Panorama - Why Hate Ryanair?

BBC1 Monday 12th October at 20:30

'Vivian White investigates the reasons why the ultimate no frills airline has gained a reputation as the brand Britain loves to hate but can't stop using. Passengers, suppliers and insiders contribute and chief executive Michael O'Leary doorsteps the programme makers in his own unique style.'

I will watch with interest but I used Ryanair once, I paid the price they wanted and from then on they treated me with total contempt so I haven't used them since. Easyjet is slightly better as they do appear to try to offer a service however basic, although with all the bolt on costs it is dangerous to assume they will be the cheapest.

Have personally been able to avoid using Ryanair and will continue to do so. Heard and seen too many horror stories to take the risk. Easyjet from my experience is the other end of the scale to Ryanair, have always boarded within 15 minutes of designated time, have then been held up but thats due to the fault of tardy fellow passengers.

Once on board it is a no frills airline but the staff and CC are all friendly, yes your packed in but never going to be on a flight longer than 4hours with them and can suffer knees to chin syndrom for that time period. My only gripe is if you need to check in at the airport the long snaking queue at a London airport means you need to be there 3hours at least prior to a flight is a pain

Why Hate Ryanair?

I think they give enough reasons without having to generate any of our own !

Thst asid it does appear to be a company that you either love or loathe with no happy medium

I have only used FR for one round trip and actually found them to be perfectly fine. We boarded on time, crew were pleasant and were ok with us not buying any products from them. Maybe I had such low expectations (given the price I had paid) I was pleasantly surprised.

Having said that this was before they charged one for the use of the toilet, online check in and so on.

I like to have an 'all in one' price coupled with a decent service, convenient for me departure points and free food hence these days where BA/BD compete with an LCC I will always select BA/BD.

I agree with you Will, if a LCC only goes to the place I want to go, I will use them. If BA/BD etc flies the same route then I will go with them even if the price is a little more expensive.

quote:Originally posted by DarkAuror
I agree with you Will, if a LCC only goes to the place I want to go, I will use them. If BA/BD etc flies the same route then I will go with them even if the price is a little more expensive.

I'd almost agree with you but if the LCC had better flight times (very rare I know) I'd still go with them.

I've no problems with Ryanair, only used them a few times as they are the only option LBA-DUB but they've always been fine and I know what to expect.

I think O'Leary is a master of gaining publicity that works for the airline and this programme will probably help them/him even more.

quote:Originally posted by willd
I have only used FR for one round trip and actually found them to be perfectly fine. We boarded on time, crew were pleasant and were ok with us not buying any products from them. Maybe I had such low expectations (given the price I had paid) I was pleasantly surprised.

Having said that this was before they charged one for the use of the toilet, online check in and so on.

I like to have an 'all in one' price coupled with a decent service, convenient for me departure points and free food hence these days where BA/BD compete with an LCC I will always select BA/BD.




I think it's ammusing that the code for Ryanair is FR......how appropriate![}:)] It's exactly what people call them.[:D]

I think O'Leary has a plan when it comes to breakng the Long Haul market though in Business class....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfIY24BErBE

As you know I've had about 16 Ryanair flights within that last 18 months... all of them bar one was on time. Staff appear harassed and certainly don't look like they are enjoying themselves (although on my last flight they seemed on top of the world)... it's not Ryanair that puts me off Ryanair it's Stansted. I can't abide the travel to the airport so that's the main reason I have stopped booking the day trips with them.

[Darren Wheeler]

How many passenger whinge and b%$tch about how bad FR are to fly with, yet keep using them?

For 99p, be grateful you are even getting on a plane.

I think the problem with FR is as has been said before you get what you pay for and if anything goes wrong, tough. Now they have that reputation people who can afford to go with BA or any other similar carrier will do so simply because they don't want to take a chance.

I think it's the same syndrome as Skoda cars. In the 70s they were appalling but people still bought them because on the face of it they seemed to offer more for your money. The problem is that they have had to spend an awful lot of time and money since then building the brand back to where people will trust them and buy the products which now are very good.

I think that FR will find that if they want to go upmarket they are going to have to overcome the same hurdle and the people who they are going to try and attract are those that have probably already made their minds up on whether they would trust FR to deliver.

I for one have a long memory and still couldn't picture a time when I would buy a Skoda or put money in O'Leary's pocket no matter how good the products are and I've never driven one or flown with them.

Miopyk [8D]

[Darren Wheeler]

I cna recommend a Skoda over it's pricer stable-mates [;)]

I loathe Ryanair and I have never flown them. Damned hypocrite I know!

I'd probably still loathe them if I had to fly them. Just to keep up the hypocrisy.

I dare not fly Ryanair for fear of being dropped from His Grace's privy council...I push it by flying EasyJet as it is. [:I]

But I really do love EasyJet. I've found the staff to be quite professional and friendly, I have a thing for the color orange, and the seating is no worse at all than an American domestic carrier's Y offering...and the EasyJet food and bevvie cart has acres more fun things to buy than their US peers.

I wouldn't hesitate to fly EasyJet or to recommend them to a friend.

GJ

O'Leary has said he isn't interested in bidding for Aer Lingus Group again as the airline will be forced into their hands regardless. Bound to happen at some point and getting him even more routes.

Have to think there is a large percentage of travellers that put a cheap flight well ahead of comfort and willing to accept the minimum of service as a result. However the issue then comes that once they travel they expect the full treatment and forget the price they are paying.

Does anyone know if panorama is available via the red button on BBC. I would like to see this but can only access certain BBC programmes through the red button on my sky box over here.

thanks
Iain

O' Leary is now hinting that he might try for Aer Lingus again... and then use that to get bmi... so would use Aer Lingus to primary airports, using bmi's LHR slots and Ryanair to secondary ones.

Not sure why he needs to use Aer Lingus to get to bmi...

I've flown FR twice EMA-DUB-EMA it was a bit late on the way out but for the 4p we paid [y]

quote:Originally posted by iforres1
Does anyone know if panorama is available via the red button on BBC. I would like to see this but can only access certain BBC programmes through the red button on my sky box over here.

thanks
Iain


Can't comment on the button, but be surprised if can't access on BBC iPlayer

[honey lamb]

quote:Originally posted by carter
quote:Originally posted by iforres1
Does anyone know if panorama is available via the red button on BBC. I would like to see this but can only access certain BBC programmes through the red button on my sky box over here.

thanks
Iain


Can't comment on the button, but be surprised if can't access on BBC iPlayer

You can't access BBC iPlayer if you live outside the UK and iforres1 lives in Belgrade.

If you try you get a message stating 'Currently BBC iPlayer TV programmes are available to play in the UK only,'

quote:
You can't access BBC iPlayer if you live outside the UK and iforres1 lives in Belgrade.

If you try you get a message stating 'Currently BBC iPlayer TV programmes are available to play in the UK only,'


Whoops unaware of both those facts, didn't know iPlayer only worked in the UK and secondly iforres1 wasn't in the UK

Someone could record on a VirginMedia box then record to DVD, then post out as another option then....

Just seen this little snippet on the BBC website (not sure if works outside the UK)- its MOL at his best!

You cant access iPlayer outside of the UK due to the fact that iPlayer is funded by the UK Licence fee and as a result its deemed unfair that people who have not paid for the service can access content for free. Of course this ignores the fact that if in the UK you do not have to have a licence fee to watch iPlayer. And that currently people in countries such as the Netherlands and Belgium can pick up the Beeb without paying anything.

Love him or hate him, he can talk.

[honey lamb]

quote:Originally posted by willd
Just seen this little snippet on the BBC website (not sure if works outside the UK)- its MOL at his best!

You cant access iPlayer outside of the UK due to the fact that iPlayer is funded by the UK Licence fee and as a result its deemed unfair that people who have not paid for the service can access content for free. Of course this ignores the fact that if in the UK you do not have to have a licence fee to watch iPlayer. And that currently people in countries such as the Netherlands and Belgium can pick up the Beeb without paying anything.

Yes that snippet worked for me. Generally snippets from the news work but entire programmes don't. I can't get the equivalent of iPlayer for ITV also

We've also watched the Beeb here for years. I currently use Sky but before that it was a pirated signal [:w] and in Dublin and the east coast of Ireland before the arrival of RTE, the TV masts were so tall they were almost a danger to aircraft to be able to receive BBC from Wales!