Ryanair - Something to make you laugh in these time of Global Recession

[wildrover]

Exactly...Read the rules...Then Follow them...And then spend the savings on a few pints in the departure lounge...Possibly even raise a toast to Michael O Leary for forcing competitive prices in the airline industry...

Have you ever driven 31 mph in a 30 mph speed limit area? If yes, then please send your licence details and cheque to the Penalty Points office like a good chap.

Except that's not quite an accurate comparison is it?...

If I KNEW that the police were stationed at each 25metre interval of each and every 30mph zone I ever ventured into, I sure as hell wouldnt be exceeding the 30mph speed limit...When you go to an airport to fly with Ryanair you KNOW that Ryanair baggage officials will be there to greet you and will weigh your baggage and you should have prepared accordingly for this...

If I went to an airport to fly with Ryanair 1000 times and only had my bag weighed three times (about as often as I've seen PSNI in South Down), I might be inclined to chance my arm with a little extra sun-tan lotion....

[Main Street]

What a non story. If you fly Ryanair you know you need to have your luggage weight right or you're fecked.

How do people not know how Ryanair operate at this stage?

Maybe that person had not travelled by air before or had not travelled with Ryanair before, maybe they just assumed that 20kg per piece was the norm as it is for most cheap airline tickets.

It's cheap and doesn't bother with special cases so if you want sympathy they're not the airline for you and you'd better be prepared to pay a bit more!

It's cheap in many ways    but the way cheaper travel tickets is a myth.

How many people have travelled once on Ryanair and said 'never again' and managed to keep to their word as best they could?
Once was enough for me.

[screenexile]

What a non story. If you fly Ryanair you know you need to have your luggage weight right or you're fecked.

How do people not know how Ryanair operate at this stage?

Maybe that person had not travelled by air before or had not travelled with Ryanair before, maybe they just assumed that 20kg per piece was the norm as it is for most cheap airline tickets.

It's cheap and doesn't bother with special cases so if you want sympathy they're not the airline for you and you'd better be prepared to pay a bit more!

It's cheap in many ways    but the way cheaper travel tickets is a myth.

How many people have travelled once on Ryanair and said 'never again' and managed to keep to their word as best they could?
Once was enough for me.

I had a quick check there. A flight to Barcelona in April will cost me €106 including Charges.

With Aer Lingus those same flights will be €142. That's a pretty significant saving for most people!

[heffo]

I read that headline and said to myself what a non-story - everyone knows the weight limits - 6kg over a 15kg limit - chancers - good cause or not

[AZOffaly]

If I have a choice between Aer Lingus and RyanAir it's Aer Lingus every time. Even down to the friendliness of the staff, Aer Lingus is much better. That said, from Shannon or Farranfore, you are limited in routes and if I have to fly Ryan Air, I do so, and I know their rules and follow them.

I just always feel like a flight with Ryan Air is the equivalent of riding the tram in Rome. It's an achievement to have the same money in your pocket when you reach the destination.

[ludermor]

If I have a choice between Aer Lingus and RyanAir it's Aer Lingus every time. Even down to the friendliness of the staff, Aer Lingus is much better. That said, from Shannon or Farranfore, you are limited in routes and if I have to fly Ryan Air, I do so, and I know their rules and follow them.

I just always feel like a flight with Ryan Air is the equivalent of riding the tram in Rome. It's an achievement to have the same money in your pocket when you reach the destination.

Flying with Aer Lingus just feels like an upgrade!

[southdown]

Nothing new here. Ryanair purposely stir up controversy as the media love having a go at them.  It gets plastered all over the papers and its great PR. Any publicity is good publicity and everyone knows who they are.  Result - most people know about Ryanair when booking flights and I see tehir profits have went up again this year.  O'Leary uses the media very well.

[deiseach]

Nothing new here. Ryanair purposely stir up controversy as the media love having a go at them.  It gets plastered all over the papers and its great PR. Any publicity is good publicity and everyone knows who they are.  Result - most people know about Ryanair when booking flights and I see tehir profits have went up again this year.  O'Leary uses the media very well.

I have no principled objection to flying with Ryanair, but I'm always bewildered as to how their publicity stunts like the one that started this thread are seen as gas altogether yet PR disasters -and it is a disaster, the meek tone of their statement says as much - like the latest story are shrugged off on the basis that everyone knows what Ryanair are like. Why are Ryanair so impervious to the concept of the magnificent gesture?

[Bingo]

Exactly...Read the rules...Then Follow them...And then spend the savings on a few pints in the departure lounge...Possibly even raise a toast to Michael O Leary for forcing competitive prices in the airline industry...

Have you ever driven 31 mph in a 30 mph speed limit area? If yes, then please send your licence details and cheque to the Penalty Points office like a good chap.

Except that's not quite an accurate comparison is it?...

If I KNEW that the police were stationed at each 25metre interval of each and every 30mph zone I ever ventured into, I sure as hell wouldnt be exceeding the 30mph speed limit...When you go to an airport to fly with Ryanair you KNOW that Ryanair baggage officials will be there to greet you and will weigh your baggage and you should have prepared accordingly for this...

If I went to an airport to fly with Ryanair 1000 times and only had my bag weighed three times (about as often as I've seen PSNI in South Down), I might be inclined to chance my arm with a little extra sun-tan lotion....

I've flown with Ryanair loads and have never had my bag weighted at the airport. Have had to fit it into the box yoke once to ensure it was right size.

[AZOffaly]

That's Carry On. I've never had the Carry On weighed either. I assume these things were Checked Bags?

[deiseach]

The more I think about it, the sillier the behaviour of the Ryanair staff in this case gets. 20 (for example) people travelling together. Baggage allowance: 20 people x 15 kilos each = 300 kilos. Weigh all the bags and add up the allowances. No need for anyone to go trashing through their luggage to balance it all up and hold up the queue. But no! That would set a dangerous precedent, anyone in the queue could club their allowances together and you'd be for the high jump when Michael O'Leary or whichever satrap who was in charge found out. What a horrible company it must be to work for.

[Bingo]

That's Carry On. I've never had the Carry On weighed either. I assume these things were Checked Bags?

Yeah that could well be it.

Deisech - i've heard it said that staff get commission from these extra charges they can levy at the airports. Not sure if its true as I've never met anyone who admit working for them, a few who have said sheepishly they "work at the airport" have raised a few eyebrows though. 

[armaghniac]

The more I think about it, the sillier the behaviour of the Ryanair staff in this case gets.

People in any organisation have to do their job.
Allowing people bypass regulations is depriving their employer of revenue, which should be a no no for any employee.

There is a broader point here. This trip was only possible because Ryanair provided affordable airfares, yet everyone is trying to undermine the Ryanair model.

[Declan]

i've heard it said that staff get commission from these extra charges they can levy at the airports.

correct

[deiseach]

The more I think about it, the sillier the behaviour of the Ryanair staff in this case gets.

People in any organisation have to do their job.
Allowing people bypass regulations is depriving their employer of revenue, which should be a no no for any employee.

There is a broader point here. This trip was only possible because Ryanair provided affordable airfares, yet everyone is trying to undermine the Ryanair model.

But they didn't get any extra revenue here. All they got from this incident is bad publicity. And despite an old trope to the contrary, there is such a thing as bad publicity.