Ryanair - Comments & Feedback Thread

omelette451

apt wrote: »

Treating customers with contempt and having to expand rapidly in the middle of a recession because of its contract with Boeing is not a successful business model.

So why exactly have they been so successful? Even now in a recession they're making money and are considered one of the most stable and secure airlines in Europe, and passenger numbers continue to rise. The successful business model can be attributed solely to giving customers what they want (yes, despite protestations from 'unsatisfied' customers people vote with their feet and it's a resounding yes to cheap fares) and adapting quickly to changing market circumstances. The failed gamble on oil prices they made last year threatened Ryanair much more than the recession, though of course they got through it ok, as they always will.

omelette451

alanrowell wrote: »

They have a problem with EMPLOYING real people

But by and large Ryanair doesn't actually employ any people at all...

Except at the biggest airports Ryanair doesn't directly employ any ground/check-in staff - they're all employed by handling agents such as Servisair and just posted to Ryanair each day, but in theory they could work RA one day, BA the next, and so on. On the planes only the flight deck crew and purser are directly employed: the three 'ordinary' cabin crew are agency staff.

Teahfc

The emphasis is too ensure that when booking on the RA site you check and double check it and not until you click the T&C box and the 'PAY NOW' you are happy with what you are paying for.

We have as the public been spoilt with such cheap flights on these 'budget airlines' and If I pay more than £50 return like many others feeling I am being robbed :rotfl: .

I go to to the same area 90% of the time as I have a apartment there and leave clothes there so can easily get away with 10kg even 7kg if I had too on luggage. I also benefot from being slef employed so able to pick and choose the days I wish to fly and return and It would take alot more than £10 more each way for me to say No to Ryan Air.

Well done O'Leary you are a genius :beer:

Teahfc

I bet Mr O'leary still has over 85% seat fill on his flights next year

jonnyjackov

fifeken wrote: »

Yes, I agree, I was more interested as to whether this was a new charge as I've definitely added bags both pre- and mid-trip before and don't recall extra charges being added.

I've added quite a few bags to flights over the last 12 months, and never incurred a charge, though they state the charges on the add baggage payment page, the total has never changed when selecting payment by credit card, and I have never been charged.

In fact sometimes, if I have not had enough in my electron account when I've booked, I have booked my 1p flight with the electron, and just gone back into the website, added bags, paid with credit card, and paid no cc charges at all.

Has it definitely changed?

fifeken

jonnyjackov wrote: »

I've added quite a few bags to flights over the last 12 months, and never incurred a charge, though they state the charges on the add baggage payment page, the total has never changed when selecting payment by credit card, and I have never been charged.

In fact sometimes, if I have not had enough in my electron account when I've booked, I have booked my 1p flight with the electron, and just gone back into the website, added bags, paid with credit card, and paid no cc charges at all.

Has it definitely changed?

What you describe is how I thought it was going to be, but this time it looked like it was going to charge me. It mentioned the charges, had the box to select your card type and the link next to it to show the charges. This was all on the same screen as your personal info. I didn't take it any further - just went and got my Electron Card - but it definitely looked like it to me. I might just be mistaken but wasn't going to risk it.

macsteffie

omelette451 wrote: »

Yes it's legal, and it's made perfectly clear during the booking process (and on the fees page) that the debit card fee is per person per sector. If nothing else you would have been shown the 'total amount to be charged' right above the 'pay now' button, which would have included all fees and charges. I'm afraid the only way to avoid it is to use an electron card!

Thanks omelette

But I disagree it's 'perfectly' clear though, maybe it is to you as a seasoned user, but the website should be clearer, I've learned a lot from people on this site and other friends how to avoid paying for things I don't need or want such as baggage, insurance etc, but I've still been hit for charges I didn't expect!

It seems to me that you need to have a good amount of prior knowledge about using Ryanairs website to avoid ending up paying for things you don't want or need!
Ryanair needs to remember that some people who use budget airlines need to use a budget airline, I thought I was fairly internet savy, and just wanted to book a flight on a very limited budget to take my disabled mother and sister to get to London for a once in a lifetime trip for us to see the newborn great grandchild.
I feel I've been fleeced for an extra £30, It wasn't 'perfectly' clear to me about the extra £30 so maybe Ryanair has work to do to flag this up more visibly!
I'm now worried by reports that the goalposts might change again and we'll be hit with charges in June when we checkin of up to £20 each which means we wo'nt be able to go at all.
I thought I'd contracted with Ryanair for the flight's and paid for them, it cost me £30 more than I thought, and I still don't think it was clear to me what I ended up getting charged, it's fine to say that they've made it 'perfectly' clear but they need to make sure it's perfectly clear in a way that is truly clear to anyone using the site, and not just those who know where to look!

Stef

fifeken

macsteffie wrote: »

I used a solo card (which is a bit like electron) so don't know if they have different policy for this, couldn't find anything in thier t&c's despiite searching about thier card charges so think it must be buried away somewhere if it's there at all.

A Solo card is charged at £4.75 per passenger per flight hence the £28.50 you said you weren't expecting. I think that's the same as Visa, Mastercard etc. When you selected Solo in the "Card Type" box the payment amount immediately above it would have increased to the new total, although it sounds like you never noticed this. Just to the left of the box there would have been a link to explain the charge.
It's also in their FAQs:
http://www.ryanair.com/site/EN/faqs.php?sect=CHARGES

jonnyjackov

fifeken wrote: »

What you describe is how I thought it was going to be, but this time it looked like it was going to charge me. It mentioned the charges, had the box to select your card type and the link next to it to show the charges. This was all on the same screen as your personal info. I didn't take it any further - just went and got my Electron Card - but it definitely looked like it to me. I might just be mistaken but wasn't going to risk it.

Hi, I've just logged into one of my flights and gone through the motions of adding a bag, and I don't think it's changed. I don't think you'll be charged, as it all looks the same as it always has to me, and the payment amount does not change if you select a credit card, so I think you'll be okay, but you never know with Ryanair :rotfl: I think this is a long term glitch on the website, cos the Irish geezer gives nothing away for nowt, and would, I'm sure hit the roof if he knew this charge was never added. And before anyone says I've just told him about it, it has been discussed on here many times before, so he is obviously not a member of mse

In response to adding a bag one way, a month or so ago I wanted to add a bag one way. In fact though I'd booked a return flight at a cost of over £130, I would only be making the outward flight and not the return. Ryanair however would not let me add a bag one way, either online or on the phone. The guy on the phone said it was impossible to do unless I cancelled the return flight first, so I told him to cancel the return flight and he told me Ryanair do not cancel bookings, even though I didn't want a refund and it was his suggestion!! So I then had to book, and pay for, a hold bag, and a checkin fee on a flight both Ryanair and I knew I would not be on. :mad:

fifeken

That's good to know. I and a friend who lives in Italy travel back and forward visiting regularly and inevitably there's more stuff goes her way than comes here (shopping for must haves that aren't available in Italy!), so adding bags in one direction is always on the cards. Need to split the outbound and inbound bookings when I'm going out there.