2583 ryanair caught napping

Thanks for letting us know, red tulip.

Sadly, I'll miss it - I'll be on one of their planes on my way to Rome at exactly that time!! Hope they don't take any naps then.... ;)

Looking forward to reading your opinions when we get back the following Friday!

Cheers,
Stephanie

I suppose it will air sometime around mid July 2008 over here then, LOL, will also look forward to hearing about it.

maybe i'm a tight arse, but tried to book flight for the inlaws to join us in italy
in aug. stanstead to pescara 99 pounds each,eachway b4 tax! what on earth
is going on. u can get to rome from between 24 and 39 pounds each,so whats
happened?

[QUOTE=giovanni]maybe i'm a tight arse, but tried to book flight for the inlaws to join us in italy
in aug. stanstead to pescara 99 pounds each,eachway b4 tax! what on earth
is going on. u can get to rome from between 24 and 39 pounds each,so whats
happened?[/QUOTE]

I FULLY AGREE! :mad: :mad:

we were planning to fly to pescara for st valentine to check what progress has been made in the renovation of our soon-to-be Italian retreat, and the prices have been sky high! first they cut the flights, now they are also increasing fares....whats up with them?

My experience of Ryanair pricing is that they wouldn't start doing cheap offers for August yet. I'm actually surprised you're even getting schedules this far ahead. Closer to the date, they may drop the price if they need to fill up the planes, but you have to watch very closely because that window of opportunity can come and go really quickly.

Recently I tried to book flights to Genoa (normally we can get flights at good prices for Genoa) and they were incredibly expensive. Fortunately, Ryanair have started a new run to Parma which works equally well for us so I was able to get seats at a good price. Later, I discovered prices on the Genoa run had dropped somewhat. I reckon they wanted to get a good take up on the Parma run before encouraging passengers towards Genoa. Who knows I may be completely wrong, but that's the way it looks to me.

Ryanair prices change daily and always were more, much more in high season.

My advise is check the prices at least a daily basis ,avoid school holidays try and travel midweek, unfortunately valentines falls on half term week! Bear in mind before Ryanair you could only fly direct in to Ancona or Pescara on charter flights from mid-May until early September If we were lucky to get a seatfor less than £200-00 we were very pleased. Last week I was quoted Heathrow to Ancona on Alitalia via Milan £414-00 each way! for mid March. I ask did you buy holiday homes in Italy purely because the flights were cheap or because you had a genuine love of the country.

i read yesterday that ryanair profit margins are under pressure from the increasing oil price.-the fuel bill increased by 59 per cent this year.passenger volumes rose by 26 per cent in the last quarter but air fares have remained flat.turnover has risen through sales of ancilliaries such as hotels and car rental.some analysts have now lowered their profit forecasts for ryanair- for the 12 months to the end of march ,but the company has not.however the deputy chief exec said he expects net profits in this final quarter to fall by a third chiefly from the impact of easter being in april not march.all very interesting,but what it means in the long run-i do not know enough about the airline industry to say.

I agree with Aliena... :)

It doesn't matter if you love the country or not - if it costs a fortune to get to your holiday home regularly, then it's a big problem. Ryanair flights are very useful for getting to Italy cheaper than by car or standard airline. And even without a family, I wouldn't pay 100s of £££ just to get somewhere for a week or 2.

Ryanair prices have always fluctuated and I agree with Rod that you have to check daily for any differences - and be prepared to be flexible with your days of travel. We kept an eye on the Rome flights over few weeks, sussing out the best dates to leave & come back & then look at the other issues such as accommodation (got a flight for 2 for £78, which a few days later - and still - costs £250!). But I'm aware that we can only do that because we don't have a family... though work schedules do play a role too.

Cheers,
Stephanie

i expect things to be different this year,certainly on the routes into puglia.last summer there were return flights every day to and from bari and brindisi.i had to travel there quite often and found cheap flights.however,this year there are 50% fewer flights so unless demand drops(which probably will not happen as puglia seems to be gaining in popularity)prices are bound to be a lot higher.presumably even in months other than july and august.

Don't forget if you are prepared to be adaptable on your flights you can click on the 'Find the Lowest fare' option at the top of the page and it will give all the options over a 14 day period. Remember their price structure is controlled by the supply and demand principle. I am just glad that when I was carrying my building work we still had the penny flights on a regular basis!

I have found [url]www.skyscanner.net[/url] invaluable for best prices on flights and highly reccommend it.

Regards

Harry

[QUOTE=HTB]I have found [url]www.skyscanner.net[/url] invaluable for best prices on flights and highly reccommend it.

Regards

Harry[/QUOTE]

Hey Harry, thank for that info. Didn't know about this site. Looks good.

Cheers,
Daniela

[QUOTE=giovanni]maybe i'm a tight arse, but tried to book flight for the inlaws to join us in italy
in aug. stanstead to pescara 99 pounds each,eachway b4 tax! what on earth
is going on. u can get to rome from between 24 and 39 pounds each,so whats
happened?[/QUOTE]

Gio(thermal) you do sound a bit tight-arsed. I have found that in school holidays it can be cheaper with BA than ryanair this was especially true for families when BA offered child discounts but they seem to have stopped that now. Anyway it's always worth checking out BA - you can impress the in-laws by telling them they are too precious for the budget carriers!

[quote=sdoj]Gio(thermal) you do sound a bit tight-arsed. I have found that in school holidays it can be cheaper with BA than ryanair this was especially true for families when BA offered child discounts but they seem to have stopped that now. Anyway it's always worth checking out BA - you can impress the in-laws by telling them they are too precious for the budget carriers![/quote]

[LEFT]We have found the same with easyjet. We always fly Gatwick to Nice with them and can invariably find a low price (about £50 return). However, for our end July-early August holiday we got a lower price with BA.[/LEFT]

Will watch it this Monday!

You might want to consider a Ryan air credit card. For every 5 flights you book (not just for yourself but the whole family) you get a voucher for one free flight for the card holder valid for six months with just the taxes to pay. Also for every £1,000 you spend in a quarter you get the same.

I'm using my voucher to travel the first saturday of half term so that proves they dont restrict use to "off peak" times.

Have just signed my husband up and will split our flight payments as I have two further vouchers which will take me through the summer for a couple of flights.

Jackie
Ps before anyone asks no I dont work for Ryan air or any other financial institution....Hate the lot of them but might as well get any freebies that are going!!

[QUOTE=sdoj]Gio(thermal) you do sound a bit tight-arsed. I have found that in school holidays it can be cheaper with BA than ryanair this was especially true for families when BA offered child discounts but they seem to have stopped that now. Anyway it's always worth checking out BA - you can impress the in-laws by telling them they are too precious for the budget carriers![/QUOTE]

i,m still young enough to drive :) and money for my beloved car,is no object.
just thought that the prices for rome were more than ok,and afterall it is a
major site seeing place, yet the southern airports were a hell of a lot dearer?

it looks like we can get flight to pescara for £66 each plus tax, midweek,and
then the inlaws will have to fly out of rome for £34 plus tax each. so looks
like i'll be looking for a HOTEL WITH PARKING IN ROME,[ cheap] so we can
do a proper day and a half there...

According to today's paper, Ryanair was offering special deals to the Norwegians: the bargain deal of £15 (the taxes) to fly OSLO to London Prestwick (32 miles to Glasgow, 400 miles to London). !!!

[QUOTE=Wishful Thinker]According to today's paper, Ryanair was offering special deals to the Norwegians: the bargain deal of £15 (the taxes) to fly OSLO to London Prestwick (32 miles to Glasgow, 400 miles to London). !!![/QUOTE]

London Prestwick??? Hahahaha!!!!! :D

Perhaps they're supposed to enjoy the scenery on the long train journey?? Someone send Ryanair a map of this country!!

as usual Ryanair probably called it right - 400 miles in Norway could be considered a short drive (if you consider the shape of Norway) and if they drive in the early hours (thus avoiding traffic) they will feel right at home in the darkness!

Passengers using no-frills airlines accept that the airport they fly into may not be as close to their destination as they might wish.

But Ryanair set a record for stretching credulity when it nominated Prestwick - 32 miles from the centre of Glasgow - as one of London's airports.

The low-cost carrier's unique interpretation of the geography of Britain appeared in an advert in Monday morning's edition of Aftenposten, Norway's second largest newspaper, as it tried to drum up business for its services from Oslo.

"If you're wondering where the price is. . . there isn't one," the paper's readers were told. "No price", the advertisement screamed. "Just pay taxes and charges 176 Norwegian kroner (just over £15)."

The offer is indeed a bargain, until the cost of travelling a further 400 miles to London is taken into account.

A standard class rail ticket from Glasgow to the capital costs £93.10. Ryanair also flies to Stansted. However, a flight today could cost as much as £122.47 including taxes.

With Ryanair using Torp airport - around two hours from the centre of Oslo by coach - as the starting point, the journey between Britain and Norwegian capitals could be rather a long one.

A Ryanair spokesman said last night that there had been a "slight error" in the advert. "The offer should have advertised free flights from Norway to London Stansted, while the price for Glasgow Prestwick was in fact 20 Norwegian kroner (£1.71) on that day.

"We basically had so many good deals that we could not fit them all on the same advertisement."

A spokesman for "London Prestwick" was baffled. "Anyone arriving here expecting the bright lights and busy streets of London might be surprised when they realise we are right next to the sea."

Just imagine how much a london taxi cab could charge for that trip though! They could get a new car every week!

[url]http://www.ryanair.com/site/EN/inpage.php?partner=DISPATCHES[/url]

live in the north BA have stopped going to Rome from Manchester and Ryanair have stopped the Teeside to Rome flight but good news is Jet 2 are starting flights from Leeds Bradford (20mons from my house)to Rome and Pisa. Have a house in Abruzzo and the flights to Pescara from Stansted work out more expensive this summer than Jet 2 to Rome - and we dont have the long drive to Stansted!.
When we bought the houe in 2004 we could only fly BA from Manchester to Rome or drive to Stansted for the Pescara flight since then we have Liverpool and Nottingham that fly to Rome.
Pamela

[QUOTE=Wishful Thinker]Passengers using no-frills airlines accept that the airport they fly into may not be as close to their destination as they might wish.

But Ryanair set a record for stretching credulity when it nominated Prestwick - 32 miles from the centre of Glasgow - as one of London's airports.
......."[/QUOTE]

Very droll, but obviously a mistake. Whilst they don't fly to Italy, my favourite was FlyBe. Checking the flights to Paris, I almost booked with them due to the convenience of flight time. Didn't know the airpot code, so checked it. Where did it fly from? Stanstead? Gatwick?........Ok you've guessed it..............London Southend!!!!!

ciao a tutti at the moment you can get flights to brindisi in june for the vast sum of £2.79 not inc tax (restrictions apply) in my experience the summer timetables dont usually appear until march which is not to long away got my hard hat on awaiting the almighty scramble, just like queuing for a ryanair flight, the old and ignorant first?

[QUOTE=Ric][url]http://www.ryanair.com/site/EN/inpage.php?partner=DISPATCHES[/url][/QUOTE]

Thanks for the link- absolutely fabulous reading!!

Some hilarious bits in here.

I have to say that we have had no problems flying Ryanair but the programme is obviously out to stir up some trouble.

Lesley

OK, I'd better be prepared ... perhaps I should carry my alarm clock in the hand luggage on our flight tomorrow?? Just in case... ;)

Did everybody remember Dispatches tonight. Pretty scary but perhaps the bad publicity can only be a good thing as surely things can only be improved. Shall be keeping a watchful eye next Tuesday and we fly with Ryanair to Brindisi.. :mad:

[QUOTE=paula hampson]Did everybody remember Dispatches tonight. Pretty scary but perhaps the bad publicity can only be a good thing as surely things can only be improved. Shall be keeping a watchful eye next Tuesday and we fly with Ryanair to Brindisi.. :mad:[/QUOTE]

I saw it. It does highlight some shortcomings, but it you read all the documents at [url]http://www.ryanair.com/site/EN/inpage.php?partner=DISPATCHES[/url] it puts a few things into context.

...Not wanting to defend Ryanair too much BUT.there was great emphasis made on the security at the boarding gate with NO mention made of the tight security at UK airports to get 'airside' Stansted checks are thorough long before you get to the gates. I always view the gate check as being there to make sure you get on the right plane with a secondary check to see you have a passport.

The 'pay nothing get nothing' mentality if it is true IS poor though. As someone who often has to fly in school holiday time I do not consider that Ryanair is ALWAYS that cheap.
That said I have never been in the position of being left in the mire with, say, fog at Ancona and being diverted an thus stranded at Pescara and have always had good experience travelling with Ryanair. Not sure I like the idea of staff being exploited though. (Although 900 hours divided by, say, 45 weeks for pilots does not exactly seem like exploitation...err..20 hours is it? given what Junior House doctors have to do in the NHS. Oveall it did not strike me as responsible journalism. However ask me again if, some time in the future, I get left high and dry by Ryanair. Bottom line is you have to be prepared to sort things out yourself if they go 'pear shape'.

Apparently the dispatches programme concerning ryanair is being repeated on Saturday 18th Feb., Channel More4 at 20.10. For those of us who forgot!

Rosebee

I thought that all the allegations didn't entirely hold up. There were obviously issues that Ryanair should address - I do believe that the company policy has slightly corrupted the staff's views on customer care (not allowing the crew enough time to clean up sick is outrageous) and there is obviously a need to tighten up their security on authorisation passes, but I was less persuaded that they were operating unsafe planes.

But then again, I only fly Ryanair if I can get a good deal. I would avoid them if their price is uncompetitive.

Did not see the programme so cannot comment specifically, but I have read the correspondence from the link given in a previous post. Ryanair has obviously been highlighted in this programme, has any other airline undergone the same type of undercover reporting? For all we know there may be similar issues with many of the other companies! Airport/check in security are surely not in Ryanair's remit and not all cabin crew working for 'full price' airlines have good attitudes, we have encountered some incredibly rude, offhand and even arrogant BA crew in the past. Having travelled many times with Ryanair we have had problems with cancellations due to fog and late departures, but when you book you accept the terms and conditions so just deal with it if and when it happens. If you are not prepared to do so, don't fly with them, there are plenty of other carriers coming into Italy, you just have to pay more, unless it is in peak travel times when the fares are often comparable.

Thanks Ric for the link to the correspondence on Ryanair's web site; interesting! I think Ryanair had a very valid point when they said that the investigative journalists were jeopardising the safety of the passengers by misrepresenting themselves as air crew. They can hardly accuse Ryanair of negligence (which seems to have been the only accusation that they can substantiate), if their journalists were dividing their time betwen their duties as air crew and secretly operating video cameras.
In view of the amount of time they spent working with the airline, I'm surprised that they came back with so little evidence. The sick bag incident amounts to desperation.

[LEFT]Totally agree with Anne2. If that is the worst they could uncover, things can't be too bad - they seemed a bit desperate - passengers arguing about soft drinks!

The issue of the vomit was bad, but I felt that they could have cleaned it up in the time they took discussing it.

A lot of responsibility goes to the passengers. The rubbish they leave amazes me. There are plenty of opportunities to pass rubbish to the crew, it doesn't need to be left on the floor. Many people with young children can be totally irresponsible allowing them to throw sweet papers, crisp packets onto the floor.

In the film the reporter was worried about a delay and the effect on people with young babies. Anyone travelling with young babies/children should taken sufficient supplies with them to accommodate any delay - I always did. Ryanair allows everyone to take their own food and drinks on board so there really is no excuse.

I have probably been lucky and never had a bad Ryanair flight or experience. However I have certainly encountered bad service with British Airways.

I'm sure that bad practices can be uncovered in most organisations if you look hard enough.[/LEFT]

I can't wait for the day when someone decides to do an investigation into Channel 4 and how they manufacture situations and set them up to look real when they are not. Having taken part in a Channel 4 programme personally and witnessed things first hand I would be happy to testify.

This investigation was so clearly set up to put Ryanair in the worst light possible, for example they never actually showed the vomit, but the reporter was talking loudly about how you could see all the bits etc. Why don't they do an investigation into BA or another airline? Because Ryanair is successful, that's why! I have a friend who works for an airline I won't mention as cabin crew and from what I've heard a lot of the "fatigue" reported can be put down to partying the night before, not overwork.

Sarah:mad:

[quote=Flyingpigs][LEFT]A lot of responsibility goes to the passengers. The rubbish they leave amazes me. There are plenty of opportunities to pass rubbish to the crew, it doesn't need to be left on the floor. Many people with young children can be totally irresponsible allowing them to throw sweet papers, crisp packets onto the floor.[/LEFT]
[/quote][LEFT]

It's true that people can be very negligent and I understand that Ryanair must find it difficult to turn the planes around in the time allotted, but I also find it immensely frustrating to get on those Ryanair flights with no seat pockets (and I swear the leg room is getting smaller - and I'm short!). Not having somewhere to put your newspapers or book or whatever while you belt up and get yourself settled in is [FONT=Arial]maddening[/FONT] and makes me want to leave stuff on the floor for them to pick up just to spite them.

[/LEFT]

[QUOTE=Licciana][LEFT]

It's true that people can be very negligent and I understand that Ryanair must find it difficult to turn the planes around in the time allotted, but I also find it immensely frustrating to get on those Ryanair flights with no seat pockets (and I swear the leg room is getting smaller - and I'm short!). Not having somewhere to put your newspapers or book or whatever while you belt up and get yourself settled in is [FONT=Arial]maddening[/FONT] and makes me want to leave stuff on the floor for them to pick up just to spite them.

[/LEFT][/QUOTE]
So why don't you pay a bit more and use another airline that'll give you a seat pocket?

When I win the lottery I will.

So what do you do with your bumf when you get on a Ryanair flight?

[QUOTE=Licciana]When I win the lottery I will.

So what do you do with your bumf when you get on a Ryanair flight?[/QUOTE]

I try to travel as lightly as possible, not always easy with a youngster in tow but we're used to it now and I'm so greatful for the possibility of being able to fly low cost I honestly don't care. Years ago I used to have to save for the best part of a year to be able to fly home, whereas now I can fly back and forth for the weekend or the day when necessary very easily.
As for the bumph, I keep a plastic bag under the seat in front of me with everything I need for the flight, including food and water, with my hand luggage stowed above out of the way. By the end of the flight I can discard the remains (used newspapers, wrappers and bottles etc) by putting it in the plastic bag and throwing it when they come around asking for rubbish. Anything I want to keep like a book or whatever I put back in my hand luggage when I get it down from the overhead cabin.
I usually wait until everyone is almost off the plane before getting up and walking down the empty aisles is shocking - the states people leave the seats in when the crew have been up and down twice asking for rubbish is incredibly disrespectful.

I see RyanAir as a train in the sky (but about half the price) it costs me £140 to go return to Preston over the weekend to see my folks, it takes about 4-4.5hrs, the longest was 12hrs. During this delay I had no free drinks (they ran out), no food, vague apologies, no compensation for the football match both me and my sister missed, the toilet had no toilet rolls and you could easily get MRSA from sitting on the seat, and the air conditioning was stuck on boil/roast mode.

RyanAir is cleaned the same as a train is about half the price, thats four times the distance 1140 miles to 300miles.

Another thing to bare in mind is it is cheap now but in summer the prices do rise to near normal prices, still cheaper than the rest.

All in all bar the queueing, I'd love to pay extra for, I have no complaints.

In fact, we travel Ryanair almost all the time and so far have not encountered any problems. We're very grateful for their services and would not have bought our house in Italy if it were not for the ease of travelling back and forth. I don't really have any complaints, just a few niggles. In fact I am not that convinced that you get a great deal more from full price airlines.

What I do think Ryanair should moderate, though, is their "it's a low cost airline, what do you expect" attitude. Of course there is a trade off between the amount you pay and the service you get, but the prices are not always low. You can end up paying quite a lot for your seat and you don't get any better service.

That said, I totally agree about Virgin Trains. They can be truly shocking and I would prefer to avoid them at all costs. Even when you can get a good deal (I think that's every 4th Thursday in a month beginning with W) there's a huge risk that something will go wrong. In a choice between Virgin and Ryanair give me Ryanair every time.

I agree that Ryanair is really a skybus or train. I think that regardless of what you pay for a flight you should dispose of rubbish in a responsible manner, it is not difficult. However the same kind of people drop rubbish out of car windows or in streets and parks or anywhere showing a disrespect for the environment and other people. Perhaps litter louts could be handed an additional bill for cleaning when they leave the plane!:D

I vote that Ryan air cabin crew should be allowed to sleep during the journey then they wouldn't be able to hassle everyone with unwanted purchases and lottery tickets;)

I am also fascinated to know how people find room for their hand luggage in the overhead storage when it seems many people prefer to carry all their luggage and a bit more besides in the cabin. I always end up with mine under the seat:eek: Perhaps the new rules will mean everyone only carries a small purse onboard!

In all fairness though, do you really think Ryanair themselves have that attitude (you paid nothing, what do you expect?)? I think in the case of the program there was simply a good old b*tching session going on, unfortunately caught on camera. After years of travelling with Ryanair, I have only ever come across friendly faces, helpful attitude etc - certainly nothing less than with more expensive airlines. You want a shoddy plane and service - go on a package holiday and check out the charter flight :eek:
I hadn't been on a package holiday for about 18 years until last summer. Plane seats patched together with duct tape, arm rests hanging off the seats... an 8 hour delay which cost us a whole day of our holiday... and extremely expensive. Never again...

[QUOTE=baggio]

I vote that Ryan air cabin crew should be allowed to sleep during the journey then they wouldn't be able to hassle everyone with unwanted purchases and lottery tickets;) [/QUOTE] So true!!:D
[QUOTE=baggio]
I am also fascinated to know how people find room for their hand luggage in the overhead storage when it seems many people prefer to carry all their luggage and a bit more besides in the cabin. I always end up with mine under the seat:eek: Perhaps the new rules will mean everyone only carries a small purse onboard![/QUOTE]
It's true you have to get on the plane early to get overhead space, beg, borrow or steal a small toddler to jump the queue :p

Absolutely, the staff have always seemed very kind and helpful to me too.

[QUOTE=gardahomes]So true!!:D

It's true you have to get on the plane early to get overhead space, beg, borrow or steal a small toddler to jump the queue :p[/QUOTE]

I know and I travel with 2 toddlers however if you board first your belongings end up squashed into a corner of the overheads and you can't retrieve it without the aid of a hoover or a ladder and anything inside never regains it's shape!!!!!!!!!:D

I know! Have you ever noticed too that there is always a handful of people who don't know that people with kids go first, and they get really stroppy and start pushing?

If there was one thing I could wish for with Ryanair, it would be for allocated seats...bliss.

By the way, anyone tried FlyBMI? They are inexpensive and give you allocated seats on a real ticket sent to your house!!!