Irish Times - Insight into working for Ryanair

Started by muppet, September 28, 2013, 01:59:39 PM

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haranguerer

When we were kids air travel was completely unaffordable - for family weddings in London it used to be a ferry over to Scotland and drive down the whole country. Ryanair were largely responsible for changing that and have my gratitude at least, for doing so.

Declan

mmm - who to believe O'Leary or the pilots ;) ;)

Over 700 pilots left Ryanair in last financial year, Ialpa claims

Issues surrounding Ryanair flight cancellations flagged with airline over a year ago

about 20 hours ago
The changes that have led Ryanair to introduce its flight cancellation programme were flagged to the airline at least a year ago, according to the Irish Air Line Pilots' Association (Ialpa).

They have described as "strange and unsustainable" the airline's explanation that the disruption is being caused by difficulties with pilots' entitlements to annual leave.

However at a press conference on Monday, Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary denied the airline was short of pilots or that a large number of pilots had joined other airlines.

On Friday the airline announced it was going to introduce a six-week programme of cancellations, to address a number of matters including a shortage of pilots caused by the airline having "messed up" its holiday leave roster.

However Ialpa has said the disruption and the cancellations are due to Ryanair having to implement its scheme for measuring pilot flying hours in a way that is keeping with EU flight time regulations.

They say that for years Ireland and the Irish Aviation Authority interpreted the EU rules governing maximum flying hours in a way that was different from other EU regulators, which gave Irish airlines an advantage.

However Irish airlines now have to adopt the rules in the same way as their EU counterparts. This is affecting the airline's pilot rostering operation, but it has been known that the change is coming for some time.

"It seems clear that Ryanair has failed to plan properly for the implementation of the regulations," Ialpa said.

The change regards when airlines began to count the annual flying hours of a pilot. Up to recently Ryanair began counting the hours on April 1st, but it must now do so from January 1st.

The association also says that the high turnover of pilots at the airline is putting pressure on its pilot roster, and point to filings to the Securities and Exchange Commission in the US that show that, as of 2017, the average length of stay for a pilot with the airline was four years.

An Ialpa analysis of the data indicates that more than 700 pilots left Ryanair in its latest financial year, creating a significant new pilot and training challenge for the airline.

It said that Ryanair has requested pilots to work during their "leave" period, but this appears to contradict the airline's claim that difficulties are being caused by pilots having to take leave before the year's end.

"Since there is no requirement in aviation regulation to provide annual leave per se, it is unclear what is compelling Ryanair to provide any leave to their pilots at this time. It seems clear that Ryanair has failed to plan properly for the implementation of the regulations."

"A separate point of note is Ryanair saying that the problem will last for about six weeks. This conveniently brings them to the winter schedule with its reduced overall crewing requirement, which is further evidence of the real problem being a shortage of flight crew."

Orior

I remember watching an episode of "The Thick of It" when Malcolm Tucker told someone he was raging at a level he normally reserved for Ryanair.
Cover me in chocolate and feed me to the lesbians

Eamonnca1

Quote from: haranguerer on September 19, 2017, 09:45:56 AM
When we were kids air travel was completely unaffordable - for family weddings in London it used to be a ferry over to Scotland and drive down the whole country. Ryanair were largely responsible for changing that and have my gratitude at least, for doing so.

True, except that Easyjet and plenty of other low cost airlines manage to make flying affordable without being run by egotistical cretins who think it's funny to treat their customers and employees with contempt. You don't have to be unethical to be successful in business.

gallsman

easyJet absolutely treat their customers with the same level of contempt as Ryanair.

playwiththewind1st

Yes but their CEO doesn't regularly go to the media to rub their noses in it, unlike O'Leary.

Boycey

I've flown all over Europe and seen places I'd never of been because of Ryanair and in probably in excess of 100 flights I've had 1 really bad experience. would I say I've been treated with contempt, not really..

Everyone knows what they offer, if you don't like it fly with someone else.

haranguerer

Quote from: Eamonnca1 on September 19, 2017, 06:00:48 PM
Quote from: haranguerer on September 19, 2017, 09:45:56 AM
When we were kids air travel was completely unaffordable - for family weddings in London it used to be a ferry over to Scotland and drive down the whole country. Ryanair were largely responsible for changing that and have my gratitude at least, for doing so.

True, except that Easyjet and plenty of other low cost airlines manage to make flying affordable without being run by egotistical cretins who think it's funny to treat their customers and employees with contempt. You don't have to be unethical to be successful in business.

I could count on one hand the amount of times I've been delayed with Ryanair. I have never flown easyjet without being delayed, and usually its 50/50 at best with flybe. Neither of those treat me better than Ryanair, I haven't experienced the contempt you speak of, and their planes are newer and more modern than either of the others. Just because you don't like how a company does business doesn't make them unethical.

As an aside, weren't the founders (and owners until v recently) of easyjet charged with manslaughter in the past in relation to an incident which led to deaths and a massive ecological disaster? I'd have O'Leary any day

TabClear

At the end of the day nobody forces anyone to fly with any of these airlines. You know they are a budget airline and what that means. If you dont like the customer service/baggage restrictions/pay for seat etc etc go elsewhere. Too many people want the cheap flights but seem to think that they are entitled to the  customer service of more expensive options that they chose not to pay for.

My main gripe with the likes of Easyjet/Ryanair is that they are not strict enough on the cabin baggage sizes. The amount of idiots carrying huge rucksacks/cases onboard and trying to jam them into the overhead lockers or holding up the disembarking while they try to wrestle them down the isle really bugs me!

Rant over!

playwiththewind1st

Sorted. O'Leary has just banned all hand baggage, owing to a shortage of overhead bins.

Tony Baloney

I've never had any bother with easyJet or other budget carriers. Their basic service is fairly similar - arrive on time with a boarding card and a case or bag that fits their carry-on requirements and things will be golden. The difference between the good company and the shitty one is how they treat their customers which things go wrong. This is where Ryanair seem to fall down as there appears to be a level of contempt for paying customers. 

Puckoon

Never flown Ryanair - but flew EasyJet a bunch as a college student

What is the saving compared to a standard priced airline? Let's say Dublin to London, 1 checked bag.

Tony Baloney

Quote from: Puckoon on September 20, 2017, 03:18:19 PM
Never flown Ryanair - but flew EasyJet a bunch as a college student

What is the saving compared to a standard priced airline? Let's say Dublin to London, 1 checked bag.
Not a pile nowadays as "standard priced airlines" such as Aer Lingus etc. have similarly low prices.

Sandino

Has anyone noticed the way that all the other ethical low cost  airlines are jacking their prices up now that Ryanair is not as competitive?
"You can go proudly. You are history. You are legend''

TabClear

Quote from: Sandino on September 29, 2017, 12:50:15 PM
Has anyone noticed the way that all the other ethical low cost  airlines are jacking their prices up now that Ryanair is not as competitive?

Supply and Demand which is fair enough-dont think any airline would class themselves as ethical.

The other airlines will be loving the prospect of Ryanair having to pay them for these inflated fares