Ryanair

[nwoody2001]

It's not hypothesising, its fact ....

MAG have signed growth deals for MAN.....

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/www.ma...ag-ryanair-signed-ten-year-growth-6030366.amp

...and STN ....

https://corporate.ryanair.com/news/...tes-over-20m-ryanair-customers-p-a/?market=en

 

[Butty]

There is a competition issue here. BAA was broken up as it monopolised the London and Scotland airport system. Now MAG is beginning to do the same. Good luck to them, but if it starts to harm fair competition, then at some point the regulators will take note.

Having said that, BHX seems to be doing very nicely given the disadvantages of poor long term aviation planning in the past. And as the city economy.grows faster than any UK city, who knows where it we take us.

 

[Kevin Farnell]

There is a competition issue here. BAA was broken up as it monopolised the London and Scotland airport system. Now MAG is beginning to do the same.

I had thought the same, back when I learned that MAG was to buy STN. At the time, I expected this to be referred to the then Competition Commission (formerly the Monopolies and Mergers commission and now the Competition and Markets Authority). One business group, owning facilities that dominate airline passenger traffic to the North, East and South of Birmingham as well as dominating freight/parcels services struck me as far more than a little unfair.

Kevin

 

[Ray Finkle]

Porto starts tomorrow and the seat maps are already showing 82% for the outbound leg. Hopefully that will rise a little more as the last few stragglers check in

 

[rollo]

It appears Ryanair are resorting to their old tricks again with regard to seat allocation for passengers who do not book reserved seats as reported on dried plum and now in the mainstream media over the weekend (Mail /Sunday Times).

The computer system automatically now seems to place passengers as far away from each other as possible and in a centre seat in an attempt to encourage them to reserve seats in future.

Apparently this is causing problems with with boarding as some people are trying to board without a boarding pass because their fellow passenger has both boarding cards but one boards at the front and one at the rear or they board together and one then has to fight to their seat against the flow of other passengers. Also people find they have an empty seat next or near to them so obviously people move as soon as the seat belt light is off but have to leave their bag behind so have to retrieve it on landing, I can't see this helping with a 20 minute turn round.

I know people can pay for a reserved seat (we always do) but many don't and with this I think Ryanair are going against their own attempts to to improve their image, we have always found them to be fine.

I'd be interested in what others think.

 

[Karl C]

Morning,

Following on from Rollo's comments, I'm on an FR flight from BFS to LGW tomorrow. There are five of us including one 13 year old. FRs seat allocation has seated us all over the plane with the 13 year old on her own. Wasn't too happy with this so asked FR for help. They spouted the t's + c's at me and told me if the child was to be moved it costs £6. No problem and did just that. Still leaves everyone else split up from 3B to 28E. I wasn't aware that FR did this to groups until recently, but thought it wouldn't happen to me. No fool like an old fool. Easyjet for me next time, hoping they don't start doing random allocations too.

Cheers

Karl

 

[hammerb32]

I have a friend who was separated from her 5 year old daughter on flight from Spain to BHX, ruthless is what they are.

 

[Ray Finkle]

Only my opinion but I think separating parents from their children is disgraceful.

I can imagine there is a potential safety issue for a start? Should there be an emergency on take off or landing would a stranger take 100% responsibility for your child? I'd like to think that most decent people would do the right thing but I'd bet that there is a percentage that would only look after themselves.

I also think there could be a potential child protection issue. If someone is sat next to a 5 year old then I'd imagine many people could quite easily assume that they are a parent/guardian. What if that person then takes the child to the toilet totally unchallenged? It may sound extreme but the risk could still be there.

I know people can pay for a reserved seat (we always do) but many don't

I suppose it's personal choice but I also book my seats in advance, when travelling with the kids it's just that little bit extra peace of mind.

 

[User001]

I was under the impression under 12's were not allowed to be separated from a parent, and as such, Ryanair 'forces' and adult to pay for seat selection if travelling with an under 12 with the disguise of 'kids then get free seat selection'.

It's a major con, and if sentiment is anything to go by, people will have enough of and will affect Ryanair adversely, both from on board sales and future bookings.

 

[rollo]

With regard to seperating children from parents it is totally unacceptable to say the least.

Last year we flew to Orlando with Thomson with our 4 and 6 year old grand children and we were advised after asking that they would not be seperated from their parents as it was a legal requirement for them to be with a traveling /accompanying adult. I've no idea as to what age this applies to.

So far as Ryanair's new police goes the best I can say is that it's sharp practice and that's being generous.

 

[58terminus]

I have seen the words disgraceful and con used.You can also add immoral.There does not seem to be any depths
they will not plunge to in order to extract a few more pounds from their customers.
I think i know where all the redundant bankers found new employment.
t staggers me that somebody suggested this at a meeting and everybody else said "yea great idea"

 

[58terminus]

Only my opinion but I think separating parents from their children is disgraceful.

I can imagine there is a potential safety issue for a start? Should there be an emergency on take off or landing would a stranger take 100% responsibility for your child? I'd like to think that most decent people would do the right thing but I'd bet that there is a percentage that would only look after themselves.

I also think there could be a potential child protection issue. If someone is sat next to a 5 year old then I'd imagine many people could quite easily assume that they are a parent/guardian. What if that person then takes the child to the toilet totally unchallenged? It may sound extreme but the risk could still be there.



I suppose it's personal choice but I also book my seats in advance, when travelling with the kids it's just that little bit extra peace of mind.

It beggars belief that you even have to think about when travelling with children.

 

[jfy1999]

As Ray and others have pointed out, this system could have very dangerous consequences if parents are caught unawares by it and end up being separated from their children in the event of an evacuation.

I could easily imagine young children panicking and trying to push against the flow of people to reach their parents even if another responsible adult is trying to look after them.

I really hope the aviation authorities have got wind of the potential dangers here and call Ryanair out on it as soon as possible before anything like this can occur.

 

[Jerry]

Unfortunately if a Ryanair big wig was reading all this then there answer would be to buy the seat to make sure your family sat together. Unless there's a big stink in the press and its bad PR for them i doubt they'll change.

 

[rollo]

Just picked up on Karl,s comments and noticed that allocated seats were middle ones as predicted and by the way the allocation is not random it's deliberate to extract extra money which Karl payed as anyone would - disgusting!

As posted earlier when we flew with Thomson, 7 people including 2 kids they behaved like human beings.

 

[Karl C]

Yup...always the B seats. Same going back tonight ☹

 

[rollo]

Yup...always the B seats. Same going back tonight ☹

Yep totally predictable them dam customers are a real nuisance, just imagine how many extra passengers they could achieve with proper customer service and before anyone says it I know that they are highly successful.

Personally I'll stick with Monarch whenever possible for our regular flight only trips to Alicante and Gran Canaria.

The mainstream media really should get on this case they could really bring this to the wider public

 

[58terminus]

Next time pay extra to sit with your children think of O'Leary in the winners enclosure patting his hugely expensive horse after collecting another huge winners check and wonder how he can afford such an expensive hobby.

 

[rollo]

A gold medal for Ryanair on today's Ibiza flight from BHX they have managed to seat a group of 15 passengers all in separate seats rows 6 to 33.

Bonus points as they all got a centre seat.

As this group is apparently a hen party it's got the makings of an intresting trip for everyone including the crew.

According to the the report Ryanair say seat selection is entirely random and in other breaking news Birmingham City have signed Cristiano Ronaldo.

P.S. it's on money saving expert website, worth a read especially the people's comments.

 

[Ianbutty]

We've signed Ronaldo? Why, when we have Clayton Donaldson?

As for Ryanair...I once bought 3 tickets Stansted to Aarhus. Started off at £17.99 a ticket...roughly £54. By the time I had paid for them online I forked out £201. Nearly 4 times the starting price. However, we did all sit together and have priority boarding and a boiled sweet!

Not my favourite airline. But despite all the criticism, they still get bums on seats.