Turbo2

This has got Michael O'Leary in a flap, so might be worth watching.

BBC - Panorama: More fees from Ryanair, the airline Britain loves to hate

I booked a return flight last week:

Advertised fare: GBP 10.00
1 check-in bag: GBP 30.00
Debit/Credit Card fee: GBP 10.00
Total cost: GBP 50.00

Now if they'd just said 50 quid all-in from the outset, I wouldn't have minded!

I still have to check-in on-line and do the baggage drop at the airport myself.

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

They are still cheap though. Buy cheap; get cheap.

Things that annnoy me on ALL budget airline is "airport taxes"; its a cost that should be included in the main price, as its impossible to avoid paying it (as the rest are add-ons and are optional).

More like smelly b***ocks tax, the same goes with credit card fees; no way are they £10 for a £50 transaction, more likely £2.50, and debit cards should incurr no charge.

Steve vRS

I recently flew the family to Paris with Flybe. Now I know that they aren't quite as budget as Ryanair but by the time I'd added bags, reserved seats and paid for the privilege of paying, it was the same price as Air France where I'd have got a free cuppa and croissant as well as using the more modern Charles de Gaulle terminal.

It was only the fact that the Air France website crashed and I couldn't be fadged re-entering all my details that I booked flybe.

Steve

Coffin Dodger

It's all well documented as to how to avoid most of the RyanAir charges:

Budget flight fee-fighting: Cut costs on Ryanair, easyJet & more...

They're only there to penalise the stupid / those who don't do their research first Still cheaper than most otherwise.

My company provides the in-flight cell phone infrastructure for some of the RyanAir fleet so can't moan as they keep me in beer

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

It pays to shop about as prices vary wildly on booking day and flight dates and are tuned to catch out the average traveller on 7 day, working week and long weekend intervals.

I generally use this: Cheap flights: compare prices, find airline tickets - Skyscanner which will give me a bar graph display of the prices for each day and with what airline (don't enter any dates in the search box).

I usually fly with Monarch once a month as they are the cheapest from my airport (once you've added the taxes and other BS). Having flown so much I have a privilige card which did entitles me to free acess to the private airport lounges. Problem was wrinkly ****** were nicking the free spirits (empty bottles of vodka at 6:00am isn't exactly inconspicuous to the staff), so they've stopped it and now I have to sit in the cattle market like everyone else.

I still get the priority check-in, fast-track security lane and free extra leg-room, so its not all bad....especially when some flights have cost under £80 return (effectively £40 each way, but often one way is £15 and the other £65 etc).

DJ Dunk

iTrader: (5)

It does take the mickey with their price advertising. Mine from earlier in the year - originally priced at £3.16 for 2 flights . . . final total £177.30. Okay, I could have avoided the priority boarding and debit card fee, but it's still absurd.

3.16 GBP Total Fare
90.54 GBP Taxes, Fees & Charges
38.00 GBP Passenger Fee: BAG
19.00 GBP Passenger Fee: Airport Check in
7.60 GBP Passenger Fee: Priority Boarding
19.00 GBP Passenger Fee: Debit Card Fee
177.30 GBP Total Paid

Turbo2

You'll have a job avoiding any card fee with Ryanair. As for priority boarding: I fell for that scam only once with Easyjet at Luton. Having stood smugly in the "Speeding Boarding" queue at the Gate ahead of all the other passengers, I can only imagine their delight when they all simply followed us on to the bus transfer to the aircraft.

Consequently the vast majority of the Speedy Boarders were actually the last passengers to get on the plane!

Never again!

GC8WRX

So im stupid cos i need to put a bag in the hold and i am careful enough with my finances not to have a sh1te credit rating, and an accompanying crappy electron card!


Ryan air CHARGE you to pay ( about 1/5 of the flight costs), that is wrong!

boomer

Ever since O'Leary put his name to the "Yes" vote for the Lisbon Constitution, er, treaty, er, minor re-wording, er, leg irons forever - i will not fly on one of his planes ever again. And if he is successful in buying Aer Lingus it proves how corrupt he and the Eurocrats are (and will add another company to my no-fly list).

mb

Coffin Dodger

Didn't say that. Most people are aware of the fact that if you fly with the budget airlines they expect you to travel with carry on luggage only. If you want to check a bag in you pay extra. If you know this ahead of when you plan to travel then compare the costs with the non-budget scheduled airlines and you never know they might be a better deal for you.

Just arm yourself with the facts first and get the best deal for you. It is not rocket science. If RyanAir suddenly find they're losing a load of customers to BA as they work out cheaper then I'm sure they'll have to rethink their pricing strategies.

DJ Dunk

iTrader: (5)

As far as I know you can still avoid the debit card charges using Entropay.

In my case the priority boarding was money well spent on a busy flight to Verona - but I have also had the same where it's been a waste of time.

scoobyster

I bet he won't give two hoots. He actively encourages negative publicity hence making up toilet charge and standing passenger proposals, just to get his firm's name on the news. He's managed to get one long advert on the BBC - no such thing as bad publicity etc! I agree the charges are a joke but their fares are a bargain if you play by their rules.

Account deleted by request

I'm no ryan air fan but the bbc can be cvnts at times.

A ridiculous program so far. Having a go at him for negotiating good deals with the likes of boeing and not ordering off airbus. He is free to negotiate how he likes. If the company doesnt him doing it tell him to sling his hook.

I understand them having a go at hidden charges etc but the above is quite crazy.

Why would they not allow an unedited interview to be shown?

Puff The Magic Wagon!

iTrader: (2)

After having dumped my near 80 year old mum at 22:00 in an airport in a completely different country to that which she was travelling & all his staff bogging off home without giving a ****, then they can fvk right off in my opinion. I actively go out of my way to avoid flying his poxy airways & generally find it works out no more expensive if you're careful.

Janspeed

iTrader: (1)

buggers!

dpb

Sleazyjet are no better tho

ScoobyJawa

We had that in Budapest. There was an off duty pilot sitting next to us who said to complain to easyjet customer services and they will refund the priority boarding.

He said it really annoys the staff that they offer these gimmicks but the ground crew at the airports can't get it right so they get the stick.

SB works well if you KNOW the airport is going to use the gangway to the plane like at Gatwick, but when they use buses they are supposed to stick you at one end and open that door first before the others, still doesn't really work though

Leslie

Whatever you do, don't foget to get your own boarding pass or they will charge you £40 to get on and £40 to get off again!

If I was one of his aircrew and he refused to let me have a free bottle of water up the front end, I would tell him to stuff his job!

Les

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

Bit of a nothing show, stating the obvious that most of us already know about: We already know most of the money is made from the add-ons, inflight services and minimising the use of ground services.

And I'm pretty sure most knew he purchased the new fleet on the cheap after many airlines used 9-11 as a good excuse to cancel plane orders, leaving Boeing in a tight spot with a large order deficit....cue one shrewd Irishman = bargain brand new fleet. Even then, he needs the fleet to pay for itself - hence super quick turn arounds to maximise airtime.

The worry comes when one day he goes a step too far and cuts on maintenance and pilot training. Hopefully he won't make the same fatal mistakes that some US airlines have previously made in the 70s and 80s.

urban

iTrader: (1)

I've only ever used Ryanair for 1 return flight - Belfast to Stansted

I don't think I could say anything bad about that flight.
Was on time, clean, I think I had more leg room than an easy jet flight (I'll pay more attention next time)

I think all airlines have some sort of horror story looming over them, OK granted Ryanair get more than thier share of complaints
However, having said that you know what you're letting yourself in for.

urban

iTrader: (1)

I fear they're already doing that
I've been told by a pilot that they're an accident waiting to happen

Luan Pra bang

With clever planning you get a flight for less than the cost of the airport parking it stands to reason that the service might not be that great. Its a typical British thing to get something for next to nothing and then complain about it.

LeeMac

iTrader: (1)

I have had lots of £15 - £30 for return flights booked a few week in adv
and at worst over £500 for two of us (last minute for a funeral)

cant complain, they fly to places no other airline do, lots of small airports in France so am very greatful they do it cheap.