A spokesman from the safety regulation group at the U.K.'s Civil Aviation Authority said that although there are no explicit rules that prohibit such practice, there were logistical and security issues. More luggage would lengthen security screening times while some baggage might not even fit through scanners, he said.
Under Ryanair's proposed policy, passengers would not be allowed to pack liquids, razors and other items now prohibited in carry-on baggage, despite having the luggage stored in the aircraft's cargo hold.
Ryanair did not specify whether personnel responsible for loading and unloading baggage would be Ryanair employees or members of an independent baggage-handling service.
The airline expects to debut their in-flight gambling service within five years, even though the U.K. Gambling Association says that "all forms of commercial betting and gaming are illegal on aircraft." Whatever. Norms and rules are for other airlines, not RyanAir. No, they'll never abandon their zealous mission to become the first successful airline with the motto: "Bring Your Own Plane!"
Ryanair To Ban Check-In Baggage And Airport Check-In [Dow Jones]
(Photo: scalleja)
For example, while they offer a small snack or lunch box - it is minimal. But product selection is well done and the rectangular design makes it efficient, both in regard to the space it takes and the ease of distribution in the plane. Attention to details and nice touches all around
I would rather see a transporter offer low prices and increase profit margins by improving efficiency than by treating me like chattel.
]]>@ElleDriver: Yes. Something similar happened to me going between Dublin and Paris.
]]>@EinhornIsAMan!: Just as soon as the movie industry figures out that violating social mores (as opposed to hiding behind them) is an excellent way to make money.
]]>I have flown with Ryanair out of Glasgow Prestwick several times. Although I hate this company with a fiery passion, they are simply unbeatable on fares in many cases.
However, there is no way to implement this plan. Just visit a standard UK airport which Ryaniar uses (they always use the out-of-town ones, which are generally small and less well equipped than major hubs) - the security screening facilities just won't allow for this. You can't physically fit all that extra baggage through the screening which is designed for hand luggage only. Even today, under existing rules, I see people turned away at that point with those wheeled 'hand luggage' things (don't even get me started on how things with wheels are not hand luggage), because they just don't fit through the scanner. Ryanair's plan is not logistically possible, and do you really think all the other airlines will sit there and allow dottering Ryanair passengers to hold up the queue of everyone else's passengers because they're trying to squeeze double the luggage through? It simply can't be done.
O'Leary lives in a total dreamworld where his will is simply done. It might be different if Ryanir owned the airports they use (as BA tend to), then he can dictate luggage handling rules all he wants. But as things stand his plans will be slapped down by the CAA and others, rightly so, and he'll have to come up with some other insane way to create cost savings he's already promised to investors.
In short - fuck Ryanair. And I will personally give £100 to the first person who pisses themselves on a flight rather than spent the £1 O'Leary wants to charge for using the toilet.
]]>Even though they add a lot of various fees to the bookings, they're still way cheaper than other airlines. I got a one way flight from Bristol to Dublin earlier this year that cost around $25-$30 in total. Can't beat that!
]]>It's not "budget" a better way to descrive this airline is ghetto.@MsAnthropy:
]]>Actually, I'm rethinking here. The schlepping part doesn't bother me so much. Just don't charge me for the privilege. And the liquids/sharps/whatever-banning, absolutely no way.
]]>I paid approximately $40 (US) for the 2 kilos of excess baggage. Ironically, before the trip I had the opportunity to book with another (far better) carrier for an extra $40, but foolishly chose to penny-pinch. Consider it a lesson learned.
]]>Christie, RyanAir will sell you the products you need on the flight, but you can't bring them back on your return flight though.
]]>@Sandlapper: I welcome this. It should reduce the amounts of lost or stolen baggage.
]]>I still don't get it.
I hear people complaining that they are getting screwed by Ryanair for charging outrages baggage fees, while the overall flight cost is significantly lower than the other carriers.
I also don't get the issue with toiletries. I travel several times a month, haven't checked a bag in years and haven't had to buy toiletries at the other end. I do re-packed some my toiletries in smaller containers, which helps make my bag lighter.
My favorite airline in the US is Horizon Air. They are a regional airline that was one of the first to offer checkin kiosks and plane side baggage check in. They are an efficient, cost effective and very user friendly no-frills airline. Seems like Ryanair is trying fill a similar niche.
Why all of the complaining about Ryanair? If you don't like their business model, go to another air carrier.
]]>Why? RA is an excellent airline!
(Of course, RA is Nepal Airlines.)
FR (RyanAir), on the other hand, deserves it's own circle of hell.
]]>@watson2001: While I do prefer EasyJet over Ryanair, they screw you as well. I checked the price for one ticket, then my friend and I decided to book together so we'd only have to pay one "payment fee". However, when you choose two passengers, the price increases to make up for the lost payment fee. Sneaky buggers.
]]>No kidding! I flew Ryanair once from Paris to Madrid... in order to get to the airport they fly out of, I had to take a bus, train, two subways, then another bus. Then it was impossible to sleep on the flight because they spent the entire time hawking lottery tickets and whatnot over the PA. Never again.
]]>I remember seeing an interview with the CEO of Ryanair where he believed people would eventually depart with the quaint notion of bringing luggage on a trip. People, in his ideal world, would buy their clothes and other essentials at their destination. Maybe this guy should do a partnership with Tesco or H&M.
Regardless, Ryanair is really cheap. If you don't like them, don't fly them.
There are other discount carriers in the EU that are a bit more expensive (like Easyjet) but don't try to screw you as much with surcharges. Ryanair doesn't make any pretenses about what it does; a cheap airlines that gets you to point A to B.
The interesting thing about the quality of service on Ryanair is that many US airlines treat you worse. I can even say that a trip I took to Asia on one US carrier in business class was far worse than any experience I had with a budget carrier in Europe.
The strangest thing about the US carrier market is that Southwest is one of the best/least expensive/efficent/pleasant airlines you can fly. No frills on their airlines, but then again they don't chatge additional fees to check in luggage (which you are alreay charged for), if you don't pre-check in from home.
]]>Ugh. If your self respect is worth less than the £50 or so you might save with these fuckers, be my guest.
]]>/too lazy to google.
]]>In the end, some customers will get real savings, and the rest will do a lot of work just to save £5. Excellent work, RyanAir! Your ticket to irrelevance is almost ready.
]]>In the jetway, there's simply no way they can handle the work load. There's no system to handle 100+ bags in the jetway and down the stairs, even if it's just a few meters away.
]]>(An abbreviation for "hear, all ye good people, hear what this brilliant and eloquent speaker has to say!")
]]>What am I missing?
Ryanair is implementing policies that reduce operating costs and passing those savings onto its customers. It's called innovation. The airline industry operates on a very thin profit margin, the labor being one of their largest cost. Eliminating ticket agents and baggage handlers through technology and service level changes is what the airlines should be doing. The customer is the ultimate judge on whether the innovations are worth the cost difference.
Personally, I will always choose the lowest price ticket for flights under 2 hours. For cross country and international flights I will take other factors into consideration.
]]>Just wait until you experience a flight cancellation with Easyjet...
]]>In the past month I've flown return from Liverpool to Oslo. What was once a £60 flight cost me £100 this time ($165, including charges for booking online & with a debit card), and I had to forgo luggage since that would've been an extra £20-40 on top. In contrast, Scandinavian Airlines wanted £250 for a similar flight, and BA asked for the region of £400+.
Ryanair really do take advantage sometimes, but they're much cheaper than the alternative & they sadly know it. Although this has gotten me wondering whether they'll combine the two - You'll drop your bags at the plane and find out on the other side whether they were put on with you.
]]>But with every squeeze to extract more money, they reduce the number of people wanting to fly with them.
]]>If their goal is to have zero personnel in the front check-in area, at least provide an automated kiosk so people who lost their boarding pass or something have a way to check in. And have you looked at their fees lately? There is a 5 GBP charge to check in online. (40 GBP charge to check in at the airport). How ridiculous is that, a fee to check in for your flight online?
If it's the baseline level of service that is mandatory for every passenger to pay, it should be required to be included in the fare.
]]>Granted, I don't know if all of our stupid security policies have reached Europe yet.
]]>I don't care how "budget" they are, I wouldn't put up with that crap even for one of their one penny (read: at least £90 for a round trip once they add on the taxes) fares they offer from time to time, let alone the regular-priced ones.
Getting to the airport at 4am, being treated like crap by their obnoxious check-in staff, dealing with their minuscule baggage limits, the "free for all" seating policy, paying £7 for some Pringles and a KitKat inflight, the fact that the airports they fly to are generally hours outside the cities that Ryanair claims they serve... all of that was par for the course, and the cheap fares more than made up for it.
But paying to use the toilet on the plane? Schlepping my own case right to the plane and having that case treated as carry-on in terms of what I'm allowed to pack in it? I think not.
]]>Sheesh, just declare already. This policy for checked bags is completely unworkable if we wish to maintain our current security theatre.
]]>I'll wager most will see through this manipulative PR move.
]]>What will they be doing with all that space under the plane? Is that where they keep the coins you win if you hit the jackpot?
]]>