Ryanair

[rollo]

Ranaldo is just back up.

Yes we use Ryanair now and again to visit my brother in law near Alicante, only take hand luggage and never bother to book a seat which is all fine for us on a short flight and because I'm a bit of a aviation nerd we know what to expect and as you say Ryanair are just fine for that.
The problem as I see it is nearly all passengers are not aware of this latest ploy and I think in the end it's counter productive and surely has safety implications in the event of an emergency if families are split and especially if children are involved, maybe the
authorities will have something to say I certainly hope so.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

I know that this can be seen as a sneaky method to encourage people to pre-book seats the next time they fly with Ryanair but in truth is it such a big issue?

If I was travelling with young children I'd pre-book seats and not leave to chance the seating arrangements, with Ryanair or anyone else.

Fares are usually relatively inexpensive much of the time with the low-cost airlines, at least compared with the situation before they came into existence. If Ryanair added £5-£10 to the fare price and then offered seat selection at no extra charge I doubt that too many people would complain.

The same applies to airport drop-off car park charges. If an airline put a couple of quid on each ticket and the airport then offered free drop-off parking most people wouldn't notice and would be quite content.

It's really down to what you want to pay. rollo doesn't pay for a selected seat and takes what is offered on a short flight. My main low-cost airline is easyJet and my wife and I always pre-book seats as we don't want to be separated, even on short flights. Everyone has a choice - pay for pre-selected seats and sit where you want or don't pay and risk being placed according to the airline's whim.

As I said at the start, if young young children were travelling with me I'd never take that risk.

 

[User001]

I think the difference in this is not so much that you 'take a risk on not being sat together' like on most airlines, it seems to be the fact Ryanair seem to be deliberately splitting people up to almost 'teach them a lesson' on pre booking seats.

 

[rollo]

Hello Local Yokel I agree with much of what you say and as I have said we personally are happy enough to use Ryanair and when we travel with our grandchildren obviously we always book seats as you have to these days just to be sure. When we were younger and took our children away you didn't /couldn't book seats you would always be seated in a group.

I know that the world has moved on but as I said in my earlier post I think it's counter productive and there safety issues in my opinion, anyway I'll get off this particular hobby horse for now.

Best regards

Rollo

 

[User001]

An Oops moment on Watchdog.

Kenny Jacobs of Ryanair just accidentally admitted that Ryanair is splitting people up who haven't pre booked seats.

He denied it throughout the interview, but then when Steph the interviewer said: 'why can't they just sit together if there are free seats' he nearly completed the sentence of 'why would we give something for free when others have paid?'

Kenny! Haha

 

[58terminus]

His smile at the end frightened me.

 

[Kevin Farnell]

An Oops moment on Watchdog.

Kenny Jacobs of Ryanair just accidentally admitted that Ryanair is splitting people up who haven't pre booked seats.

He denied it throughout the interview, but then when Steph the interviewer said: 'why can't they just sit together if there are free seats' he nearly completed the sentence of 'why would we give something for free when others have paid?'

Kenny! Haha

I watched this tonight and instantly thought of all of the comments in this thread. Watchdog asked at the end of the program, for any comments on the issues covered. So, anyone who has suffered this treatment at the hands of Ryanair, I strongly urge you to forward your experience to BBC Watchdog.
Another thought comes to mind -

Previously, all seats were available on a 'first on board, first choice' system.
I can understand that some people may wish to pre-book seats for favoured positions or to be guaranteed to sit next to companions.
But why must remaining seats be allocated by Ryanair? Why not employ the 'sit where you wish' policy for the seats not pre-booked?
It cannot be put down to weight distribution, as Ryanair operated a first on board, first choice system for many, many years.

Kevin

 

[rollo]

There was an article about it in the Independent yesterday so it seems they are getting some grief over it - good.

So far as Kevin's comment about about 1st on board yes I did experience it and it worked ok for us although some people got a bit competitive so to speak but it's one way of speeding the boarding process although there is always someone who seems to be suprised that they have to get on the plane.

They should just do the decent thing and at the very least seat kids with their parents but then again decency and Ryanair are not words you often find in the same sentence especially if there's a couple of quid in it.

 

[Seasider]

I am due to fly Ryanair week after next and they invited me to check in 2 weeks ago - only if I pay to be seated. As I am flying by myself (respite for my wife) I'll wait until 4 days before when they can allocate the seat for me without charge.

I can see why they want to leave as much choice as possible for those who wish to pay.

 

[Jerry]

I watched this tonight and instantly thought of all of the comments in this thread. Watchdog asked at the end of the program, for any comments on the issues covered. So, anyone who has suffered this treatment at the hands of Ryanair, I strongly urge you to forward your experience to BBC Watchdog.
Another thought comes to mind -

Previously, all seats were available on a 'first on board, first choice' system.
I can understand that some people may wish to pre-book seats for favoured positions or to be guaranteed to sit next to companions.
But why must remaining seats be allocated by Ryanair? Why not employ the 'sit where you wish' policy for the seats not pre-booked?
It cannot be put down to weight distribution, as Ryanair operated a first on board, first choice system for many, many years.

Kevin

I'm only guessing but it probably would slow down the boarding process.
Ryanair want people to pay for their seats so it sounds like they'll be a pain to people who don't. Also by it going on Watchdog Ryanair essentially gets some free advertising.

 

[Ray Finkle]

Ryanair have added their usual extra flights over the Christmas and New Year period.

One that really stands out this year is Krakow which goes 5x weekly for three weeks at the end of Dec/start of Jan. A small fightback against Jet2 who start the route in November?

 

[jfy1999]

Someone is not a happy bunny over Brexit...

“We’ll be taking a lot of aircraft out of the UK in the April of 2019 and reallocating them to European regional airports and they’ll be seeing a lot more growth than they’ll know how to handle.

“Although Heathrow, thankfully, will be empty probably for a period of months.”

—Michael O'Leary in today's Telegraph

 

[Brum X]

Someone is not a happy bunny over Brexit...

“We’ll be taking a lot of aircraft out of the UK in the April of 2019 and reallocating them to European regional airports and they’ll be seeing a lot more growth than they’ll know how to handle.

“Although Heathrow, thankfully, will be empty probably for a period of months.”

—Michael O'Leary in today's Telegraph

Yeah what ever Mr O'Leary I dont believe a word you say. And anyway you will still fly them to the UK, becouse you know the UK market is important to you.

Anybody would think people in the UK after Brexit will no longer travel.

 

[User001]

You have to love O'Leary.

'At least Heathrow will be empty for a few months'. Just.....wow.

 

[richard winterbourn]

Is M O'Leary like the horses he adores - blinkered? Take BHX as an example, new airline Jet2 will have six airframes working from the airport in summer 2018; the extra are providing seats and holiday to customers who may well have chosen Ryanair if the airline had been more 'customer friendly'.
I would think that unless there is a rapid change in attitude from RYR, that airline will have already seen its bests days at BHX and will find it nigh on impossible to increase its presence there.
And just to rub it in, i wonder who will be the first airline to mount a campaign on 'if you want to sit together, fly with ....'

 

[Ray Finkle]

And just to rub it in, i wonder who will be the first airline to mount a campaign on 'if you want to sit together, book with ....'

Hehe.

I'm imagining Monarch's new 737's with that slogan emblazoned along the fuselage

 

[Brum X]

Hehe.

I'm imagining Monarch's new 737's with that slogan emblazoned along the fuselage

"If you want to sit together, BYE BYE RYANAIR "

 

[rollo]

Hehe.

I'm imagining Monarch's new 737's with that slogan emblazoned along the fuselage

Already booked with Monarch to Gran Canaria next spring £258 return for the two of us including seat selection no contest for me.

 

[Ray Finkle]

Already booked with Monarch to Gran Canaria next spring £258 return for the two of us including seat selection no contest for me.

I'm waiting to see if Valencia returns next year, if it does then I aim to book.

 

[58terminus]

“We’ll be taking a lot of aircraft out of the UK in the April of 2019 and reallocating them to European regional airports and they’ll be seeing a lot more growth than they’ll know how to handle.

What a great man he is.He already knows the result of the Brexit negotiations before they have started and that the Euro community will have sorted their financial problems within 2 years.We should treasure his wisdom.
Open up those ghost Spanish airports. Ryanair are coming!