not nearly as fast as complaints from friends, relatives, business associates etc. about the p!ss poor service they got, and how "if I were you, I'd never use this cr@p outfit"...

I suspect that Ryanair's days are numbered, and their demise will hurt everyone except MO'L. Where he differs from Herb Kelleher is that Southwest was founded on the principle of providing a service. Ryanair don't care about providing a service, just about making money, and wouldn't recognise a principle if it bit 'em on the leg.

[Knold]

Well I don't know if their days are numbered altogether but this attitude won't make 'em last forever that’s for sure.

BTW Hug, what’s a UB40

[TDK mk2]

A friend flew EDI-DUB with FR last friday and was harrassed at checkin for having 6kg of carryon and then at the gate for being late at 18:20 for a departure time of 18:35. Funny how EZ can accept checkin for international flights up to 30 mins before departure and FR use the 60 min rule as an excuse to bump pax and make them pay for another flight.

Not to even start on their recruitment policy it's fair to say that I for one will not be climbing the stairs of anything with a harp on the tail in any capacity...

P.S. I think Ms Cassani might have something to say about the contention that she will be 'gone in the not all too distant future' but whatever you think Mr Irishman.

[christian_MD80]

@euroboy!

Thats what I expected. Thanks for the answer, which triggered some more details about their level of service.

Safety is not expressed in Pound/Euro, therefor not needed???

Take care!

Christian

[World Traveller]

Fokker in sight - I think FR cc do the gate everywhere. I've seen it at DUB, STN and, erm, Nykoping. There is normally a regular gate agent alongside.

WT
&lt;just a punter&gt;