Ryanair - Sweaty palms time again

[malumbu]

I have just checked in with Ryanair for a flight on Sunday.

I remember a few years ago talking to a friend where he said "booking with Ryanair" - yes "did it take you a long time" - yes, as you were so paranoid that you would get one thing wrong for example not unchecking a box.

And then Michael O'Leary woke up to how so many people hated them, irrespective of their competitive prices. And suddenly their Website was so much easier (not as easier as others) and you dropped your guard. Even when it said "are you friggin stupid for not getting insurance, only idiots dont check this box".

But now the dark powers are back and checking in leads to a return of paranoia. They are also now restricting checking in to four days rather than the seven they had sensibly adopted. I think/hope that I didn't get conned into paying ?8 per seat. But I am not 100% sure.

OK so they are a no frills airline and have to make their money somehow. Buyer beware of course but I do feel rather violated.

[Elphinstone's Army]

It isn't only you.... I have been close to/in tears with the machinations and chicanery involved in navigating this site, booby trapped to confuse the unwary. They are trickier than a barrowload of monkeys. Bon voyage !

[titch juicy]

Elphinstone's Army Wrote:

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> It isn't only you.... I have been close to/in

> tears with the machinations and chicanery involved

> in navigating this site, booby trapped to confuse

> the unwary. They are trickier than a barrowload

> of monkeys. Bon voyage !

It's all easy enough if you just read it.

It's certainly no different to any other budget airline and clearer than a few i've used.

[malumbu]

No it aint, certainly Easyjet is much easier as I use both

[titch juicy]

You're right actually, Easyjet is easier. Air Berlin, Wow, German Wings and even Luxair are just as bad though.

[DovertheRoad]

Easyjet wins this one hands down. Don't even try the Ryanair mobile site....horrible UX in more ways than Ita worth writing about on here.

BA is still ok-ish but they've screwed it up a bit with recent back end systems upgrades and a weirdly unhelpful flight finder for air miles seats which are still rarer than hens teeth.

[Henry_17]

Norwegian app for me having twice taken me to the final stage of checking in while touch and go for a flight and then experiencing "technical issues". Of course I should learn that Gatwick is not an hour with traffic.

DTR,

"Because you are such a valued customer we will give you this benefit that will require you to sit there hitting F5 as though you were after Glasto tickets to make any use of"

[Cardelia]

DovertheRoad Wrote:

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> BA is still ok-ish but they've screwed it up a bit

> with recent back end systems upgrades and a

> weirdly unhelpful flight finder for air miles

> seats which are still rarer than hens teeth.

BA's flight finder is appalling but air miles seats seem to be quite common at the moment. Obviously flights in school holidays are going to be difficult to find, and flights to somewhere like Sydney are never going to be easy to obtain, but to most destinations the availability is quite good. As an example, last year it was almost impossible to find Caribbean redemptions even in the low season but this year there was a lot of availability in September/October, even in first and business.

[Henry_17]

Cardelia,

Brexit delivering as promised yet again!

[DovertheRoad]

Lolz Henry.

Cordelia - interesting...I wish that was my experience. I have let quite a few Amex companion vouchers expire because I can't use the feckers which defeats the whole point of the loyalty scheme and has left me crushed and disillusioned as a customer. I find that short haul domestic (e.g LGW > Glasgow) no props and also high frequency routes like LHR > JFK but anything else at remotely convenient times? Really difficult. And the amount of Avios you need since the BA - Iberia merger has increased. Tier points to even hit Bronze status too - crap deal. I'm just pissed because I lost my Silver status and can't use the lounges anymore...

[Cardelia]

Yeah, the loyalty scheme definitely isn't as good as it used to be. In the past I've found that you had to be either really organised or really flexible in order to use the companion vouchers effectively. But in bad economic times, when corporate clients cut back on international travel budgets, BA generally release more avios seats to try and fill the planes. Economy availability to most destinations is really good for the next few months and even popular destinations like Singapore have a few short-notice business seats available, which is really unusual because they're usually impossible to get without booking 355 days in advance. But I suppose if you're tied to specific dates when you can fly then it may not be any good anyway.

If you're not already aware of it, have a read of headforpoints.com. They occasionally run articles on how best to use the companion vouchers, like today's article covering BA's announcement of a new route to New Orleans. This means that there will be guaranteed avios seats on every flight so booking early means a much higher chance of getting dates which work for you.

[DovertheRoad]

New Orleans direct? That route ended way back in the late 1990's. Used to have to go via Houston or Atlanta...

Good tips...thanks.

[malumbu]

Why have you hijacked my thread. This thread is how Ryanair try to extract money by pretty devious means.

So the couter-argument is buyer beware, they've have managed to open up the market, we can now fly to many more places and they put pressure on the traditional cariers.

Both Brussels and our own Office of Fair Trading tried to take them to taks about transparency to mixed results. And then hey presto, they worked out that it wasn't nice to be unpopular, improved their web site, were more honest about prices and even allowed you to have normal sized hang baggage. But now they are trying to frighten you about seat allocation, reducing the advanced check in time for people like me who don't want to pay ?16 for allocated seats for an hour flight.

Please try to stick to the point my dear readers.

[Seabag]

I'm eating buttered Ryvitas

[malumbu]

?

[malumbu]

I've been dying to update this thread for a number of months, but every time I don?t get round to it some other stuff comes up again. So here is a brief update:

(a) 5 hour delay as they couldn't take off and land from an unsuitable aerodrome (airport would infer that they would have navigational aids including landing lights) - no apology, a farce in shifting us to the new airport, a filthy plane, no refreshments at the airport and bugger all on the flight, no compensation and bloody difficult to communicate with as you have to write to them in Dublin (they can of course e-mail back)

(b) the free seats are not randomly allocated, they maximise the separation between groups of travellers

© Chuffin hot flight recently and no interest in trying to do anything about it

(d) their ?generous? cabin allowance now rescinded

(e) mouth almighty going on about drunk passengers, limiting airport drinking, yet he invented the stag/hen do to Prague

(f) and now this cock up on staff leading to mass cancelation.

Yes I have used them for the last 30 years but s?truth this is getting bonkers.

Flew with BA a couple of weeks ago. Well past their former glory. But great cabin staff, infomrative captain and a smooth take off and landing rather than feeling like you were crashing into the runway.

[Ann]

I agree malumbu their landings are terrible. Have also used BA a lot recently and would not revert but I must say Ryanair provided many a reasonably priced flight for our family when we flew to Perpignan when our children were still at school , and in fairness they were reliable.

I would only use them now if needed the somewhat obscure locations that they fly to.

Clearly their customers count for nothing, absolutely nothing.

[malumbu]

They helped revolutionise the market (they used a model from one of the American airlines so didn't invent it) but for Christ sakes I'd pay an extra tenner for a better customer experience and care.

Easyjet seems to have got it right.

[apbremer]

Can anyone please explain the point of Avios/BA Amex card? Having gone through all the hoops to get the damn thing hardly any retailer accepts it and BA themselves want to charge some 1% to use it! Seems totally pointless.

[Nigello]

I have had one since 2002 and have really made use of it. I disagree that retailers don't accept it, though that used to be more of the case about five years ago. (Even on and around LL, small shops like La Scala and Karavan accept it.) I used it for contactless travel instead of an Oyster card and just put everything I can on it.

BA Amex comes in two versions: the one you pay for accelerates your points by giving you 50% more on most purchases. (Buying a BA flight or holiday gives you double points.)

Once you spend ?10K on the paid-for card, you get a voucher that means that when you cash in your Avios for a flight - even a first class, 13-hour one - you get exactly the same free. (All taxes and charges have to be paid for, of course, but it means you can get a flight worth up to ?5K for about ?500 or so!)

Paying it off on in full every months really means you get up to six-weeks credit and free flights.

You can boost Avios buy registering with various retailers, which often have promotions to earn double points.

https://shopping.avios.com/en/?from=collectNav (NB Avios can be put into your BA account easily, by phone or online.)

[malumbu]

Can anyone tell me why you are discussing a BA product on a thread about Ryanair? Beyond comparing the services between different budget airlines? If you want to discuss Avios then be my guest and start a new thread.

Can anyone tell me why with some much going on there is zero interest in Ryanair? Is it because only your servants use the airline?? (That's a DH Lawrence reference, I am trying to be witty as per usual). Don't answer that as I am only trying to provoke a bit of discussion on this particular business.

[Seabag]

Micheal Ryan is an arse, why anyone would fly with him is beyond me

That said I've had delays on many Easy Jet lately. But I do do the prority thing, it's way better if you travel a lot.

[Elphinstone's Army]

malumbu Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Can anyone tell me why you are discussing a BA

> product on a thread about Ryanair? Beyond

> comparing the services between different budget

> airlines? If you want to discuss Avios then be my

> guest and start a new thread.

>

> Can anyone tell me why with some much going on

> there is zero interest in Ryanair? Is it because

> only your servants use the airline?? (That's a DH

> Lawrence reference, I am trying to be witty as per

> usual). Don't answer that as I am only trying to

> provoke a bit of discussion on this particular

> business.

Well I for one would not allow my servants to read about this airline, let alone fly with them

[malumbu]

I am wondering if they are bullet proof. Since I started the thread we have had the separating companions travelling together - stuff it I am tall but I will sit in the middle seat rather than give you a penny more, the wrangle with the pilots, mass cancelling of flights and now they've reduced carry on luggage size; 35cm x 20cm x 20cm (rather than the standard 56 x 45 x 25 cm. 4 1/2 times in terms of volume more free luggage on Easyjet.

There will be a convoluted argument that it is passengers fault for abusing the two carry on allowance and hence they now want to charge for the second item. They will have engineered that argument. See you in court Michael.

[Elphinstone's Army]

I would fly from my house in France from Poitiers then Limoges, despite what titchjuicy declared,the online booking was a nightmare, particularly in rural France with poor or no broadband, and arriving at Limoges to be told we were too late? when the incoming plane had not even arrived, and battled for a flight - and the ignominy at Stanstead of waiting until the last moment for the flight gate to be called and the mad rush, and at the gate arguing because the bag wouldn't fit into the check in device, even though it was meant to be the other way up??? and altogether a defeating and dispiriting experience.

I upgraded my car and drove, varied the routes, none matched the first time I drove through France years ago before the motorways and tolls, kilometers of tree lined roads, dappled sunshine, black berets, five baguettes underarm, somnambulant villages, sonorous bells tolling, quiet but busy markets, 250ffranc chambers d'hote, almond croissant and murky coffee for breakfast, and on our way.

Now it is a hurtle down the autoroute, or hours and hours by regular roads, camera always at the ready, reach Poitiers, only a couple of hours now and I will be sipping cold Pineau and a pintard roasting,

and dropping down into the town, always a joy and a delight, medieval, churches, river, weir, I drive around the town

in a burst of homecoming, before heading along the river over the bridge and home.

I have put in the effort, time and concentration, expense, far too much luggage and resisted would be passengers as I prefer to travel alone, all preferable to the stultifying Ryanair 'experience' - any other airline story is not what this thread is about and therefore irrelevant.

I have been close to despair in the last few years when Ryanair or the French ATC have cancelled or disabled flights, always at an important time for me personally, as for others, many others.

At one point probably 15 years ago people were moving to SW France with the notion that they could commute. This never lasted long.

Michael O'Leary is the boyfriend/partner/husband who will promise you anything, then when you have given up your independence and he has got you dependent, and lets you down, on being challenged,

tells you : well my darlin' I never actually promised you....'

he is wealthy and 'successful' but has no integrity, morals or empathy - now what do we know about such people ...