Ryanair new seating trick

buglawton

By singly booked group I simply mean all the names in one online booking that'll be paid in a single transaction. No need to read more into it than this.

And apart from Ryanair my experience is that all bookings I've done in the past have resulted in the names on the booking 'just happening' to be able to sit together or 'just happening' to get adjacent allocated seats.

ScorpiondeRooftrouser

buglawton wrote: »

By singly booked group I simply mean all the names in one online booking that'll be paid in a single transaction. No need to read more into it than this.

And apart from Ryanair my experience is that all bookings I've done in the past have resulted in the names on the booking 'just happening' to be able to sit together or 'just happening' to get adjacent allocated seats.

No they haven't "just happened" to. Those companies have obviously chosen to make an effort to seat you together. Ryanair don't. They say they don't, unless you pay for it. The fact that other companies do doesn't mean that Ryanair have to especially when they expressly say they don't.

What on earth is the problem with Ryanair doing exactly what they say they do?

Nick_C

ScorpiondeRooftrouser wrote: »

What on earth is the problem with Ryanair doing exactly what they say they do?

No problem at all, as long as you know what to expect.

Ryanair have developed a seating algorithm that is likely to separate you from your travelling companions unless you pay them more money. It wouldn't cost them anymore to seat you together. But that's the sort of company they are. The Ratners of the sky. A poor quality product from a company that doesn't care about its customers.

Its a hugely successful business. What a sad sign of the times.

buglawton

ScorpiondeRooftrouser wrote: »

No they haven't "just happened" to. Those companies have obviously chosen to make an effort to seat you together. Ryanair don't. They say they don't, unless you pay for it. The fact that other companies do doesn't mean that Ryanair have to especially when they expressly say they don't.

What on earth is the problem with Ryanair doing exactly what they say they do?

Because I've taken numerous Ryanair flights before last year and always been seated together, until I booked a trip where I discovered we'd been seated absurdly apart and I had to fiddle with the iPad app to get the seats back together while the fees climbed.

Pollycat

Nick_C wrote: »

No problem at all, as long as you know what to expect.

Ryanair have developed a seating algorithm that is likely to separate you from your travelling companions unless you pay them more money. It wouldn't cost them anymore to seat you together. But that's the sort of company they are. The Ratners of the sky. A poor quality product from a company that doesn't care about its customers.

Its a hugely successful business. What a sad sign of the times.

Surely it's only a 'poor quality product' if being sat together is important to you.

If a Ryanair flight goes from a convenient airport at a convenient time and I actively choose not to pay to be seated with my traveling companion and that flight is better than any other alternative airline, how can it be a 'poor quality product'?

ScorpiondeRooftrouser

buglawton wrote: »

Because I've taken numerous Ryanair flights before last year and always been seated together, until I booked a trip where I discovered we'd been seated absurdly apart and I had to fiddle with the iPad app to get the seats back together while the fees climbed.

So maybe they used to make an effort even though they didn't have to, and now they don't. Again, so what? They are doing exactly what they say they will do.....allocating seats randomly if you don't pay. If they are allocated randomly, you are massively unlikely to be together. It's not rocket science.

losgiganteskid

I was very concerned on my last Ryanair flight that not only was I seated apart from my companion but the pilot was in seat 24B and the co pilot was in 32E. :j

Nick_C

Pollycat wrote: »

Surely it's only a 'poor quality product' if being sat together is important to you.

If a Ryanair flight goes from a convenient airport at a convenient time and I actively choose not to pay to be seated with my traveling companion and that flight is better than any other alternative airline, how can it be a 'poor quality product'?

From what I have read and heard about Ryanair, there are many many things that make it a poor quality product. It's not just the seating issue.

Pollycat

Nick_C wrote: »

From what I have read and heard about Ryanair, there are many many things that make it a poor quality product. It's not just the seating issue.

But what have you actually experienced?
They fly from lots of airports to lots of destinations.
Don't have the statistics to hand but my flights have been punctual.
I've been happy with the price I've paid.
I've been happy with the service I've received.

What do you actually expect from an airline?

luciekoplin

I have flown with Ryanair around 20 times and always sat together with my husband without paying extra. this time we are now sitting apart. I believe that this is a new policy, and it is not random.
When you are flying with friends or family you want to sit together not apart. Sitting apart just makes the experience worse. why should you have to pay extra. It doesn't go with the Ryanair initiative "always getting better"