Ryanair/Channel 4 dispatches Programme
 

Press release due on www.ryanair.com this afternoon concerning an upcoming Channel 4 investigation into the airline. Programme alledged to use covert footage including conversations between crew members which bring the airlines safety into question.

Ryanair's request to reply to the allegations via an unedited interview have been denied by the tv station. Two undercover journalists worked for Ryanair in late 2005 in order to compile the story.

Here is the offical Ryanair response:
Some ten letters posted on their website so here is the link:
http://www.ryanair.com/site/EN/inpag...ner=DISPATCHES

when can we see this program

Not surprised that something like this has finally happened. - there is no smoke without fire though. I suspect that there will be elements of fact and fiction in the show. Either way publishing these letters will do only one thing and that is make sure that many more people will watch the program than might have done without all the extra publicity. I would think Dispatches will be delighted.
I also wonder what it would actually take to convince a bully like MOL that there might be something wrong with his airline and the issues of fatigue that the program appears to be about raise are very much part of the industry today. People should be aware that those at the pointy end are often shattered and fatigued - most airlines seem to see legal limits as targets rather than guidelines but I am sure that debate has been had somewhere else before on pprune.

Due to shown Monday February 13 at 8pm on Channel4 Television (UK).
Will be interesting to see if it is pulled before that.

Let the nitpicking begin! :}

Whilst no love is lost between the airline pilot fraternity and the Channel 4 Dispatches program there is definitely a whiff of schadenfreude with this one. Oh what a pleasure it will be to watch the Ryanair management squirm under the scrutiny of this programme.

In the correspondence published on the Ryanair website we can see the masters of spin within the Ryanair hierarchy spouting their nonsensical rubbish in a feeble attempt to smother the negative publicity that is heading their way like a hurricane approaching a low lying (pun intended) beachfront community. They've been caught with their pants down and are attempting to get their audience to look away rather than pull their pants up. How predictable! :}

The last letter from FR cracks me up............. where do they get an average of 18hrs a week from ????

Having read the initial correspondence between the maker of the program and Michael O'Leary, I hate to say it but it looks like it the program has come up with just about nothing of any note or substance. Is there anything in those 20 points that raises one pilot's eyebrow? Not mine chaps. Load of tosh. And I have to say, that is one robust response from MOL.

Just stand back and forget it's Ryanair under the spotlight. If this garbage was raised against another airline, we would all call it what it is: sh!te.

I said it before elsewhere, this is likely to be one big waste of air time.

The channel 4 web site claims "inadequate safety and security checks, dirty planes, exhausted cabin crew"

Having flown with Ryan Air asveral times over the past 5 years I can't say I've noticed the above. The pax security checks seem to be similar to the other airlines I've flown with, the planes have never appeared dirty (on the contrary they have been very clean and tidy). If the cabin crew are "exhausted" they seem to do a good job of hiding it.

It's not just that, the program can be edited with shots of crashed planes, menacing music and Danger! in red letters without actually making a verbal point.

Without taking sides, I do think that MOL (or whoever) should have a right of reply.

Oh mol is one to cry HUMAN RIGHTS.What about the rights of his workers.Save me the bleeding heart.
With all those letters,no wonder leo is away a lot at the moment.

simple maths:
900 hrs
---------- = 18 hrs/week... innit? Not?
50 weeks
OK so that's 2 weeks shy of a year.
:p

TDL
 

One must assume with YOUR maths that they dont have leave/training/sims etc........

It's called sarcasm.
I am also aware that 900 hrs (block) flying time does not equal 900 hrs worked...
:rolleyes:

Is there any way to watch the programm outside the UK, e.g. through the internet?

Is there any way someone can record it and make it available for all of us?

Having read the correspondence, I'm beginning to suspect that while C4/Dispatches may have some points, they've had to try and puff a lot of it up. If it was any other airline other than FR, I don't think this program would have even been comissioned. I'll reserve judgement until after the screening, but I would have thought more of C4 and Dispatches who normally put out some good programming.

EI-CFC
You don't watch a lot of C4 mate, do you! :suspect:

While I am no raving fan of RyanAir/ MoL, poor customer service etc, I doubt that this particular dispatches 'investigation' will be any more enlightening than previous ones.

Gutter Journalism at its best.

All it will serve is to further hammer home the mantra "that RYR is Europe’s no fares airline" or whatever....

I do wonder will they roll out the three Muppets from Embrey riddle who were used on the BA program to demonstrate the effects of Alcohol on flight crew - a so called 727 crew who didn't appear to be able to fly a standard profile sober, had no idea of location of switching etc, and who were all obviously students at the college whom C4 put forward as an experienced and qualified flight crew. :mad: :mad:

Anyone know if there will be something entertaining on the other sides? Live footage of some paint drying perhaps?

Sounds exactly the like the hatchet job they did on BA. Very litte in the way of real evidence and fifty minutes of filler in a poorly produced program. I'm amazed you think Dispatches put out some good programs. If this is the standard of the two programs on a subject we understand think what guff they must be producing on subjects we know nothing about! Lazy, sensationalist TV from people who've set out to make a program and don't care if the facts don't support it.

Maybe I've just been lucky with the ones I have watched over the years !!!!!! :D :D :D (granted the more recent ones I haven't seen many of - perhaps they've begun to deteriorate in quality since then!)

The big question...
 

This is shaping up to be a great case study on crisis communications.

From where I sit it looks like RyanAir are getting and taking good advice. I doubt this will go legal, C4 would love to screen "the programme they tried to ban".

However if they do show it, which after the promotional effort I expect they will, and fail to provide some balance then in a month or two we will see some "Equal promenance" coverage for RyanAir.

The big question, who has bought the ad breaks?
A low cost rival?

A "full service" rival?
A train operator?