Ryanair in 2015

[sean1982]

Since when is a widebody in Y more comfortable than a 737 in Y? Whether it's low cost or not doesnt change much. A lot of the legacy carriers have a buy on board service allready anyway, Aer lingus included

Personally, i think these negociations may turn out to be positive under the "if you cant beat them, join them" saying.

Star alliance have chosen to set up their own low cost arm with eurowings, so I dont know if TAP will join in, but if IAG can get FR onboard they will be instantly 500 steps ahead of star alliance.

[Stij]

Read also the second sentence :
Under the possible deal, customers would buy their tickets from Aer Lingus, who would take all responsibility for transferring baggage and dealing with any missed connections at Dublin.

And what exactly is the difference then compared to today?

I think this is just another attempt for free publicity.

We sell you a connection, but in fact we don't... What a misleading joke!!!!

EDIT: My post is bullocks as I misinterpreted Airazurxtror's post!!!

Stij

[sean1982]

Read also the second sentence :
Under the possible deal, customers would buy their tickets from Aer Lingus, who would take all responsibility for transferring baggage and dealing with any missed connections at Dublin.

And what exactly is the difference then compared to today?

I think this is just another attempt for free publicity.

We sell you a connection, but in fact we don't... What a misleading joke!!!!

Stij

No, the connection isnt sold by Ryanair but by aer lingus, like a codeshare

[Stij]

I'm sorry, I read Airazurxtror's post as if the passengers were responsible for connections and luggage, my bad!

Cheers,

Stij

[Inquirer]

I think It is another logical step in the normalisation process aimed at catching up with the trend setting low costs dominating the skies these days, like Norwegian or vueling (running a hub itself) and easyjet (feeding amongst others Emirates), so they have no choice but to go for it too, even if it will add headaches to their operations and drives them further away from their core business market segment.
(wizzair is happy to step in, I am sure, looking at their growth figures)
IAG is a logical partner, because just like ryanair, they have completely missed the first wave of the merging of traditional no frills onboard products with a full service providing approach on the ground, and with Norwegian starting ever more long haul flights from the British Isles, they are in urgent need of their own answer to that low cost long haul story written in their back yard.
A combination of IAG long haul + ryanair feed may be the best both can come up with relatively quickly to answer Norwegian with and avoid losing out both.
The ryanair strategy to aim for secondary airports could even provide them with some interesting new route options, but secondary to secondary (the majority of routes) is fairly useless for this, sadly.

[sean1982]

(the majority of routes)

I think your analysis is a few years old

[airazurxtror]

Michael O'Leary said after 12 months Ryanair was very close to meeting its initial target of 2 percent of all ticket buyers opting for flexible business plus tickets, part of a "conservative" five-year plan to reach 10 percent.
He said it would likely be harder to hit the target of 4 percent after year two, but that the company would step up its marketing efforts after its new web site and mobile app launch later this year.

[airazurxtror]

Ryanair aims to take on the online travel companies with a new website that will offer its passengers flight price comparisons, cheap hotel rooms and location-sensitive restaurant discounts, its chief executive said.

The overhaul of the Ryanair.com site, being developed by about 200 IT staff hired over the past 18 months, is in part a defensive strategy to avoid becoming dependent on third-party sites such as Skyscanner.com and Google Flights for ticket sales.

"We want to become the Amazon.com of travel in Europe, with a whole load of additional services: price comparison, cut-rate hotels, discounted football tickets, concert tickets," Michael O'Leary told Reuters.

"We want to be the disruptor that goes out and disrupts the original disruptors," he added.

The basic function of the new Ryanair.com website will be a fare comparison service that shows the cost of flights from both Ryanair and its rivals.

O'Leary last month contacted the heads of easyJet, Lufthansa, Air France-KLM and British Airways and Iberia owner IAG with an offer to share real-time fare data.

But easyJet and AirFrance have already rejected the offer and Ryanair is instead considering 'scraping' prices using internet tools to show them on the site without their rivals' permission, O'Leary said.

Read more :

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/08/ ... 11?rpc=401

[airazurxtror]

Ryanair today (11 Aug) released its July customer service statistics :
• 90% of over 57,000 flights arriving on-time
• 0,60 complaint per 1,000 customers
• 0,62 bag complaint per 1,000 customers
• Over 99% of all complaints answered within 7 days.

Ryanair’s Robin Kiely said:
“ Ryanair continues to deliver so much more than just the lowest fares – with much more to come.”

- See more at: https://www.aviation24.be/airlines_press_r ... e-in-july/

[airazurxtror]

Ryanair’s short-haul services would link up with long-haul flights operating from the hubs of partner airlines, spokesman Robin Kiely said Tuesday, confirming comments made by Chief Executive Officer Michael O’Leary to Reuters in Dublin Monday.

One possible focus for cooperation would be with IAG at London Stansted, Ryanair’s biggest base.
Other links could be with North American services operated from Dublin by Aer Lingus.

Ryanair could akso link up with South American flights offered by TAP SGPS SA from Lisbon, O’Leary said.

Ryanair is also exploring the possibility of feeding Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd. and Norwegian Air Shuttle long-haul operations at London Gatwick.

Brussels - New York via Dublin : why not, if the price is right ?

[sn26567]

Ryanair overtakes LOT

Ryanair has become the biggest carrier in Poland, overtaking Polish National Airlines (LOT).

Europe's leader in the airline business noted a growth of 11 percent in seat capacity in the last year, while LOT reported its capacity being down 4.2 percent.

In July Ryanair announced it had served over 40 million passengers from Poland and was consolidating its position as leader in the Polish airline business.

The portal anna.aero notes that as LOT is now expanding it might soon retake the leading position.

- See more at: http://www.thenews.pl/1/12/Artykul/2173 ... cjKF7.dpuf

[sn26567]

Ryanair to put squeeze on online travel companies

Ryanair wants its new website to become the “Amazon of travel” by offering hotel rooms, price comparison and discounted concert tickets.

Speaking to Reuters Michael O’Leary said he wants to disrupt the industry and put a squeeze on third-party sites such as Skyscanner, Google flights and Booking.com.

Ryanair.com and mobile app are currently being redeveloped as it seeks more direct traffic and lower dependency on sales through comparison sites.

“We need to be careful ... we are very wary not to allow Google to become the avenue by which we sell 50, 60, 80 percent of our tickets," O’Leary said.

“We want to become the Amazon.com of travel in Europe, with a whole load of additional services: price comparison, cut-rate hotels, discounted football tickets, concert tickets.

"We want to be the disruptor that goes out and disrupts the original disruptors,” he added.

Last month, O’Leary revealed he had written to four European airlines requesting that they display each other's fares on their websites, in a bid to squeeze out services such as Google Flights.

He also told Reuters he wants Ryanair to become a direct distributor of unsold hotel rooms by charging lower levys than rival sites such as Booking.com and Expedia Inc's Hotels.com.

"We thought ... Why don't we take away the hotel disruptors, the Booking.coms, who the hotels generally hate because they charge them 40 percent of their revenue, and sell them for 10 percent?"

One function of the new website will be a fare comparison service that shows the cost of flights from both Ryanair and its rivals.

http://buyingbusinesstravel.com/news/14 ... -operators

[airazurxtror]

Aug 18
Ryanair on Tuesday formally agreed to sell its stake in Aer Lingus to British Airways owner International Airlines Group , giving IAG the approval of over 90 percent of shareholders in Ireland's former flag carrier.

[airazurxtror]

Ryanair's Facebook page has attracted 250,000 followers in the six weeks since it launched.

The airline finally entered the world of Facebook in July with a campaign designed to help it make friends quickly.

It invited Facebook fans to enter a competition to get their name and face on a Ryanair plane.

The '30 Names 30 Planes' competition, as part of its 30th birthday celebrations, draws to a close at 9pm on August 31.

[RTM]

This could potentially eat up about last years profits for Ryanair...
http://www.telegraaf.nl/dft/geld/consum ... tie__.html

The court in Manchaster today ruled Ryanair is lyable for compensations on delayed flights up to 6 years back. Giving millions of passengers the oppertunity to claim compensations which could add up to £610 million or €856 million.

Ryanair claims that passengers waive their rights when they click to agree with terms and conditions, reducing the time to 2 years instead of 6 years by European law. The Judge ruled that the European law prevails. Ryanair filed an appeal.

[airazurxtror]

The judgement on the Goel and Trivedi v Ryanair case, which was heard at Manchester County Court, means Ryanair can't limit the amount of time a passenger can take a claim to court to two years.

It had argued it could do this under it's terms and conditions, despite the law clearly stating passengers have six years to claim in England.

As the case was heard at a county court level, it won't set a legally binding precedent, meaning other courts won't have to follow its example. However, solicitors' firm Bott & Co, which specialises in flight claims and represented the passengers in court, believes that as it's a test case, other courts in England and Wales are likely to follow the decision.

The airline said less than one per cent of Ryanair flights are delayed over three hours, and more than 90 per cent of passengers make a valid claim within a two year window, so there is only a tiny potential group of customers who may wish to submit a claim between two and six years after the date of their flight.

Ryanair added: “Accordingly, Ryanair estimates that even if its appeal in this matter is ultimately unsuccessful, its potential liability will not be material and is likely to be less than €5m (£3.62).”

Now, why on earth would you wait between two and six years before making a claim ?
And anyway who remembers what happened on a flight six years ago ?

[RTM]

Now, why on earth would you wait between two and six years before making a claim ?
And anyway who remembers what happened on a flight six years ago ?

Now that is a fair comment. I wondered about that as well. My guess is people just don't know, and only find out later. But thinking they are too late by Ryanairs standards, now see a possibility to get an easy €600... You be surprised how much that can motivate digging up old mails for fliht details.
Though I do agree I don't see it come near the claimed €856 million figure. I was just the Messenger on the article.

[Passenger]

My guess for the huge difference between both total amounts (€5 mio Euro versus 600 mio Euro): Ryanair only considers the flights that they accepted as delayed or for which a court or a NEB (National Enforcement Body) ordered them to pay, whilst the lawyers consider all delayed flights for which Ryanair has not given proof that it was extraordinary circumstances. The real cost of today's verdict will be far more then 5 mio and far less then 600 mio...

Just a few days, Dutch public broadcast NOS has published a list with the unwillingness of airlines to pay the indemnity without that the matter had to be taken to court (figures 2014, regardless if the claim was later honoured in an out of court agreement). Ryanair initially rejects most passenger claims:
1. Ryanair : 87%
2. EasyJet : 74%
3. United : 62%
4. Corendon : 54%
5. Vueling : 42%
6. KLM : 32%
7. Transavia : 22%
8/ TAP : 19%
9. RAM : 18%
10. Arke: 7%
http://nos.nl/artikel/2052338-prijsvech ... ak-af.html

So why the two-year-limit in Ryanair’s general conditions? When a passenger takes a claim to court, it’s easy for Ryanair to gain time to get the verdict date closer to the 2-year-limit. That verdict then cannot be used for other claims because the contractual 2 years are over.

Another reason why two years sometimes is too short: it takes some time before aviation authorities publish their final report about an incident. And only then, passengers can take legal action.

Actually, this Manchester Court case was easy for the lawyers: they only had to refer to a previous case and to Article 15 of EU-Rule 261/2004:
Exclusion of waiver
1. Obligations vis-à-vis passengers pursuant to this Regulation may not be limited or waived, notably by a derogation or restrictive clause in the contract of carriage.
2. If, nevertheless, such a derogation or restrictive clause is applied in respect of a passenger, or if the passenger is not correctly informed of his rights and for that reason has accepted compensation which is inferior to that provided for in this Regulation, the passenger shall still be entitled to take the necessary proceedings before the competent courts or bodies in order to obtain additional compensation.
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/ ... 32004R0261

[airazurxtror]

Ryanair Holdings plc, today (25 August) announced the appointment of Mr Howard Millar and Capt John Leahy to the Board of Directors effective immediately, while long serving director Capt Michael Horgan will retire after the AGM on 24 September next.

Howard Millar served as Ryanair's Deputy CEO and CFO from 2003 until he retired in December 2014.

Capt John Leahy had been a pilot at British Airways for 35 years, rising to the position of Chief Pilot on B-747 fleet until his retirement in 2003.
(not to be mistaken with the Airbus salesman)

[Passenger]

Phara de Aguirre, news anchor woman of Flemish tv VRT, has slammed Ryanair on social media for the way their so called customer service replied to a lost luggage complaint. Or actually: did not reply at all.

On 15th July 2015, Phara de Aguirre flew Rome-Brussels with Ryanair. When boarding in Rome, she was not allowed to take her hand baggage onboard because of lack of space. Nothing wrong with that. So her hand luggage became cargo hold luggage. Upon arrival in Brussels, the hand luggage didn’t show up on the luggage belt: it was missing, gone.

Phara de Aguirre: “Swissport Brussels Airport tried three times to find my case, without result though. I also filed a complaint on Ryanair’s website, and I’ve done that already three times now since the case went missing. Not one reply from Ryanair so far. It’s also impossible to phone the airline and to find out if they have found it”, de Aguirre said.

Els Crauwels, a friend of Phara de Aguirre and a researcher at the Antwerpen University, flew to Mallorca on 17th July. “No luggage upon arrival”, she said. Els Crauwels also said that it’s impossible to phone Ryanair for such matters. However, Crauwels has received conformation from Ryanair meanwhile that the luggage is now regarded as “lost indeed”, and they’ve asked her bank account number. "They also asked for proof of my purchases, which I don’t have anymore so I’m curious what they will offer.”

The newspaper Het Nieuwsblad contacted Ryanair, who refused to comment “on personal files”. Ryanair stated that all is done to find the missing cases, and that the chance that someone looses luggage with Ryanair is 20 times less then the worldwide average. (Remark passenger: that remark doesn't really help these two passengers. And actually it's also quite normal because Ryanair doesn’t accept transfer passengers, because many FR-passengers don't fly with luggage at all given the very high luggage surcharges, and because Ryanair mostly flies to/from airports where they are about the sole operator).

Flemish newspapers Het Nieuwsblad / De Standaard asked Test-Aankoop (Test-Achats) what to do now. TA says that lost luggage means a maximum indemnity of 1.150 €. “Airlines often ask for proof of purchase of goods, which isn’t obvious off course. However, most of the bigger airlines will propose a fair deal”, TA said.

Phara de Aguirre and Els Crauwels told Het Nieuwsblad that they will start a civil court case against Ryanair when they are not refunded in full.

http://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf20150819_01824516