Ryanair undercover

[FarBeag]

Anyone watch Dispatches on Channel Four this evening? It showed undercover investigations into the way in which Ryanair operates. Two Dispatches reporters spent five months secretly filming the airline's training programme and onboard flights as members of the cabin crew. What they found may make you think twice about flying Ryanair again. The undercover footage reveals what takes place behind the scenes: security lapses i.e., not checking passports properly, unsafe emergency doors, attitude of the pilots and air Stuarts in general, dirty aircrafts where someone got sick on the aircraft and they pored aftershave over it instead of cleaning it, pilots complaining about the hours they have to fly and exhausted cabin crew. The cynical staff attitudes towards passengers and their welfare are also unmasked. It’s quite scary and disgusting what happens on the inside and it gives me even less faith in flying with Ryanair than I already had.

[Thunderblaster]

Hardly shocking to me. Ryanair has been a lousy airline and I have not flown with them for more than four years out of protest. I rather travel to Belfast and fly with Easyjet. I felt rather vindicated watching that programme. Did you watch the programme about the three children in India with progeria afterwards?

[hamish]

It's always the same. How many Discovery Channel programmes have we seen of air crashes and, in nearly every case, crashes are the result of cut-backs in safety checks etc.

I don't care how cheap Ryanair are - given their record I wouldn't fly with them for free. I hope Aer Lingus doesn't start aping them either with regard to safety.

O'Leary is a cowboy and, in Ireland, we know enough about about cowboys (in so many areas - business, sport, politics etc) to know they never can be trusted.

[Macy]

Ryanair Documentary

Open book exams, safety warnings ignored, safety checks not completed (proves that 25 minute turn around isn't doable), deliberate breaches of security, officers scared of management etc etc.

And people on here thought they'd be the best option for running a new terminal? Low cost = low standards

[Macy]

And people wanted them to run a terminal in Dublin!?!?!

I've always tried to avoid Ryanair, unless price differential has made them impossible to ignore. However, the last 10 trips I've booked, Aer Lingus has been cheaper or in and around the same price anyway. Better service, no scrum for seats, higher baggage allowance, more check in staff etc etc.

[fosterdollar]

Ryanair representative seemed to put up a decent defence argument on The Last Word last night. There appears to be little backing up done by Dispatches on this. Wouldn't be too quick to get on Ryanair's back about it just yet.

[ColinR]

to be honest i thought it was a terribly unprofessional documentary. it set out with an agenda, and stuck with it and never gave an oppurtunity for balance.

at one stage, an air hostess claimed that sometimes she had to get up at 4, and was not back home til half five in the evening (for 4 days a week). she was so knackered, she could do nothing at all. ffs thats about normal hours for anybody that commutes to work (albeit two hours earlier than i would be used to, but home two hours earlier too!).

evertything seemed twisted aswell - the pilots hours were stuck too stricktly, but they tried to imply that they were being abused as well.

overall, just a bad documentary, that didn't prove anything to me

[Macy]

You're honestly happy with what you saw last night? There was nothing that would concern you flying with them? I find it bizarre that people would write off the programme so easily and let Ryanair off the hook just like that.

[Clifford]

Standards in Cunni Lingus our national carrier are way lower down the chain than what was shown last night Macy, so yes indeed Ryainair should have been given the chance with a terminal.

The modern passenger is too discerning and hard working generally to worry about the poor documentary that was on last night. What a waste of money that was. NO quotes from anyone in authority, just a few fed up pilots and tired trolly dolly's. People are just not interested when they can get to Europe for 30 euro's. End of.

From the Irish examiner:

Television exposé 'vindicates' Ryanair

By Paul Kelly
RYANAIR bosses last night said the airline's safety and security policies were vindicated by an undercover exposé on British television.

Channel 4's Dispatches programme sought to throw up questions over cabin crew training, security checks, tired air stewards and cleanliness.

But last night's broadcast, called Ryanair: Caught Napping, failed to provide anything but the mildest claims against the low-fares airline.

Significantly, the programme carried no comment from Britain or Ireland's aviation authorities, who Ryanair said had found no cause for concern following the allegations.

The most serious allegation centred on what Dispatches said was the lack of final passport and boarding card checks upon leaving the boarding gate.

But the programme-makers failed to mention full and rigorous checks are carried out beforehand at check-in, security and passport control.

They also showed a member of the cabin crew asleep on one flight while one of the undercover reporters, Charlotte Smith, complained of being tired.

After seeing footage of sleeping air stewards, aviation medical consultant Dr Ian Perry said: "They are fatigued enough to be asleep and they are not going to be alert and not able to handle crises, an accident or an emergency."

One pilot said how hard pilots worked but admitted the airline kept within the legal limit for his flying time of 900 hours a year.

Members of staff were caught on camera moaning about their employer but none raised any questions about security or safety.

Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary said: "Ryanair operates to the highest safety standards in Europe. Dispatches' five-month undercover documentary could not produce evidence of any breaches of safety or security policies."

[dahamsta]

Simply won't fly Ryanair. If Ryanair is the only airline flying there - not that they understand the concept of "there" anyway - I won't go, or I'll find another way. I'm convinced at this stage that if I do, I'll be on the flight that is going to drop out of the sky.

adam

[ColinR]

You're honestly happy with what you saw last night? There was nothing that would concern you flying with them? I find it bizarre that people would write off the programme so easily and let Ryanair off the hook just like that.

to be honest, given the agenda that the documentary clearly set out with, i doubted whether the staff were genuinly sleeping, not checking that oxygen masks were there etc. or whether the whole crew were in on this, and that they were saying things for the sake of the documentary.

every ryanair flight i've been on (quite a lot, as i come home every few weeks), the staff are constantly serving, they do not have time to fall asleep etc., their level of service has been no different to that of aer lingus. i would have no problems with ryanair after seeing that last night.

[Macy]

So why have the checks at boarding then - if they're unnecessary then why bother with them at all? Why were they introduced?

Vindicated me whole - I think people believing O'Leary's hype so readily is nearly more worrying than the continued evidence of ryanair's short cuts.

[Macy]

every ryanair flight i've been on (quite a lot, as i come home every few weeks), the staff are constantly serving, they do not have time to fall asleep etc., their level of service has been no different to that of aer lingus. i would have no problems with ryanair after seeing that last night.

I suppose this is the difference - I've found on my many trips the level of service to be terrible, the lack of information when there are inevitable delays, the state of the planes to be poor in terms of cleanliness, the attitude of cabin staff all well below aer lingus. Ryanair has to come in at least €20 cheaper each way for me to consider using them. Possible the Edinburgh routes don't have the turnaround that Manchester routes do?

[finlma]

Its just a bit of hype over nothing. I guarantee you Ryanair aren't the only airline that you could make a documentary like this about.

I say fair play to them for driving down the prices of flights and opening up new destinations to Irish people. I've flown with them for years and years without a single problem and will continue to do so. Keep up the good work Mr. O'Leary.

[ColinR]

I suppose this is the difference - I've found on my many trips the level of service to be terrible, the lack of information when there are inevitable delays, the state of the planes to be poor in terms of cleanliness, the attitude of cabin staff all well below aer lingus. Ryanair has to come in at least €20 cheaper each way for me to consider using them. Possible the Edinburgh routes don't have the turnaround that Manchester routes do?

well to be honest the only times i've had any poor service from ryanair was on manchester routes!!

from edinburgh, i would chose aer-lingus all things being equal (plus possible a small premium, but not much) - but only because their planes are more comfortable, and less full!!

they have many faults, but they are no frills, and you do get what you pay for with them. Last night didn't expose anything too shocking for me.