MSE News: Ryanair 'sticks two fingers up at passengers' with new card fees

budgetflyer

So if that works, then it may be worth taking a hit on the DCC
.

so that cost me an extra 5 drachma Oops! I mean 50p, I reckon

2sides2everystory

Yeah but remember it was a UK departure (let's call UK 'Country A') fee free using a Net+ card in currency B billed in country B. It wasn't a UK based Net+ ...

2sides2everystory

NFH wrote: »

Absolute rubbish. Until 28th February 1991, card companies could contractually force retailers to charge the same for card transactions as for cash transactions. This changed with the Credit Cards (Price Discrimination) Order 1990 which prevented card companies from imposing such contractual restrictions upon retailers. It has never been illegal for retailers to add card surcharges, but it is now illegal for a third party to prevent them from doing so.

While I agree with your sentiments about the travel industry being one of the few industries to exercise its right to pass on card surcharges, please get your facts right before posting.

I have dragged up NFH's post from way back on the second day of this thread because I believe it touches on the heart of the exploitation problem we are suffering in the UK under Ryanair's new card shenanigans.

The Order which NFH quotes is causing confusion with later regulations in 2009 (PSRs) enacted to comply with EU Payment Services Directive (PSD) as part of the 'creation of an EU-wide single market for payments'.

Apologies if it has been highlighted before but just two months ago (a week before this thread commenced) OFT made specific recommendation to the Competition Commission that the 1990 Order which NFH was telling us is the law (yes but a bad one now) be revoked because it is causing confusion with the PSRs principally because Article 4(b) of the (old outdated) Order exempts requirements on merchants like Ryanair to limit the amount of any surcharge to the amount of the fee agreed with their merchant acquirer for processing the transaction.

A bit technical, but basically I think Ryanair may even have seen this recommendation coming, launched their new card at a breakneck pace essentially on a whim, and are just being a bloody thorn in OFT's side until the Competition Commission take the advice and act to end the ambiguity of two conflicting laws.

I see that MSE Guy's original article says "The OFT says card surcharges have to be made clear to consumers. It has also called on the Government to update laws to stop traders charging for debit card payments." but I don't think the specific question of the two conflicting laws had surfaced yet on MSE?

Polly_Esther

antenna wrote: »

The Ryanair planes are usualy 90% full

No. You will see from their own website that load factor for the year to October 2011 was closer to 80%. Quite a difference.

antenna

Polly_Esther wrote: »

antenna wrote: »

The Ryanair planes are usualy 90% full

No. You will see from their own website that load factor for the year to October 2011 was closer to 80%. Quite a difference.

Profits up 10% so far this year and full year expecting more.....so he must be doing something right,just imagine if people liked him!

SaveTheEuro

Ryanair, reporting their profits, say 'We also launched the Ryanair “Cash Passport” Mastercard prepaid card in the UK and Italy, and we intend to roll it out across the network over the coming months.'

The half year profit was €544m, after fare increases of 13%.

Passenger numbers were up from 40 million to nearly 45 million.

budgetflyer

The winter months are always quieter and less profitable. They ground around 80 planes.

2sides2everystory

SaveTheEuro wrote: »

Ryanair, reporting their profits, say 'We also launched the Ryanair “Cash Passport” Mastercard prepaid card in the UK and Italy, ...

That's a laugh ... it was the Italian language site that I used to buy my fee free UK outbound flight on 2nd November 2011 using a Net+ card (albeit no GBP non UK billing address) :rotfl:


They also said something about increased revenue from their reserved seating product (was that the priority boarding only available to all passengers on a single booking or none ???)

richardw

2sides2everystory wrote: »

their reserved seating product

http://www.ryanair.com/en/news/ryanair-extends-its-reserved-seating-service-on-12-brussels-charleroi-routes

http://www.ryanair.com/en/news/ryanair-extends-its-reserved-seating-service-on-11-routes-to-from-milan-bergamo

Looks like someone at Ryanair has been on Air Asia.

I_like_saving_money

toybs wrote: »

What about those who use Ryanair from outside the UK? Presumably they can't apply for this "new" prepaid card as they have addresses overseas? Ryanair have already dramatically cut their flights to/from my airport in Spain, now this. Those on the forum who say "use another airline" are right..if only we could. Ryanair is the only company that flies to our area.

Where my parents live in France near Limoges, we have two options. Ryanair locally from Limoges to Stansted, East Midlands, Leeds or Liverpool or drive 200kms to Bordeaux for Easyjet or BA. Ryanair even dominate other local airports 100kms away.

Sometimes cost plays a bigger part in flight decisions e.g. I could buy a Ryanair flight to Limoges from Stansted for £9 at 7.30 am in the morning but would have to spend £40 on hotels nearby so it would cost me £49 or I could fly with BA later in the day from Gatwick for £45. The only downside with BA is the 200km trip home, so Ryanair is a lot handier for me.

They know they dominate many small airports so many passengers have no choice.

They may be cheap and punctual, but at least they get you there ontime unlike some airlines.

On BBC yesterday, O Leary was talking about a war with BA over flight destinations now that BA have taken over BMI.