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I'm going away in August and booked flights last week with Ryanair wanting to get it done early before the prices went up as seats got booked (as this is how I thought it works). Now, the price of the flights have actually gone down and I see no reason for this. Given Ryanair are such a high profile company this is legit?
Yes it is.Quote:
Originally Posted by DmanDmythDledge
Plenty of companies have sales where their products/services are reduced. I'd go so far as to say all of them...Quote:
Originally Posted by DmanDmythDledge
Ryanair actually work on searches aswell as bookings so if you've checked the same flights 5 times a day for a week, their system logs that this flight is popular. If no one searches for a week, this will "calm down" to its regular price
It's the basic economics of supply and demand.
Its actually complex economics of expected demand against expected supply!!Quote:
Originally Posted by endabob1
Roughly the same algorithims are used to price flights as priced subprime bonds and the like....... !
Ryanair used to operate a much simpler system until the last couple of years when it was always cheaper to buy earlier, and the price went in only one direction (up) the closer you got. However now they use dynamic predictive pricing models like the other airlines.
But it comes down to the fact that there is a limited supply of seats on a given flight or even route so as demand increases so does the price if there is no demand prices will drop off.
If you are feeling really vindictive you could keep going into the website booking seats and cancelling at the payment stage, thus creating the illusion of demand and the price will go up but the seats will remain unsold.
Yes,, What a shower.
I flew from Leeds back to Dublin this week and back over to Leeds last night. The plane was jammed backed full of stags / hens, business and little ol ladies. I bought the ticket about two weeks ago for 343 euro inc taxes etc (no Baggage though). About three years ago there were four flights a day and almost all were never full and cost less than a ton nearly always. Now O leary has one around mid morning and the last one is at 10pm or 11pm depending on which side of the sea you are on. The new 737 800s have 180 seats meaning about 700 seats a day (4 flights) have bums on the them were as three years ago during the 737 - 200 days he had about 800 bums on 8 flights. So he cuts capacity puts the prices up and we keep coming? Why?
I don't bloody know, the service is crap (leeds is never on time in my experience) the staff on board are un friendly in the extreme, the prices for tickets are expensive and the you get smokeless cigs and scratch cards, bulls eye baggies shoved down you neck during the flight.
Flew with Aerarnn to Galway last month from Manchester and the flight was delayed from 9.45pm departure to 11.45pm departure meaning we landed in galway at 1.15am. Those tickets cost nearly 250 euro. Cheap air travel??
I would suggest yeilds are up per seat generally in the last 12 - 18 months, as airlines tried to gauge the price elasticity of flight tickets, and have been pleasently surprised.
Vote with your feet. I've never flied Ryanair and I never will; even went so far as to take two connecting flights to Malta last year just to avoid the stress of dealing with them. I'd go postal if I had to deal with a Ryanair flight.
Holding the pen Christy Brown style?Quote:
Originally Posted by dahamsta
How do you know if you've never flown with them.Quote:
Originally Posted by dahamsta
I have eyes Ash, I can read. I don't need to rub crap in my face to know I don't like it.
Flown with them tons of time and never had a problem. Sure the inside of the planes are an eyesore but always found staff freindly enough.
Don't understand why people hate Ryanair. I know I couldn't have gone to so many places if it wasn't for them, they're the only airline in Ireland who offer flights so cheap. The way I see it, you're on the flight for a few hours maximum, what sort of service are you expecting(particularly if you've only paid a few euro for the flight)? Who cares if they try and sell scratch cards/smokeless cigarettes etc. they dont shove it in your face, they just walk down the aisle with it, ignore them. I've never had a problem with them and will continue to fly with them. Whether you like O'Leary or not, he's certainly shaken up the aviation industry.
Don't see how someone who's never flown with them can talk about 'the stress of dealing with them' either.
This is basically my experience of them too. I'd never use them when making a connection (unless I was giving myself a day or two in the area where I was getting the connecting flight), but I've found them friendly and helpful enough, and thouygh they try and flog a lot of stuff, I just ignore them and they leave me alone.Quote:
Originally Posted by sligoman
When it comes to what the influence of Ryanair has been on the air insdustry in general, I'd imagine people would have plenty of negative comments to make. I know that their issues with the DAA (who, ludicrously, control Shannon airport) regaring fees for flying into Shannon has seen at least one business basically bleed to death in the Shannon and Ennis region, as the flights they depended on for business/customers are no longer available - not necessarily meaning that Ryanair stopped offering them, more so that Ryanair undercut the airlines offering them and made it unviable for the other airline to continue flying that route and pulling out, thus giving Ryanair a momopoly on that or a similar route, which they're keen to exploit.
Well thts just it. I've no doubts that Ryanair (like most large companies) tries to undercut its suppliers and is generally a complete bully in all areas of business.
But just like Ive no bother with Nestle, I've no bother with Ryanair as long as they treat me decently. I'd prefer not to have to use them, but if I want to go to certain places for a certain price I'm willing to accept I have to use them.
Flew with Ryanair a good few times and never once had a problem with them. I Ignore all the people passing with all the scratch cards and I buy a newspapaer cheaper in the terminal.
I fly Cork to Amsterdam with Aer lingus every week and talking to various people that would not have been affordable in the pre ryanair days when Aer lingus used to charge what they liked. So I get to come home and see my wife / family every weekend so I'm actually grateful to Michael O'Leary for that.
As long as its safe to fly with Ryanair - I dont think you can have too many complaints about them given how cheap the flights are. Make sure you read all the T and C's before you leave.
I'm surprised to hear that the Dub - Leeds flight is rarely on time. I've flown ( off the top of my head ) Cork- Dub, Cork - Stans, Dub -eindhoven, Dub - Newcastle, Dub - Preswick, over the past year or so, and not once have I ever been on a flight that was late.
I don't hate them, but I avoid where possible. Reasons:Quote:
Originally Posted by sligoman
1) Seat pitch that is verging on dangerous. Its not just uncomfortable, its painful.
2) Out of the way airports are a false economy
3) Zero customer service when things go wrong. Basically "you're on your own, what more did you expect for what you paid?" is the motto.
4) Full of skangers (snobby I know)
5) They aren't any cheaper than the competition if you need to travel Friday-Monday (as proved by Fr. Damo above)
I agree that they have revolutionised air travel in Europe and particularly in Ireland, but for me the benefit of that is that it makes Aer Lingus, Cityjet and other less painful airlines much more affordable that they would have been.
I also really dislike how their way of doing business creeps into the practices of other airlines. E.g. 150 people standing queueing for an Aer Lingus flight,when you have an allocated seat and they board by row number. Why are you standing?!?!?! Also, building Pier D (now the 100 gates) at Dublin Airport without jetbridges in one of the wettest countries in Europe. I've been soaked at least half a dozen times now queueing on the tarmac in the rain. Grrrrrr....
Ryanair are great.
As long as you don't make even the tiniest mistake with your booking and absolutely nothing goes wrong. In which case you're screwed.
What annoys me about them is that they seem to enjoy being b*****ds just for the sake of it. For example- just include the bloody web check in in the ticket price, it's not like we have a choice!
Attitude tends to come from the top, so I wouldn't be surprised by that.
On the matter of voting with your feet and alternatives I travelled to London last week by sail and rail from Dun Laoghaire port. I have no problem with Ryanair but I am not fond of air travel and I must say having tried it out it is a more pleasant alternative. You only have to check in half an hour before departure, the check in proceedure itself swift and without hassle. On the other side in Holyhead you can step straight onto the train platform when you get off the boat. One or two changeovers may be necessary but you'll get into Euston train station within 5 hours. It sounds like a lot of hassle but if you live in the South East of Dublin it'll take you ages to get to the airport, you'll lose more time having to check in earlier, you'll lose more time on the other side getting your bags and then getting a train into London. There's also no worries about what you're carrying in hand luggage, the weight of your bags etc. Price wise it's €80 return, no other taxes or additional charges) and that applies for most destinations in Britain (slightly cheaper if you're heading to a destination closer to Holyhead). If you live near Dun Laoghaire or Dublin Port and you're heading to Britain it's an option worth considering over flight.
[[/QUOTE]Quote:
QUOTE=Real ale Madrid;1371304]Flew with Ryanair a good few times and never once had a problem with them. I Ignore all the people passing with all the scratch cards and I buy a newspapaer cheaper in the terminal.
I fly Cork to Amsterdam with Aer lingus every week and talking to various people that would not have been affordable in the pre ryanair days when Aer lingus used to charge what they liked. So I get to come home and see my wife / family every weekend so I'm actually grateful to Michael O'Leary for that.
As long as its safe to fly with Ryanair - I dont think you can have too many complaints about them given how cheap the flights are. Make sure you read all the T and C's before you leave.
I'm surprised to hear that the Dub - Leeds flight is rarely on time. I've flown ( off the top of my head ) Cork- Dub, Cork - Stans, Dub -eindhoven, Dub - Newcastle, Dub - Preswick, over the past year or so, and not once have I ever been on a flight that was late.
The Dublin / Leeds / Dublin flights are one in the morning and one in the evening meaning that air craft is prob on a dublin / Birmingham / Dublin or some other place during the day. As it is the last light in that crafts sector any delay has a knock on effect. Not to be pedantic but just to back up my experience.
On the safety issue, Ryan air are the safest airline you could ever hope to fly with. Think about it..... They are seen to have made airline travel affordable (i disagree but that's another battle) by driving costs, employee productivity, screwing airports and suppliers. It could be perceived corners are cut. So if there was an accident their reputation would be destroyed big style, O Learly knows that and safety, maintanance, pilot training, are areas not skimped on. In fact I have heard that Ryanair pay more to their capatins than Aerlingus (737 800 against Shamrocks A321) for flying the same type of air craft, to keep experienced (and therefore skilled pilots) at the company.
I remember flying Ryanair Dublin leeds Dublin, Dublin East Midlands Dublin, and then Dublin Newcast Dublin on Aerlingus in about 8 days. The difference in service on the Shamrock flight was tangibile. Failte as you came on board, nice green uniforms, pleasent smiles in an Irish Accent, more leg room etc. No comparison, I just wish they flew to more places. Personally, I think the difference is worth about 100 euro per ticket to fly with anyone else other than Ryanair. But as someone said it's about accesability and FR go to places others don't.
I think thats the pint. people sholdn't be attached to one company. use whatever is best for your situation. be it boat, ryanair, aer lingus or any of the others.
Needed to get a ticket to London for tomorrow morning, got one from Lufthansa, half the price of both Ryanair and Air Lingus
From which Irish airport to which London Airport? It's very difficult to compare like with like Ryanair. EG Dublin to CDG Paris with EI might cost 200 euro where as Dublin to BEAV Paris might costs 100 with FR but you have a one hour bus into Paris with FR costing about 25 euro when I last did it plus two more hours travelling time for a return trip. Suits some people but not all, which is what people are generally saying on here.Quote:
bennocelt
Needed to get a ticket to London for tomorrow morning, got one from Lufthansa, half the price of both Ryanair and Air Lingus
Lufthansa quoted me E750 one way from Dublin to Frankfurt last year. One-off prices don't really mean much.
I've not really had a problem with Ryanair to be honest, once you know what you're getting. Did make the mistake last week of getting a taxi to a Ryanair airport (Trieste). Won't be doing that again...
Did the driver have to take a kidney, or was there a gold bullion salesman at the airport who took your credit card?Quote:
Originally Posted by pineapple stu
There was an extra tenner adminstration charge on paying by gold bullion, so I just hit him over the head and ran.
(It was E80, if anyone's curious. Check the bus timetables when you arrive!)
I flew to Frankfurt from Dublin and back from Berlin using Aer Lingus as Lufthansa were charging more than double.
Fully agree with that. Apart from their seats being a tad uncomfortable theres not a whole lot else wrong with their flights.Quote:
Originally Posted by pineapple stu
In all walks of life, you get what you pay for and thats what it boils down to with Ryanair.
Apart from the obvious moral issues about using a company that treats it's staff the way they do (or rather the agency staff they use to operate), I've always found the service crap. They've never been on time whenever I've used them, uncomfortable seats and (understandably to a degree) ignorant staff.
Now maybe if you were flying very regularly you could do a cost benefit analysis, but for the few times a year I fly they'd have to be significantly cheaper. Whenever I've been looking, Aer Lingus have been there or thereabouts (cheaper a lot of the time), and although their service levels have gone down they are still way better than Ryanair.
Two things bug me about Ryanair.
1) The seats do not cater for people who are 6 ft 4.
2) Credit card/online check in fees. Just advertise the flight as £50 instead of £2. I'll still fly with you.
Fingers crossed I've yet to have a bad experience with them. Ok when the plane is full and everybody is fighting to get to the front of the queue before you board then it can be a bit of a nightmare but if your flying to Knock and there are only 8 other passengers it can be bliss!
Use neteller.comQuote:
Originally Posted by shakermaker1982
Personally, I love Ryanair. I use them more or less every month and have taken over 100 flights with them. I can honestly say I've never been delayed with them (bar a few times with snow, but that's nobody's fault really). They're always on time because if they're not, the crew and regional manager get a bollocking from head office.
People complain about charges, service, etc. But the rules are there, and as Mick himself would say, I ye don't like it, use someone else.
Read the rules, pack sensibly, use a prepaid Mastercard and you'll be sorted.
The luggage thing sometimes is annoying. We'd great craic trying to bring a drum back from Denmark in March. Got the drum into a bag, and wore all our clothes. Maybe a bit extreme, but the return flights from Edinburgh-Billund were free. Not 1c. It almost feels like a game, trying to beat Mick and all his ways of getting more money out of ye.
I do book connecting flights with them. I know they tell you not to, and I accept the risk, but do other airlines refund you for a missed connection?
Personally, I love Ryanair. I couldn't go to half the places I go to if they didn't exist and they've forced Aer Lingus and Easyjet to drop their prices to affordable levels. Yes, I like the service on Aer Lingus more, but not so much that I'll pay extra for it.
Adam, I'd recommend trying them. Ye might be surprised.
When booked on the same ticket the ticket the ticketing carrier is responsible for getting you there,so if you miss a connection, they re-book at their cost. Its called an interline agreement, and all major carriers have them (apart from Ryanair and the other low cost carriers).Quote:
Originally Posted by brendy_éire
Agree with what you say, its horses for courses.
I've been using Ryanair since 1995 and while they've changed (sometimes for the worse) they are still reliable and good. The worst experience I had was ocming back on the late flight from Brussels-Charleois in 2002. A bunch of Feyenoord fans carried on which meant their flight to Glasgow (where they were to play Rangers) was cancelled and our flight was messed up and we had to fly to Glasgow, then Dublin - arriving at 3am. I was not happy and their attitude was lousy, especially when you consider we were sitting without news for 3 hours in a shut down terminal.
Another time flying into Trieste (trying to get in time to catch a bus to Rijeka) and we were delayed because of fog, landing way late, near midnight. We landed, were left sitting on the plane for more than an hour and a half while someone had to be woken from bed to open the terminal. It was a complete mess and the Italians on board went mental and it just messed up all travel plans.
Overall I think they do a good job, they're not luxury, they should be a bit more user friendly, and some of their behaviour borders on complete dishonesty. I've flown all the major low fares carriers in Europe and the CIS, Germanwings and Wizz were terrific, while the new Russian offering Avianova, is a real goer.
Last flight I took with Ryanair was an early morning out of Dublin, I'd bought a sandwich and tea to wake me up, but got in line and just didn't feel like it. I got to the gate and was told, in a nice jovial way, "Sorry, you can't bring hot drinks on board". I did a doubletake and just said, grand, left it behind and boarded - and like the plum that I am bought a tea! Still, at that hour of the morning I just didn't care.
Just on charges, I have to say I was impress last year when booking with easyjet that the figure I eneded up paying was less than the figure advertised. They had preloaded things like insurance etc into the charges and I guess some call that cheeky but I don't mind taking my time and going through each section. wasn't much different but made a pleasant change
They've had a number of near misses, and there have been safety issues highlighted (and obviously denied) in the past. Can they really do all the checks in the turnaround times they attempt? I'd suggest that air travel is more regulated now than it would've been in the past - given they are a relatively young company, that has to be the main factor in their safety record rather than them going above and beyond?Quote:
Originally Posted by Fr Damo
Ryanair have the largest fleet movements in Europe and possibly the World so on the law of percentages there maybe one or two situations a year -these things happen. As I said, one accident, fatal, over shoot, crash on take off etc and confidence in the airline is gone. They get more bad press than anyother airline (some of it justified) so it is convienent to pedal safety issues. Aerarann, Aer Lingus turnaround in 30mins, how is 25 minutes deemed unsafe?Quote:
Macy
They've had a number of near misses, and there have been safety issues highlighted (and obviously denied) in the past. Can they really do all the checks in the turnaround times they attempt? I'd suggest that air travel is more regulated now than it would've been in the past - given they are a relatively young company, that has to be the main factor in their safety record rather than them going above and beyond?
Flightdeck Checklists, refueling, waste removal can obvioulsy be done in that time frame and I suggest the 30 or 40 mins used by Flag carriers is simply hoovering up crisps!! An Aerlingus captain fly about 1000 hours a year, Ryanair do 1800.
On the subject of Cheap European Airtravel, Easyjet started first but could not expand fast and were quickly caught up by Tony Ryan who expaned his fleet by using ineffiecent but inexpensive 737 200s to fly to airports no one heard of. It has worked, no question.
If Micheal O Ceillagh reads this (CEO Aerarann) will you put on Leeds - Galway again please.
What 'near misses'? An engine fire and a bird strike (so I can find).Quote:
Originally Posted by Macy
As for turnaround time, Southwest Airlines in the US can do it in 15 minutes, mainly because people leave from the front of the plane and enter at the rear, so both boarding and disembarking are done at the same time. Ryanair should do that.
Putting aside Ryanair rear entry jokes, I think that the turnaround time is pretty strong as it stands.Quote:
Originally Posted by brendy_éire
I don't know if it's fair to include the landing at a wrong airport as a near miss. But it's a good point the amount of time Ryanair craft spend in the air they have a remarkable record. Though it always is a worry of when it could happen. I've never been nervous on Ryanair, they can't afford to mess up.
When you've seen one runway you've seen them all! For those that don't know a flight due to land at Derry ender up er... 8 miles away at kilkelly. Landed on visual, no glidescope, weather reports etc. showers how good those Ryanair pilots air!Ahem!! Provided they get the right airport of course!Quote:
I don't know if it's fair to include the landing at a wrong airport as a near miss.
You can get all you want to know about aircraft accidents at www.aaiu.ie/ (and a free anorake!)