MSE News: Airlines axe debit card surcharges, but Easyjet & Ryanair won't follow suit

jpsartre

NFH wrote: »

How long before Ryanair has a major accident because it runs out of fuel?

Oh please, enough the scare mongering.

Mr_Wang

NFH wrote: »

No fatalaties though. How long before Ryanair has a major accident because it runs out of fuel? Read the relevant parts of pages 21 and 46 of this study.

It's funny you should say that actually, I was on a Jet2 flight last September from Tel Aviv that had to divert due to insufficient fuel to hold.

In any case, the BA accident was deemed a major accident, and I am sure it probably put most of the people on that unfortunate flight off ever taking to the skies again.

fifeken

jpsartre wrote: »

Just couldn't be bothered working out what the add-on's for luggage would add up to.

You don't have to work it out - the web site does it all for you.

Selecting an option from a pull down box next to each passenger's name is hardly onerous. The site then shows the cost per bag and updates the overall total at the side of the page as you make your selection.

How much do you have to save to make you bothered?

jpsartre

fifeken wrote: »

You don't have to work it out - the web site does it all for you.

Thanks, I'm aware of that, that was supposed to be a slightly tongue-in-cheek comment

Got nothing against Ryanair, have used them regularly for more than a decade now. But I still find that flying BA is much nicer and I don't mind paying more to use them. Also, I've been able to make good use of the BAEC so try to get Avios/tier points when the opportunity arise.

Kite2010

If the likes of Easyjet & Ryanair get rid of "admin" fees, they will only recover the money via other means, most likely (in Ryanair's case) charging more to check-in online.

jpsartre

True but the issue isn't really about prices, it's about price transparency. When airlines add on inflated card charges at the last step of the booking process it makes it hard for consumers to compare prices upfront and it's unfair to those airlines that list their prices with such fees included. That's the main reason card charges should be outlawed IMO. Of course, Ryanair and easyJet will get the money anyway, you'd have to be naive to think otherwise.

Louisdf

jpsartre wrote: »

"Is it really worth paying double for it?"

That's the sort of question nobody can answer except the person paying to fly. People put different values on different things.

You wouldn't pay £50 for a newspaper, a 20g bag of peanuts and a glass of lemonade in a supermarket, so why would you want to when booking a flight?

Nessie23

SaveTheEuro wrote: »

The admin fee is complete nonsense. Every other component cost of the business is included in the fare price; there is no pilot fee, fuel fee or aircraft maintenance fee. easyJet are putting two fingers up at the authorities as they clampdown on excessive debit card fees.

Pilot fee --- I wouldn't give them any ideas!!

NFH

Louisdf wrote: »

You wouldn't pay £50 for a newspaper, a 20g bag of peanuts and a glass of lemonade in a supermarket, so why would you want to when booking a flight?

It's a lot more than that. It's the level of customer service; the way things are dealt with when they go wrong; the baggage policy; seat pitch; cabin environment; being treated as a valued customer; less stress etc. The list goes on.

SaveTheEuro

Kite2010 wrote: »

If the likes of Easyjet & Ryanair get rid of "admin" fees, they will only recover the money via other means, most likely (in Ryanair's case) charging more to check-in online.

That wouldn't work because the online check-in fee has to be included in the basic fare. The ideal for them is to advertise a low base fare but try to get people to pay for optional extras.

easyJet is deceiving single passengers by advertising a price based on 2 people travelling. The fare for a single passenger is higher so the quoted price is unobtainable. Previously, before they replaced the debit card fee with an admin fee, it was at least possible to get a fare at the advertised price by paying with a visa electron card.