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Ryanair-axes-thousands-flights-Stansted
mzqa395
Posts: 376 Forumite
Budget airline Ryanair is to axe one in seven of its flights from a major UK holiday airport following a row over cash with controversial 'monopoly' airport operator BAA.
The no-frills carrier announced today that it would making a 14 per cent reduction in the number of weekly flights from 'too expensive' Stansted in Essex for winter 2008-09.
Ryanair will cut the number of planes based at Stansted from 36 to 28 and said it was also closing operations at seven of its European bases from November 4 to December 19 - at Basel, Budapest, Palma in Majorca, Krakow and Rzeszow in Poland, Salzburg and Valencia.
It comes amid fears that the deepening economic gloom will force cash-strapped families to abandon plans for a now almost traditional 'winter sun' break.
Axing the flights will lead to 900 job losses at Stansted, including 150 of its own staff, said Ryanair.
It signals more depressing news for families already facing the prospect of axed services and higher fares from rival British Airways.
Ryanair's weekly flights will be cut by around 250 - from more than 1,850 to just under 1,600 this winter - and the airline reckons it will carry around 900,000 fewer passengers over the period.
The airline blamed the cutbacks on the 'expense' of using Stansted - owned by airport operator BAA which is under threat of being broken up for its monopoly stranglehold on key UK airports including Heathrow and Gatwick.
Ryanair also highlighted the 'total failure of the inadequate Civil Aviation Authority (CAA)' which regulates BAA, to control costs for airlines there.
It also blamed big hikes in oil prices.
The attack on the beleaguered CAA - branded 'toothless' by its critics - came as the Conservatives condemned as 'a whitewash' a Government-sponsored report into its future.
Ryanair's announcement followed British Airways warning this week that its passengers face 'inevitable' inflation-busting fare rises, extra fuel charges and fewer flights with up to 1 in 20 being axed this winter.
BA bosses said the airline was 'up to our necks in perhaps the biggest crisis the aviation industry has ever known'.
Airline bmi British Midland came under fire from Prime Minister Gordon Brown this week after allegedly planning to run 'ghost flights' of empty planes this winter in order to keep valuable slots at Heathrow.
Ryanair said yesterday it would lose less money grounding eight aircraft than flying them 'at an expensive airport like Stansted', which had refused to cut its charges.
Chief executive Michael O'Leary said: 'These winter schedule cutbacks, which are significantly greater than those of last winter, show just how damaging the BAA airport monopoly has become to consumers and the best interests of London, UK tourism and the economy generally.'
He said the cutbacks reaffirmed the 'abject failure' of the Civil Aviation Authority regulatory team which was running 'a laughable regime'.
Mr O'Leary insisted Ryanair would never introduce fuel surcharges but predicted smaller low-fare carriers could 'go bust this winter' .
Ryanair said it was also closing operations at seven of its European bases from November 4 to December 19 - at Basel, Budapest, Palma in Majorca, Krakow and Rzeszow in Poland, Salzburg and Valencia.
A spokesman for Stansted operator BAA said: 'The aviation industry like many others is coping with the challenges of a global economic downturn. Everyone is feeling the pinch.
'Many airlines, including Ryanair, always reduce services in the winter season. This year will be no exception - even British Airways is cutting back.'
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1036013/Ryanair-axes-thousands-flights-Stansted-soaring-fuel-costs-airport-fees.html
The no-frills carrier announced today that it would making a 14 per cent reduction in the number of weekly flights from 'too expensive' Stansted in Essex for winter 2008-09.
Ryanair will cut the number of planes based at Stansted from 36 to 28 and said it was also closing operations at seven of its European bases from November 4 to December 19 - at Basel, Budapest, Palma in Majorca, Krakow and Rzeszow in Poland, Salzburg and Valencia.
It comes amid fears that the deepening economic gloom will force cash-strapped families to abandon plans for a now almost traditional 'winter sun' break.
Axing the flights will lead to 900 job losses at Stansted, including 150 of its own staff, said Ryanair.
It signals more depressing news for families already facing the prospect of axed services and higher fares from rival British Airways.
Ryanair's weekly flights will be cut by around 250 - from more than 1,850 to just under 1,600 this winter - and the airline reckons it will carry around 900,000 fewer passengers over the period.
The airline blamed the cutbacks on the 'expense' of using Stansted - owned by airport operator BAA which is under threat of being broken up for its monopoly stranglehold on key UK airports including Heathrow and Gatwick.
Ryanair also highlighted the 'total failure of the inadequate Civil Aviation Authority (CAA)' which regulates BAA, to control costs for airlines there.
It also blamed big hikes in oil prices.
The attack on the beleaguered CAA - branded 'toothless' by its critics - came as the Conservatives condemned as 'a whitewash' a Government-sponsored report into its future.
Ryanair's announcement followed British Airways warning this week that its passengers face 'inevitable' inflation-busting fare rises, extra fuel charges and fewer flights with up to 1 in 20 being axed this winter.
BA bosses said the airline was 'up to our necks in perhaps the biggest crisis the aviation industry has ever known'.
Airline bmi British Midland came under fire from Prime Minister Gordon Brown this week after allegedly planning to run 'ghost flights' of empty planes this winter in order to keep valuable slots at Heathrow.
Ryanair said yesterday it would lose less money grounding eight aircraft than flying them 'at an expensive airport like Stansted', which had refused to cut its charges.
Chief executive Michael O'Leary said: 'These winter schedule cutbacks, which are significantly greater than those of last winter, show just how damaging the BAA airport monopoly has become to consumers and the best interests of London, UK tourism and the economy generally.'
He said the cutbacks reaffirmed the 'abject failure' of the Civil Aviation Authority regulatory team which was running 'a laughable regime'.
Mr O'Leary insisted Ryanair would never introduce fuel surcharges but predicted smaller low-fare carriers could 'go bust this winter' .
Ryanair said it was also closing operations at seven of its European bases from November 4 to December 19 - at Basel, Budapest, Palma in Majorca, Krakow and Rzeszow in Poland, Salzburg and Valencia.
A spokesman for Stansted operator BAA said: 'The aviation industry like many others is coping with the challenges of a global economic downturn. Everyone is feeling the pinch.
'Many airlines, including Ryanair, always reduce services in the winter season. This year will be no exception - even British Airways is cutting back.'
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1036013/Ryanair-axes-thousands-flights-Stansted-soaring-fuel-costs-airport-fees.html
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Comments
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Or maybe this is just O'Leary's spin on simply not being able to fill his planes. Maybe he'd have more passengers if he didn't try to rip us off all the time with hidden fees.0
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I often see Mr O'Leary at work and I find it amasing that despite the miles he must do he always walks down the wrong channel when he walks through Customs, I know amazing ehhhh!!
all the best
the bearLive each day like its your last because one day you'll be right0 -
Or maybe this is just O'Leary's spin on simply not being able to fill his planes. Maybe he'd have more passengers if he didn't try to rip us off all the time with hidden fees.
Does Mr O'Leary ever stop bleating and blaming everybody else for the inadequacies of his airline ?
It's another P.R. stunt of course which will undoubtedly get him on Breakfast News again (for the umpteenth time) and other news programmes tomorrow.0 -
I hate that tosser.0
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I read so much of it on this site - why do people dislike Mr O'Leary so much?
(It's a genuine question - no underlying tone intended).0 -
I read so much of it on this site - why do people dislike Mr O'Leary so much?
(It's a genuine question - no underlying tone intended).
Mainly because of comments he has made in the past in the media. Comments that show his lack of respect for his customers and lack of respect for the law. I'm sure you'll find some good quotes out there if you google him.0
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