h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

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To me, 20 quid sounds mighty cheap to fly anywhere.

Yep, you're right, Kelli. Does to me too.

So let me get this straight - Ryanair can do absolutley no wrong and charge what it likes so long as it is the cheapest?
Everyone is happy to pay the wheelchair levy (Which was introduced when Ryanair lost a court case out of spite)when no other airline charges this?

Advertising fares from 79p and then adding on all the other hidden charges is fine is it?

IF they are all just costs of doing business, then why are they not honestly be included in the fare?

That is fine, but it just makes my jaw drop when everyone just forgives and forgets in the name of the almighty cheapest fare - when the fare COULD be even cheaper if the company charged closer to the actual costs.

Is it just me that has a problem with the inherent dishonesty?

A ludicrous low ammount for the disruption, noise and air pollution. A start would be taxing airline fuel at the same rate as car fuel.

This is the UK, the bargain is everything.

If it's an unfair business practice then presumably BA and the others would be screaming the building down, but my guess is that they know that they will get the same reaction;

'Well, ok, so the fare structuring *is* a bit dodgy, but Ryanair are still a fraction of the cost of BA/Virgin Atlantic, BMI and the rest.'

That's life.

>A ludicrous low ammount for the disruption, noise and air pollution. A start would be taxing airline fuel at the same rate as car fuel.<

A somewhat different price and one I don't necessarily disagree with, but it'll be a brave governemt that does taht, thus robbing the majority of their holiday in Tenerife whilst government ministers will still be able to afford air travel for junkets *and* holidays.

I know it's a bit popular science but if we don't start doing something about carbon emmisions the seething masses won't have to fly Ryanair to the Costas for their dose of skin cancer they'll be able to get it in Aberdeen.

Who said I was forgiving or forgetting anything?

I'm not sure what the actual complaint is here - are you complaining that the total price to pay for a flight is too high because the airline are making a profit on it? If so, how do you think other businesses operate?

What do you think is a reasonable amount to pay for a flight to ?

Or is the issue that the final price of a ticket is not immediately obvious from the advertising? How hidden is the final price of the ticket - do you not find this out until after you have committed to paying the fare?

Personally, I'd rather they all advertised based on the inclusive prices because that would save me time in finding out the total cost for comaparison purposes, but I'll spend that time to find out before committing to anything in any case - doesn't everyone?

WA - I'll hold my breath and wait for David 'blue but green' Cameron to introduce this in his first year as PM then?

Won't be long now. Then we can swap sides

I once booked a 5 pound fare for a friend of mine on Ryanair (Seville to London) awhile back but after all the extra taxes (including the wheelchair one) the flight actually came to something like 50 pounds.

Which okay, is still cheap for one-way, but it isn't what they advertise.

When I say one-way, it was actually a return flight with two separate rates and the going out flight 'cost' five pounds, but the return flight was much higher (again, advertised at a certain price *before* all these mysterious taxes) so the entire trip probably ended up costing close to what you could find on special offer with BA or wherever.

I've also heard many horror stories about people showing up at the airport only to find their Ryanair flight had been suddenly cancelled - and too bad for them. Ryanair takes no responsibility for this and so people have ended up having to book flights on more reputable airlines to get home and even having to stay overnight (including extra hotel costs as well as missed time at work).

I wouldn't touch Ryanair with a ten-foot barge pole. Basically, you get what you pay for. And yes, I also know some people who have flown with Ryanair without any serious problems, but it's almost like gambling with them and that's not something I'm prepared to do if I need to get to a place and also get back on the dates I've specified.

az

Let's be fair (ho! Ho!) here. I've seen Ryanair's advertising and, like easyjets, it always says 'one way excluding taxes and surcharges' or something similar.

Like all advertising, it is a case of 'caveat emptor'. Like Kelli, I think we (the public) have to take some responsibility for looking into these things and not just taking it at face value - if something looks too good to be true, then it generally is..

And I agree, Ryanair have a shocking record and I wouldn't recommend them to my worst enemy. But that wasn't the question.

What exactly *was* the question then?

az

Well, it helps to know that the good Doctor is a BA employee.

Seemed to me that the question was about the inherent fairness of Ryanair's business tactics. To which my answer is, yes, they probably are but however their fares are structured they are still the cheapest airfares about.

Recently weighed up the price of tickets for an internal flight between Easyjet and BA, and yes, once the taxes were taken into account BA were only slightly more expensive. To be fair though Easyjet's extras were not exactly hidden.

However, as my daughter is now 5 and no longer eligible for "priority boarding", I will pay the extra for BA purely to avoid the inevitable stampede as everyone rushes to get a seat next to their family.

Yes, Blues, I'm aware that the Doctor is a BA employee, but I didn't get the feeling that him starting this thread here was to get people to sing praises about BA - just about showing up inferior airlines who take advantage of their customers and often abuse them.

<> (Blues)

Okay then. I have to say that I find Ryanair's business tactics very dodgy to say the least. Yes, you can say that the customer should be responsible and check things out properly before buying. But the fact remains that they leave tons of customers stranded and then go - 'too bad for you, you didn't read all that fine print?'

That seems quite unethical to me.


az

Also want to point out that Ryanair's 'fine print' section is so bloody long that I don't imagine anyone would ever bother to read it - and no doubt they planned it this way.


az

>> it's almost like gambling with them

My ex did a weekly commute from Eire to Leeds/Bradford using Ryanair, and he cannot praise them too highly. *shrug*

If the Doctor *does* work for BA, then I am reminded of the dirty tricks campaign when all BA employees were encouraged to take potshots, no matter how underhand, against Virgin. Freddie Laker told Richard Branson that with hindsight he realised that BA had done the same to him when they succeeded in closing down his SkyTrain to the US in the late 70s early 80s. Let's face it, BA have a history of bad-mouthing their rivals, the more successful the rival the shriller they sound when the do so.

Ryanair (and Easyjet, and BMI Baby, and Snowflake, and all the others) are usuall cheaper and sometimes not cheaper. They operate a different pricing model.

To be honest, I find the gas / electricity / tv / phone / internet market free-for-all infinitely more complex than comparing prices and airport locations when I'm booking a flight.

Ben

So I'm supposed to have sympathy for the stupid and the idle who don't check these things?

Like the advert says in this country - if you don't look after your money, then somebody else will. I don't use Ryanair for all the reasons highlighted on this thread, and can't for the life of me understand why anybody else would either.

But they do, and for that they, and they alone must take responsibility. The British obnsession with a bargain is utterly repellant people like Ryanair are just cashing in on it.