Ryanair overbookings?

exel1966

alanrowell wrote: »

Ryanair ARE a scheduled airline - just that their booking model doesn't do overbooking

Ryanair are NOT a scheduled carrier, they are a lo-cost airline, hence the reason they and other lo-cost airlines DO NOT feature in the OAG's scheduled flight timetables.

bagand96

I hate to split hairs, but it is generally accepted that Ryanair, and other low cost airlines are scheduled airline. They publish a flight schedule, and sell tickets to the public.

Publishing in the OAG doesn't mean much, it is not a requirement to be classified as an scheduled airline, they are just a private company that publish airline schedules worldwide.

It is very confusing though. Generally scheduled airlines are viewed as the traditional model such as British Airways, Air France KLM etc. The low cost airlines don't fit that model, and a lot of people are using "low cost" as a third classification for airlines, which of course is not wrong.

But officially a public transport flight can only be classified as one of two things, a scheduled or a charter. And the low cost airlines fall under scheduled.

alanrowell

exel1966 wrote: »

They sell 189 tickets for aircraft that carry 189 passengers. No more !
Most scheduled airlines do oversell by up to 20% as experience tells them that not all passengers will turn up for their flights.

Because low cost scheduled airlines only offer no refund tickets whereas the traditional airlines offer tickets that can be changed, used on different flights or fully refunded that appeal to business travellers so that they can change at short notice with relatively little cost.

Note that Easyjet do offer a facility whereby on the return leg (ie booked at the same time as the outward leg) of a flight you can get an earlier flight without additional cost IF there is space

exel1966

bagand96 wrote: »

I hate to split hairs, but it is generally accepted that Ryanair, and other low cost airlines are scheduled airline. They publish a flight schedule, and sell tickets to the public.

Publishing in the OAG doesn't mean much, it is not a requirement to be classified as an scheduled airline, they are just a private company that publish airline schedules worldwide.

It is very confusing though. Generally scheduled airlines are viewed as the traditional model such as British Airways, Air France KLM etc. The low cost airlines don't fit that model, and a lot of people are using "low cost" as a third classification for airlines, which of course is not wrong.

But officially a public transport flight can only be classified as one of two things, a scheduled or a charter. And the low cost airlines fall under scheduled.

Your post is contradicting and does split hairs whether you hate it or not. Yes, the traditional airline model did only include scheduled and charter, but since the conception of lo-cost airlines there are now 3 brands of air travel.

Lo-cost airlines are not and have never been classed as scheduled airlines by the industry. Of course they sell tickets to the public and operate to a timetable, but that does not make them a scheduled carrier. Air taxi operators publish a timetable, are you saying they are scheduled as well ?

OAG are a private company which publishes the timetables of scheduled airlines ONLY. If they were scheduled they would be included.

It is not confusing to anyone who works within the airline industry, only to the general public who to be honest don't particularly care either way.

I'm not sure where you got your 'official' definition of a public transport flight, but it is incorrect and has no bearing this discussion. To quote the official UK definition :-

Public transport flights comprise one major category and two other categories.

1. The major category is when payment is made for the carriage of passengers or cargo in the aircraft on the flight.

2. The second category is when passengers or cargo are carried gratuitously by an air transport undertaking.

3. The third category of public transport flights relates only to airworthiness. If an aircraft is hired for a flight, e.g. from a flying club.


Charter airlines operate on a charter basis, that is flights that take place outside normal schedules, by a hiring arrangement with a particular customer.

A low-cost airline is a carrier that offers generally low fares in exchange for eliminating many traditional passenger services.

A scheduled carrier is a full-service airline which offers interline agreements with other carriers.

EDIT : Regardless of all this, the OP's concerns have been answered in the earlier posts and as far as I'm concerned end of thread.

In conclusion, No they won't change the fare and No they won't sell too many seats.

alanrowell

exel1966 wrote: »

OAG are a private company which publishes the timetables of scheduled airlines ONLY. If they were scheduled they would be included.

The criteria is simple - the airline pays OAG to be included. The likes of Ryanair and other SCHEDULED airlines don't pay OAG therefore aren't included

From the first line of their Strategy document : Ryanair’s objective is to firmly establish itself as Europe’s leading low-fares SCHEDULED passenger airline

http://www.ryanair.com/site/about/invest/docs/Strategy.pdf

bagand96

My definition comes from the Civil Aviation Authority airline licensing. Airlines have to hold a Type A operating license, to carry pax, cargo and mail on an aircraft with 20 seats or more. To operate flights they also have to hold a route license in conjunction with that operating license. (A route license doesn't just cover one route as the name suggests, it basically means they can fly routes.)

Route licenses come in two types, charter or scheduled. A charter route license enables the airline to operate charter flights. Whereby the airline is contracted to operate one, or a series of flights by an organisation (i.e. tour operators, companies etc). All tickets for these flights must be issued by the charterer, the airline is not allowed to issue tickets direct to the public.

A scheduled route license allows scheduled flights, whereby the airline publish a schedule and are allowed to issue tickets directly to the public. Low cost airlines operate under their scheduled route licenses, they couldn't operate how they do without one.

As examples, MyTravel Airways only hold a charter license, and bmibaby only hold a scheduled license.

All the other big airlines hold both i.e. British Airways and easyJet, as it allows them to operate chartered flights (as BA frequently do for tour operators). Not sure how often easyJet do but having the license enables them to should the situation arise.

At the end of the day its six of one and half a dozen of the other. In terms of licensing and the legality of selling tickets, there are only two definitions. From the consumer's point of view, your definitions at the bottom of the last post are spot on.

peterbaker

I shouldn't worry too much about overbooking in the present climate. The last one I was on only had 50 passengers out of possible 189! It was awfully quiet apart from the creaking of the luggage bins, and bits of the pressure hull - noises I don't normally notice when it's drowned out by the full load factor chatter etc ... or maybe Boeings creak and rumble like empty stomachs when they are not packed out from the inside? :eek:

PS if you are worried, do a trial run ... BOGOF on the Ryanair site right now I notice ... oh but don't forget to carbon offset

stoneman

alanrowell wrote: »

The criteria is simple - the airline pays OAG to be included. The likes of Ryanair and other SCHEDULED airlines don't pay OAG therefore aren't included

From the first line of their Strategy document : Ryanair’s objective is to firmly establish itself as Europe’s leading low-fares SCHEDULED passenger airline

http://www.ryanair.com/site/about/invest/docs/Strategy.pdf

1-0 to alanrowell

hammy_the_hammer

what tosh ....they're scheduled. with your model how would you describe EOS or Silverjet....a 4th category ?

cheapskate58

peterbaker wrote: »

I shouldn't worry too much about overbooking in the present climate. The last one I was on only had 50 passengers out of possible 189! It was awfully quiet apart from the creaking of the luggage bins, and bits of the pressure hull - noises I don't normally notice when it's drowned out by the full load factor chatter etc ... or maybe Boeings creak and rumble like empty stomachs when they are not packed out from the inside? :eek:

PS if you are worried, do a trial run ... BOGOF on the Ryanair site right now I notice ... oh but don't forget to carbon offset

On Ryanair fights, I carbon offest by trying not to f*art while I'm in the air:D