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Ryanair/Swissport spoiling passengers' days with late gate changes at Stansted GRRR!!
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2sides2everystory
Posts: 1,744 Forumite
Just a reminder to anyone using Ryanair at Stansted to beware Ryanair's famous last minute gate changes AND the unexpected blinder of getting yourself into the wrong queue even if your gate hasn't changed!
Ryanair/Swissport are still oblivious to the chaos and stress they cause when they change a gate at Stansted. They pay for no announcements in the main terminal, and regulars know that even out on their own patch out at Gates 40 to 57 (no that's not where all Ryanair flights depart but it is where most do) their "announcements" often do less good than a Jack and Jill Children's Charities Scratchcard :mad:
The staff at the new gate typically make no special effort to monitor whether they board a handful of passengers or the planeload that had been queueing or making their way to the other gate. They still stand around with hands in pockets congregating oblivious to the risk of leaving passengers stranded.
And worse than that, when something slightly unusual like a gate change occurs, I think it causes their brains to become confused also and they start doing daft things like mixing up two or more flights and letting passengers through the gate to follow other passengers onto planes going somewhere else
At Stansted, if flying Ryanair, keep your wits about you all the way to the the top of the steps into the plane because I have seen passengers reaching that point and finding they are on the wrong plane far more times than Ryanair/Swissport should ever have been tolerated to have allowed to happen.
Now remember I am talking Stansted here - I can't speak for what happens elsewhere:
Check the departure board in the main terminal - don't guess. Wait in the main terminal for the gate number to appear on a full suite of boards where all the flights for the next couple of hours are shown at one glance (not the short "rolling" version where the flights that just left are on the first board and you have to wait five full minutes for your flight to appear on the second (or maybe yours never appears until it just left??) - those short boards aren't worth the electricity used to power them)
Then before you leave the main terminal make sure that the gate number has not changed.
Then on the way to your supposed gate do then check any board you pass. I saved myself a 800 yard walk (400 there and 400 back) most recently just by glimpsing the board just past Pret a Manger en route to gate 47 which regulars will know is half way to the back of beyond. My new gate was 150 yards back the way I had just come and then a half mile train shuttle plus a further 250 yard walk up stairs/escalators. And even then we ended up queueing for a flight or two expected to leave in 10 minutes as a mix of two flights which wouldn't even half fill one, thinking we were all going to the same place but wasn't it all a bit quiet :mad:
Then even when you are at the gate and it hasn't changed, do keep an ear out and an eye peeled for the gate change whilst you are there. What usually happens is that the staff at the gate simply move on to the next flight and leave it up to someone else to make the gate change announcement.
So be warned! It will spoil your day if you are not instantly on to a gate change that affects you! Sounds obvious - well it isn't. The numbers of people I've seen shuffling disconsolately back to the main terminal in tears after a spat of gate change nonsense is testament to the fact that Ryanair/Swissport does this bit less than well.
But now, to brighten up a little, and for those of you who have been good enough to read this far, your reward is a hot new tip for blagging a reserved seat without paying for it. Some sensible new "ways" are afoot from Ryanair as of now once you are on board:
The cabin crew have at long last persuaded their bosses that it might be sensible if they were told which reserved seats are actually booked rather than working on the basis that all of them might be! Instead of the usual "Will someone turn up at the last minute to claim the booked seats or won't they? - No I can't let you sit there Sir but if you'd like to sit close by I will let you know" and then some lucky latecomer gets in first type nonsense, the crew in the middle are pre-authorised to use actual reserved seat booking info to give the unbooked reserved seats to any first comers who volunteer.
It is also worth reminding you that tipperary to what you might think (and this is perhaps because Ryanair comes under an Irish regulator) there has to be a passenger sat right next to all the exits. It seems to be a quirk of the way IAA do things (that's the Irish Aviation Authority) that having someone sat in the middle or aisle seats won't do for the IAA. So that means if some unfortunate couple have booked and paid for say 16D&E you can still volunteer and expect to be given 16F for free if you are there first and are polite about asking the cabin crew for permission.
Oh and finally, if you are a big beefy adult, and fancy treating yourself to a bit of extra legroom, don't get suckered into paying for Row 15ABCDEF (or Row 2ABC for that matter). There's no perceptible extra legroom in those - they are essentially only good for small people or families with children who of course cannot sit in emergency row seats whether they paid or not.
Telling you all this hot off the press probably reduces my chances of getting extra legroom next flight, but I am feeling generous today
A Happy and Thrifty New Year to all you good ladies and gentlefolks (and you Bob!)
Ryanair/Swissport are still oblivious to the chaos and stress they cause when they change a gate at Stansted. They pay for no announcements in the main terminal, and regulars know that even out on their own patch out at Gates 40 to 57 (no that's not where all Ryanair flights depart but it is where most do) their "announcements" often do less good than a Jack and Jill Children's Charities Scratchcard :mad:
The staff at the new gate typically make no special effort to monitor whether they board a handful of passengers or the planeload that had been queueing or making their way to the other gate. They still stand around with hands in pockets congregating oblivious to the risk of leaving passengers stranded.
And worse than that, when something slightly unusual like a gate change occurs, I think it causes their brains to become confused also and they start doing daft things like mixing up two or more flights and letting passengers through the gate to follow other passengers onto planes going somewhere else
At Stansted, if flying Ryanair, keep your wits about you all the way to the the top of the steps into the plane because I have seen passengers reaching that point and finding they are on the wrong plane far more times than Ryanair/Swissport should ever have been tolerated to have allowed to happen.
Now remember I am talking Stansted here - I can't speak for what happens elsewhere:
Check the departure board in the main terminal - don't guess. Wait in the main terminal for the gate number to appear on a full suite of boards where all the flights for the next couple of hours are shown at one glance (not the short "rolling" version where the flights that just left are on the first board and you have to wait five full minutes for your flight to appear on the second (or maybe yours never appears until it just left??) - those short boards aren't worth the electricity used to power them)
Then before you leave the main terminal make sure that the gate number has not changed.
Then on the way to your supposed gate do then check any board you pass. I saved myself a 800 yard walk (400 there and 400 back) most recently just by glimpsing the board just past Pret a Manger en route to gate 47 which regulars will know is half way to the back of beyond. My new gate was 150 yards back the way I had just come and then a half mile train shuttle plus a further 250 yard walk up stairs/escalators. And even then we ended up queueing for a flight or two expected to leave in 10 minutes as a mix of two flights which wouldn't even half fill one, thinking we were all going to the same place but wasn't it all a bit quiet :mad:
Then even when you are at the gate and it hasn't changed, do keep an ear out and an eye peeled for the gate change whilst you are there. What usually happens is that the staff at the gate simply move on to the next flight and leave it up to someone else to make the gate change announcement.
So be warned! It will spoil your day if you are not instantly on to a gate change that affects you! Sounds obvious - well it isn't. The numbers of people I've seen shuffling disconsolately back to the main terminal in tears after a spat of gate change nonsense is testament to the fact that Ryanair/Swissport does this bit less than well.
But now, to brighten up a little, and for those of you who have been good enough to read this far, your reward is a hot new tip for blagging a reserved seat without paying for it. Some sensible new "ways" are afoot from Ryanair as of now once you are on board:
The cabin crew have at long last persuaded their bosses that it might be sensible if they were told which reserved seats are actually booked rather than working on the basis that all of them might be! Instead of the usual "Will someone turn up at the last minute to claim the booked seats or won't they? - No I can't let you sit there Sir but if you'd like to sit close by I will let you know" and then some lucky latecomer gets in first type nonsense, the crew in the middle are pre-authorised to use actual reserved seat booking info to give the unbooked reserved seats to any first comers who volunteer.
It is also worth reminding you that tipperary to what you might think (and this is perhaps because Ryanair comes under an Irish regulator) there has to be a passenger sat right next to all the exits. It seems to be a quirk of the way IAA do things (that's the Irish Aviation Authority) that having someone sat in the middle or aisle seats won't do for the IAA. So that means if some unfortunate couple have booked and paid for say 16D&E you can still volunteer and expect to be given 16F for free if you are there first and are polite about asking the cabin crew for permission.
Oh and finally, if you are a big beefy adult, and fancy treating yourself to a bit of extra legroom, don't get suckered into paying for Row 15ABCDEF (or Row 2ABC for that matter). There's no perceptible extra legroom in those - they are essentially only good for small people or families with children who of course cannot sit in emergency row seats whether they paid or not.
Telling you all this hot off the press probably reduces my chances of getting extra legroom next flight, but I am feeling generous today
A Happy and Thrifty New Year to all you good ladies and gentlefolks (and you Bob!)
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Comments
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It'd be easier to fly BA LCY-PMI 2sides, think of all those avios you'd get!Posts are not advice and must not be relied upon.0
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Yes I heartily agree richardw but now I seem to get Avios with everything I really need to find some ways to spend some points not spend just to collect more just yet!
But you keep tempting me with that Palma route ... I know I am going to weaken sooner rather than later
As of 2013 I also have a whole bunch of BAA Worldpoints I can no longer spend at Stansted because they are under new management (the WDF guys told me the ownership changed but they haven't even been told who has bought their bit yet :rotfl:)
Once upon a time the best use for BAA Worldpoints was on Stansted car park discounts at a tenner per 500 points, but now I can't even use them to pay whatever the minimum charge is to drop people off at Stansted :mad:0 -
:think:2sides2everystory wrote: »
A Happy and Thrifty New Year to all you good ladies and gentlefolks (and you Bob!)
Thank you for that, personally I've had various gate changes but since I watch the screen I don't have a problem.
I love this massive missive it bodes well for 2013
Also your advice "Check the departure board in the main terminal - don't guess."
is something I'm sure many wouldn't have thought of :think:
The dowager Mrs Bob the Saver who is in her 80's and had only ever flown twice before in her life (and not on her own) managed to navigate Stansted and Ryanair on her own last year so it can't be that difficult.0 -
You can redeem your avios on ba.com for those flights to PMI!
You seem to dislike your Ryanair/STN flight experience, so why bother?Posts are not advice and must not be relied upon.0 -
2sides2everystory wrote: »Just a reminder to anyone using Ryanair at Stansted to beware Ryanair's famous last minute gate changes AND the unexpected blinder of getting yourself into the wrong queue even if your gate hasn't changed!
Ryanair/Swissport are still oblivious to the chaos and stress they cause when they change a gate at Stansted. They pay for no announcements in the main terminal, and regulars know that even out on their own patch out at Gates 40 to 57 (no that's not where all Ryanair flights depart but it is where most do) their "announcements" often do less good than a Jack and Jill Children's Charities Scratchcard :mad:
The staff at the new gate typically make no special effort to monitor whether they board a handful of passengers or the planeload that had been queueing or making their way to the other gate. They still stand around with hands in pockets congregating oblivious to the risk of leaving passengers stranded.
And worse than that, when something slightly unusual like a gate change occurs, I think it causes their brains to become confused also and they start doing daft things like mixing up two or more flights and letting passengers through the gate to follow other passengers onto planes going somewhere else
At Stansted, if flying Ryanair, keep your wits about you all the way to the the top of the steps into the plane because I have seen passengers reaching that point and finding they are on the wrong plane far more times than Ryanair/Swissport should ever have been tolerated to have allowed to happen.
Now remember I am talking Stansted here - I can't speak for what happens elsewhere:
Check the departure board in the main terminal - don't guess. Wait in the main terminal for the gate number to appear on a full suite of boards where all the flights for the next couple of hours are shown at one glance (not the short "rolling" version where the flights that just left are on the first board and you have to wait five full minutes for your flight to appear on the second (or maybe yours never appears until it just left??) - those short boards aren't worth the electricity used to power them)
Then before you leave the main terminal make sure that the gate number has not changed.
Then on the way to your supposed gate do then check any board you pass. I saved myself a 800 yard walk (400 there and 400 back) most recently just by glimpsing the board just past Pret a Manger en route to gate 47 which regulars will know is half way to the back of beyond. My new gate was 150 yards back the way I had just come and then a half mile train shuttle plus a further 250 yard walk up stairs/escalators. And even then we ended up queueing for a flight or two expected to leave in 10 minutes as a mix of two flights which wouldn't even half fill one, thinking we were all going to the same place but wasn't it all a bit quiet :mad:
Then even when you are at the gate and it hasn't changed, do keep an ear out and an eye peeled for the gate change whilst you are there. What usually happens is that the staff at the gate simply move on to the next flight and leave it up to someone else to make the gate change announcement.
So be warned! It will spoil your day if you are not instantly on to a gate change that affects you! Sounds obvious - well it isn't. The numbers of people I've seen shuffling disconsolately back to the main terminal in tears after a spat of gate change nonsense is testament to the fact that Ryanair/Swissport does this bit less than well.
But now, to brighten up a little, and for those of you who have been good enough to read this far, your reward is a hot new tip for blagging a reserved seat without paying for it. Some sensible new "ways" are afoot from Ryanair as of now once you are on board:
The cabin crew have at long last persuaded their bosses that it might be sensible if they were told which reserved seats are actually booked rather than working on the basis that all of them might be! Instead of the usual "Will someone turn up at the last minute to claim the booked seats or won't they? - No I can't let you sit there Sir but if you'd like to sit close by I will let you know" and then some lucky latecomer gets in first type nonsense, the crew in the middle are pre-authorised to use actual reserved seat booking info to give the unbooked reserved seats to any first comers who volunteer.
It is also worth reminding you that tipperary to what you might think (and this is perhaps because Ryanair comes under an Irish regulator) there has to be a passenger sat right next to all the exits. It seems to be a quirk of the way IAA do things (that's the Irish Aviation Authority) that having someone sat in the middle or aisle seats won't do for the IAA. So that means if some unfortunate couple have booked and paid for say 16D&E you can still volunteer and expect to be given 16F for free if you are there first and are polite about asking the cabin crew for permission.
Oh and finally, if you are a big beefy adult, and fancy treating yourself to a bit of extra legroom, don't get suckered into paying for Row 15ABCDEF (or Row 2ABC for that matter). There's no perceptible extra legroom in those - they are essentially only good for small people or families with children who of course cannot sit in emergency row seats whether they paid or not.
Telling you all this hot off the press probably reduces my chances of getting extra legroom next flight, but I am feeling generous today
A Happy and Thrifty New Year to all you good ladies and gentlefolks (and you Bob!)
Yikes - all that just to say "check the gate number"? :eek:0 -
I just knew you'd remind meYou can redeem your avios on ba.com for those flights to PMI!
No alternative for my usual - so for the moment just has to be doneYou seem to dislike your Ryanair/STN flight experience, so why bother?
Was that all I said? No free legroom seats for you then, miduckmiduck wrote:Yikes - all that just to say "check the gate number"? 0 -
2sides2everystory wrote: »Was that all I said? No free legroom seats for you then, miduck
To be honest I was too bored to read the whole thing. But don't worry, I've flown Ryanair enough to know how to maximise the experience.0 -
That's where I've been going wrong! I've always just guessed the gate I was departing from, and am constantly surprised when I get to the front of the queue and it's not my flight.0
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2sides2everystory wrote: »...No alternative for my usual - so for the moment just has to be done..
What will you do if Ryanair stop flying there from STN?Posts are not advice and must not be relied upon.0 -
2sides2everystory wrote: »No alternative for my usual - so for the moment just has to be done
What is your usual? Is there really no alternative, or just no alternative that is as convenient as Ryanair?0
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