Ryanair are closing all check in desks...

[Neil]

....so what do they do, start charging you for OLCI, the only way you can now check in [V] Oh, and if you forget or don't print a boarding pass, that will be a 40 charge at the airport. Need to change your name now? 100 if you do it online or 150 if you do it over the phone[:0]

Article here

They really do know how to charge for absolutely everything[V]

I think it stinks. Despite this, I live near STN so have used Ryanair on many occasion for European hops and having used OLCI, got my name right and not checked in a bag I've found them to be fine and cheap. That said I have never been delayed on them so haven't had the 'experience' of their supposed dreadful customer service.

I suppose its like a gym chain - they rely on people signing up and never going to make their money. Ryanair set their base fare low and are probably secretly waiting for passengers to c*ck up somehwere along the booking process and then reap the rewards IMHO.

Well, there is a price for everything, whether it's rolled up into the fare or itemised out like Ryanair.

I don't mich mind which way they do it, AS LONG AS it is all clear from when you start to make a booking.

Nothing worse than facing endless web pages, each one introducing a new cost.

Not that any airlines do that of course.

I don't personally think it is unreasonable. FR are very clear that you will be charged 10 to do OLCI. Everyone will know that on booking, if you don't like it, don't book with them. And after all it just adds an extra 10, to a fare which if you book early enough, is low.

As Stevebrass mentions, I am sure that BA et al all have part of the fare going towards check in services etc the difference is that BA don't break it all down for you.

Is it any worse than VS cutting costs on board but not telling one about it? No not really, its a way to help the balance sheets look healthy. If passengers are prepared to pay it, then go for it, is my motto.

[Neil]

quote:Originally posted by willd
I don't personally think it is unreasonable. FR are very clear that you will be charged 10 to do OLCI. Everyone will know that on booking, if you don't like it, don't book with them. And after all it just adds an extra 10, to a fare which if you book early enough, is low.


I agree to a point Will, but they currently offer OLCI for free, it's just profiteering for them to suddenly start charging 5 just because they are closing the check in desks and you don't have any other option.

The problem I have with this is I am a perm resident in UK but dont hold a EU passport, so guess what, I CANT check-in online. I have always had to pay the regular check in charges. No ways am I going to fly with them now if they are blatently discriminating against me at, what I feel, is an extortiante rate. Having said that I hate STN and only ever used it when because I had family in an obscure town which they happened to fly to. The family have now relocated so I never need to go there again! Result.

quote:Originally posted by capetownflyer
The problem I have with this is I am a perm resident in UK but dont hold a EU passport, so guess what, I CANT check-in online.
No ways am I going to fly with them now if they are blatently discriminating against me at, what I feel, is an extortiante rate.


As they are against any UK resident who doesn't hold a passport but only wants to fly within the UK.

quote:Originally posted by capetownflyer
Having said that I hate STN and only ever used it when because I had family in an obscure town which they happened to fly to. The family have now relocated so I never need to go there again! Result.


Not quite sure why you're picking on poor old STN. Works for me. 40 minutes down the road, no need to go near the Circle of Hell, easy parking...

Paul

Is that actuallu legal - to surcharge for something compulsory?

I.e., if they are charging to do OLCI, does there not legally have to be a way you can check in without paying anything - otherwise they would have to include it in their headline fare would they not - like taxes, to be complient with trading standards etc?

[Scrooge]

If you look at their actions in the past they really don't care about non safety related EU rules, 12 hour delay, you get nothing. I have no issues with them closing down the check in counters, but what about pax who already have purchased tickets and can't do OLCI ?

I am sure that the OFT will want to look at these charges if a Ruinair pax makes a formal complaint to them.

They investigated the banks for excessive charges that were way out of line with the costs of of the service provided and the banks had to act and reduce them - you know the 20 for sending an auto generated letter etc

40 to print out a boparding card - that surely is excessive !

Why 100 / 150 to change a name when VS charged me 'only' 30 to make a minor correction from my 'usual' and shortened name to my longer name as listed on my passport.

I thought the idea of a low cost airline was to do away with the unnecessary frivolity's of a normal airline, like food, water, assigned seat, printed boarding pass, luggage in the hold, in order to keep costs low thereby increasing the average loads on aircraft thereby enabling cost to be kept low etc. etc. etc.

Ryanair seem to have developed this model to include charging their passengers for each step of the process before they have even stepped foot on an aircraft and when things go wrong they seem to be more than happy to walk away. I suspect that with the depletion of service and the additional charges imposed for 'extras' that in many cases the cost for a ticket wouldn't be far off a standard airline would charge for a restricted ticket.

I can understand the attraction of using low cost airlines but I for one have never and cannot see a point in the future when I ever would use their services as I do not believe that they have their customers interests at the forefront of their business values. If ever the term 'self loading cargo' applied to how an airline sees it's customers this would be it.

You know it won't be long before passengers will be asked to chip in for the crews wages in the form of tips so that these can be used for the airline to pay them minimum wage. Oh God, I hope I haven't given O'whatshisname another brilliant money saving tip.

Miopyk[8D]

I would rather walk than set foot an a Ryanair plane! It is disgusting how they discriminate pax, i.e wheel chair pax, non UK residents etc, They will start charging you for breathing next!

You get what you pay for and the thing is cheap attracts pax, especially in this climate.

Dominic

[honey lamb]

quote: I suspect that with the depletion of service and the additional charges imposed for 'extras' that in many cases the cost for a ticket wouldn't be far off a standard airline would charge for a restricted ticket.
I have frequently found that it is cheaper to buy a standard airline ticket as opposed to Ryanair especially when you factor in transport costs from out-of-the-way airports

quote:Originally posted by DMetters-Bone
I would rather walk than set foot an a Ryanair plane! It is disgusting how they discriminate pax, i.e wheel chair pax, non UK residents etc, They will start charging you for breathing next!

You get what you pay for and the thing is cheap attracts pax, especially in this climate.

Dominic



[y][y][y][y]

I don't mind LCC's per se. I know I will pay a low cost and they will get me from A to B efficiently. BE, for example, always do what I want them to do and its easy and efficient. Of course there is always that nagging 'what if something goes wrong' thought. Taking that into account I refuse to use either FR or EZY. It always makes me chuckle when people complain about a LCC and then admit they only paid 10 quid. You get what you pay for after all.

quote:Originally posted by Neil
quote:Originally posted by willd
I don't personally think it is unreasonable. FR are very clear that you will be charged 10 to do OLCI. Everyone will know that on booking, if you don't like it, don't book with them. And after all it just adds an extra 10, to a fare which if you book early enough, is low.


I agree to a point Will, but they currently offer OLCI for free, it's just profiteering for them to suddenly start charging 5 just because they are closing the check in desks and you don't have any other option.


I see your point. I haven't really looked into this much but I would imagine they would claim that say 15 was included in the previous ticket price (if booked late) and that now they have taken the check in charge away from the ticket price and reduced it by 10 as you don't have to pay for an agent to sit at a desk.

quote:originally posted by miopyk
I can understand the attraction of using low cost airlines but I for one have never and cannot see a point in the future when I ever would use their services as I do not believe that they have their customers interests at the forefront of their business values.

Some would argue that no airline has customer interests at the forefront of their business values. [}:)]

quote:Originally posted by miopyk
I can understand the attraction of using low cost airlines but I for one have never and cannot see a point in the future when I ever would use their services as I do not believe that they have their customers interests at the forefront of their business values. If ever the term 'self loading cargo' applied to how an airline sees it's customers this would be it.


A company will only care about its customers' interests when those customers opt to stop buying its product and there seems to be no sign of that at Stansted. Perhaps if someone dares to challenge him on some of his routes then change would be forthcoming.

quote:Originally posted by honey lamb

I have frequently found that it is cheaper to buy a standard airline ticket as opposed to Ryanair especially when you factor in transport costs from out-of-the-way airports


Now there's an opportunity for someone. A true 'cost of trip' comparison website. It would, however, have to factor in the costs of getting to the departure airport as well. Not all of us live within easy reach of LHR or LGW...

Paul

quote:Originally posted by honey lamb
quote: I suspect that with the depletion of service and the additional charges imposed for 'extras' that in many cases the cost for a ticket wouldn't be far off a standard airline would charge for a restricted ticket.
I have frequently found that it is cheaper to buy a standard airline ticket as opposed to Ryanair especially when you factor in transport costs from out-of-the-way airports


Here's a comparison from yesterday's Times.

quote:Originally posted by pjh
quote:Originally posted by honey lamb
quote: I suspect that with the depletion of service and the additional charges imposed for 'extras' that in many cases the cost for a ticket wouldn't be far off a standard airline would charge for a restricted ticket.
I have frequently found that it is cheaper to buy a standard airline ticket as opposed to Ryanair especially when you factor in transport costs from out-of-the-way airports


Here's a comparison from yesterday's Times.


Thanks for this link - everytime I see something similar it bears out the same story, LCCs are marginally cheaper, if that. I know what I would choose and it's pretty similar to what Dom said earlier, I'd never ever choose to fly OLearyshiteair unless it was a choice between that and losing a limb.