An Open letter to RYANAIR

andy88_2

Someone I used to know gave up flying because he had severe sinus problems that were entirely unapparent the rest of the time. If your kids are suffering as much as you say, then perhaps you are the one that is insensitive; get them tested.

budgetflyer

Peter,
What you need to sort out in your head is what RYANAIR is all about.
They are a POINT TO POINT --NO FRILLS AIRLINE.

By that they mean -if you book one of their flights in order to make a connecting flight, even with RYANAIR,and your connecting flight doesnt make it . TOUGH. ITS SINGLE FLIGHTS ONLY-- Thats their obligation to you-That flight-Nothing more.
Thats the deal. Thats why they do flights for a penny+tax.
If youve a connection 3 hours later that you dont make, TOUGH you lost on this occasion,hopefully your TRAVEL INSURANCE would have covered you.

All this pish about desending faster than first choice or thomsons has turned your argument into a complete joke.

If you had insurance- CLAIM IT- I cant see you getting a bean out of RYANAIR

vanoonoo

hallo folks - sorry to have to barge in, but could we try to keep this thread on topic.

If the personal and what I consider to be obtuse, offensive and, mores the point, completely off topic comments continue, I shall have to lock the thread which I dont want to have to do cos that's really boring for everyone.

keep it keen - like mustard - or words to that effect.

cheers

vanoonoo (boardguide here incase, like me, you have signatures switched off)

peterbaker

budgetflyer wrote:

Peter,
What you need to sort out in your head is what RYANAIR is all about.

Did that long ago - isn't it obvious? I just didn't sit back and take it all like some people.

All this pish about decending faster than first choice or thomsons has turned your argument into a complete joke.

What's pish and what in particular is so funny? Is it the one about the next child who becomes inconsolable for ten minutes until the pain subsides after RYANAIR decide they want to touchdown soonest so they can get on the PA and say "Once again ladies and gentlemen, Ryanair are pleased to welcome you to XYZ airport ten minutes ahead of schedule" even though they left 15 minutes late?

If you had insurance- CLAIM IT- I cant see you getting a bean out of RYANAIR

Maybe so, but would you believe that despite being something of a seasoned insurance practitioner, I haven't a clue whether I'd get a bean from the insurance company either! I guess I could make a case through their wording a bit easier than through RYANAIR's but then I'd probably be faced with some kind of excess which probably makes the whole exercise a waste of time. So who wins if I give up? Yep you guessed it which is why I let rip to vent my frustrations as they occur to me. Sorry if you can't bring yourself to enjoy my non-fictional observations. Have you tried science-fiction - it could be more to your taste?

andy88_2

peterbaker wrote:

The way you have been trying to trivialise some of my points might lead some to expect you are some kind of planted spoiler seeking to dilute criticisms for the good of the travel industry.

You've been talking for three days about aircraft pressurisation. Pains in the ears - there's a difference between something being noticeable and hyperbolised as a threat to health. Ryanair could not know that your six year old had blocked Eustachian tubes in the instance you mentioned

Quality; you're claiming I'm pleading for lower standards, when you were the one more likely to have have crashed off the runway by "guessing" it would be ok, or hanging around running down fuel until it was too late to have enough safe alternatives. Professional pilots are taught to carefully assess risk and then avoid it.

... some kind of planted spoiler ...

Who would do it? I travelled on Ryanair from Biarritz nearly 4 years ago. Does that make me their most loyal fan and rabid purveyor of dirty tricks? Nonsense; as much nonsense as many of Branson's 'dirty tricks' complaints against BA. (£265,000 damages gained and pay BA legal costs of £449,000, net loss of £184,000 plus Virgin legal costs ... on a claim of ... £29 million)

Who is the planted spoiler? How about

For your information, aviation standards have never been under such a constant onslaught of requests for variation to accommodate fast-turnaround-growing-like-topsy-outfits as they are right now. I spent 6 months full time a year or so ago studying and discussing how they might be interpreted and applied in the present aviation scene. I didn't get all the answers I would have liked and I suspect no-one knows them all.

Full-time for 6 months? In a professional capacity? Requests for variation? What are they doing then? Is it your business? And if it is, why did you bring it here? That might be seen as professional misconduct. Perhaps you will explain the real reasons for your treatment of Ryanair.

The draft of your letter to Ryanair includes tuberculosis, queues of hospital trolleys, other passengers as sheep, uninstanced criticism of maintenance standards, allusions to unfair subsidies, a claim that the runway was safe while it was being swept, imaginary professional criticisms of the airline by other companies' staff. Despite adducing no specific evidence that Ryanair practices are worse than others in the industry (landing in a 3 knot tailwind - oh dear), you've been on a rampage for days. You have characterised operations that are ubiquitous in the industry as peculiar to this company, but failed to pin anything unique.

There are criticisms of the company from other parties that I have heard from friends, but you have no detail. How about employment Terms and Conditions? You are probably as anti-unions as the company itself. Most people would be unlikely to think of Balpa as militant, but it is banned. How about flight crew hours? Silence from you.

A flight was cancelled and you didn't find out their plans. The contract, as most do, will say that liability for compensation will be limited to the original cost. This is not unique to Ryanair. You can read it in most small print for almost any kind of product. Of course, that is the point where the lawyers start from.

As I suggested, if you can surmise, or very much better actually prove, that the price of the next day ticket was raised by the airline on their knowledge of the other cancellation, then you have something of a case for the difference in price.

andy88_2

This may be useful

FLIGHT CANCELLATIONS AND SCHEDULE CHANGES

If your flight is cancelled or before the date of travel, is rescheduled so as to depart more than three hours before or after the original departure time then you will be entitled to a travel credit or full refund of all monies paid if the alternative flight/s offered are not suitable to you.
Ryanair does not provide meal vouchers or hotel accommodation for flights which are delayed or cancelled for reasons beyond Ryanair’s control. You may therefore wish to ensure that you have suitable private insurance cover in force to cover such eventualities.
Passengers who book well in advance should reconfirm their outward/return flight timings between 24 and 72 hours prior to departure.

donnie_darko_3

Fascinating stuff !!

If you want a cheap flight with no frills "or some, from steep descents, and barging on for the best seat!" go with ryanair... If you want a pleasant flight with a cup of tea and a sandwich go with BA.

If you dont get to where you want to go, with ryanair, its a hassle but an expected risk, until they become regulated and then the price will go up anyway. If you want to make a reasonable effort to get where your going to on time, go with BA.

For my final say on this matter. i have flown with ryanair numerous times over the last 2 and a half years and been to many places i had not considered before. I have arrived early and late, I have waited longer for my luggage than the flights have taken (standsted circa 2004). I have picked up my bags off a trolley five mins after landing "stockholm". And every time i have flown and come back with them i say i have had enough but i still go back for more.

Its a product that comes cheap but it must also be safe (or they have been very lucky). If you had a problem that night you should have complained within 24 hours with a matter of fact letter and ryanair will handle it on the merit that they consider (they manage risk). If there reply was not satisfactory to you then you take it further. BUT!!! If you are complaining about them and the way they operate because it does not suit you then you may find yourself fighting not only ryanair but all of those passengers who dont mind taking the "risk", and i say this because if they have to change their operations to suit the minority who want belt and braces then the cost goes up, and THIS is a money saving web site.

So send your letter in, let us know how you get on, but relax and enjoy life as well. I am off to poland with sky europe soon. last time i flew with them to budapest (via krakow unbeknown to us until we boarded the flight). we arrived 4 hours late.. complain? NO, it was £17 each way and they had to fill the seats or next time it will be £34 each way. This is why we are going to poland because we liked what we saw when circling to land (sad aint it!) but eh another country to tick off the list.

I also flew with BA to new york recently courtesy of the money saving hong kong thread when the BA sale was on. The treatment of BA was superb and I am now considering paying more for the reliability and comfort.

mystic_trev

Hear hear! If you fly for next to nothing you should expect little in the form of "customer services" I enjoy cheap flights and accept the downside risks, so stop bloody moaning!

beefster

Exactly my thoughts on the very first page!
Dont bother replying PB........... I will add your reply here and we can go around in circles all over again!

peterbaker wrote:

OK beefster you do that and I will be right behind you in the boarding queue, but if I think Ryanair are taking the mickey I'll say so and you just continue to enjoy any of the fruits of my labour that happen to improve your future Ryanair experience okay?

I will............ ta very much. I hope you get your refund and compensation and acknowledgment you desire but I fear you are wasting your time. OKAY!

donnie_darko_3

Sorry beefster I had forgotten your reply when i posted mine didnt mean to steal your thunder, but at least we agree. see you in europe sometime, and if its with ryanair "dont know where, dont know when!"