Originally posted by willd
How do you define bad guys?
FR are one of the fastest growing airlines and clearly provide a service that is needed- cheap short flights that are frequent. If there was no demand then there wouldnt be an airline. Too many people slag off FR and EZY without remembering how much they pay for a ticket- if you get a ticket for £10 dont expect UCS service. It would be like getting in a Ford and expecting the car to drive and be finished like a Bentley- it just isnt going to happen. Just because you travel in a bentley the whole time doesnt mean that the ford is bad- its just different to what your use to. The majority on here fly in UCS it seems so therefore flying FR/EZY will be a shock to the system but if you expect the worst and not UCS service then you shouldnt think they are bad. Its all about ones expectations.
Very true - however whilst Ryanair are quick to throw the "low fares" card in your face, they arent always the cheapest option.
"Creative Marketing" as a couple of my lecturers would have referred to it (Did Marketing & Management at Uni a few moons ago).
Key with any LCC is finding the cheap fares. I dont object to budget service when Ive paid budget prices , but I do have issues if Im paying a more premium fare & getting the same budget service. Was looking at a short break for this spring - cant get Barcelona or Florence for under £100 return pp (all in) with Ryanair. Once Im at that price level I am able to get offers with other carriers, albeit with a connecting flight. Bearing in mind that if I take BA to Barcelona im not getting dropped off 50miles away (although I might end up on an Iberia codeshare [:0] [:p] [:o)])
Its a simliar situation if you want to fly most LCC to London - its often just as cheap to fly BMI or BA, unless you plan a long time in advance. Esp. once you factor in the cost (and time!) of getting from airport to final destination.
As for "low fares" - all the LCC's are good for showing their low "fare" , but not the final cost to the customer - whereas full-service airlines advertised prices (usually) are the final price.
Also - with any airline, you generally do have to book in advance to get the lowest fares. I had to book last week to get low-fares to NYC in June, didnt matter what airline I wanted. Risk I could take was to hold on & hope for a last-minute deal, Id rather ensure my seats & route now though, that way I can work to specific dates & get all my hotels booked.
NB: Ive never flown UC & my first PE flight will be this June - Ive only ever flown economy & yes, full-service airlines economy service is better than the LCC's, and given the choice I would rather take a BA flight from GLA to Barcelona if it meant I was paying an extra £50 but ensuring a guaranteed seat (not a free for all) plus an extra couple of inches legroom. Given the costs of getting from Girona to Barcelona, the extra £50 doesnt seem so bad. The extra-time taken to connect at LHR drifts into the background when sitting on a bus for over an hour to get down the Spanish coast too.
LCC's arent bad, I am still a fan - infact GermanWings is one of my favourite airlines of any genre... Ive flown with them a couple times from EDI to Cologne & cant praise them enough.
Ryanair will continue to grow, because someone like me will continue to use them. Whilst I may not desire to use them - they at least are not ignoring the majority of the population who arent commute-distance to LHR or LGW.
I find it amazing that BA or Virgin for example have never even trialled flights from GLA or EDI - whilst in the last few years Emirates have started flights to Dubai, Continental from experimenting on GLA-NYC now have THREE routes (2x GLA, 1x EDI), AA fly GLA - ORD, Delta start a new service from EDI to Atlanta this year whilst US fly to GLA - Philly.
The LCC's have given regions the chance of direct flights to other places without having to go via London to get somewhere - Germanwings are now doing this in Germany & its been interesting to watch their growth in routes across Europe.
The growth of Ryanair has been fascinating too though - but you have to wonder would it continue were the likes of BA & BMI to start offering direct flights from regional airports to European destinations (whether matching them on a complete budget service, or offering slightly higher fares with a bit more service... "BAConnect" for example could be interesting if they decide to open up a couple of routes outwith the UK)
I dont really care about meals on any flights & have no preconceptions that I`ll get a nutrious & filling meal. I figure worse case scenario is Im somewhere between 6 and 12 hours until I can get roomservice! I often go from breakfast to dinner without eating (sometimes with only a Mars bar), so its not like the meal is essential.
If I cant get a cheap LCC fare though, i dont use them - I dont want a budget service for a premium cost , and I think this is more of an issue with peoples dislikes of LCC flights. If youve only paid £30 to get from Prestwick to Barcelona(Girona), you dont mind so much - when youve paid £100 & still need to travel onward to get to the city itself, it is definately more of an issue. I think the bottom line is the perceived value for money, whoever you fly with.
Posted: 03 Feb 2006, 20:25
, other than punctuality issues, I've never had a problem.