Great Western Coffee Shop

O'Leary is no fool.

Ryanair seem to have a standard tactic that when they want to implement a new charge, they announce a ridiculous charging proposal instead. This a) generates publicity b) they can pretend they've backed down and implement their original idea as a charge instead. It seems to work for them.

I suspect the original FGW timetable for December 2006 was similar - go for the harshest cuts to begin with, then put back a few of the most ridiculous cut trains. Of course, that wasn't the case for every line though...

I didn't say he was !

I see he has just jacked up his card charges again: "good day to bury bad news" tactics ? debit card from 70p to ^5; credit card from ^2 to ^5 - nice work if you can get it !

Ryanair do the same in Germany, and a court case there last week ruled that it was illegal, as the only cards they accept for free are not readily available for the majority of the population (a bit like Solo here). I would say, let's hope it happens here and he gets his come-uppance, but he will only go and load it on somewhere else.

I believe it is Visa Electron that remains free to use on Ryanair's website (and other budget airlines) and this is available to all the population. You would of course have to open an account with a bank that issues Electron. It is usually tied to a 'Basic' bank account, that is one with no overdraft faciliites. An ideal account for young 'uns and those with a poor credit history. I know that Alliance and Leicester and Co-operative currently offer one. I opened an account with A&L, specifically to get the card to buy airline tickets! No additional cost to me (except a bit of time online) and I avoided the airlines' card charges. I refuse to bash 'Ryanair'. Their charges are easy to to see on the website, not hidden in the small print, and Mr O'Leary may be a bit of a card, but he certainly knows how to get headlines.......no such thing as bad publicity.

Ryanair payment policy is 'puerile', says OFT

Budget airline Ryanair has been accused of being "puerile and childish" over its payment policy by business watchdog the Office of Fair Trading (OFT).

OFT chief executive John Fingleton attacked the company for fees that Ryanair adds when customers use all but one type of credit card to pay online. He told the Independent newspaper that the firm used a legal loophole to justify charging the extra fee.

Ryanair said their payment policy model allowed passengers "to avoid costs".

The law says that if an airline offers at least one free payment method, it is allowed to advertise cheap fares that do not include extra credit card charges.

Mr Fingleton said Ryanair had chosen a rare payment method to get around the rules.

Currently, the airline only offers a free booking service to customers who pay for tickets with a Mastercard prepaid card.

According to Ryanair, compulsory fees and charges are included in all the airline's advertised prices. But Ryanair argues that payment handling fees are discretionary.

According to a BBC Money Box report in November, Ryanair charges ^5 per person per flight, even if all the passengers are paid for on the one card, in a single transaction.

Mr Fingleton told the Independent newspaper: "Ryanair has this funny game where they have found some very low frequency payment mechanism and say: 'Well because you can pay with that'. It's almost like taunting consumers and pointing out: 'Oh well, we know this is completely outside the spirit of the law, but we think it's within the narrow letter of the law'."
 
He added: "On some level it's quite puerile - it's almost childish."

Mr Fingleton also questioned the automatic addition of insurance to flights by airlines such as Ryanair, unless customers opted out.

Ryanair disputes this claim, saying in a statement that its insurance services are purchased by customers on an opt-in not opt-out basis.

Ryanair Head of Communications Stephen McNamara said: "Ryanair is not for the overpaid John Fingletons of this world but for the everyday Joe Bloggs who opt for Ryanair's guaranteed lowest fares because we give them the opportunity to fly across 26 European countries for free, ^5 and ^10. What the OFT must realise is that passengers prefer Ryanair's model as it allows them to avoid costs, such as baggage charges, which are still included in the high fares of high cost, fuel surcharging, strike-threatened airlines such as BA."

According to the Money Box report, the UK Cards Association estimates for credit cards, banks charge airlines between 1.5% to 2.5% of a payment in transaction fees.

It believes it is significantly less than ^1 to process a debit card transaction.

That means a family of four on a return journey paying on one debit card should pay about 30p, if they were just covering the airline's costs, but would be charged ^40 by Ryanair.

Pax had to use the chutes to evacuate a Ryanair flight at Liverpool today. Wonder whether the cabin crew were standing at the top charging a fiver each for the privilege?  ;D

(Actually given that it had just been parked at the airport I'm surprised they found the chutes were there at all....) ;D ;D

Ryanair hikes luggage charges for summer (and passengers WILL have to pay to use the toilet too)

Ryanair, it appears, is intent on redefining the meaning of 'no frills'.
It emerged today that not only will passengers have to pay more for checked-in luggage in the peak summer period, the budget airline is forging ahead with its controversial plans to charge for using the toilets on its planes.
The Irish carrier will raise its per-bag fee from ^15 to ^20 for all bookings made after midnight tonight for travel in July and August.
The ^15 fee for checked-in bags will be in operation again from September.
Ryanair's Stephen McNamara said: 'We are determined to incentivise passengers to travel light this summer by increasing our checked-in baggage fees for the months of July and August only. Over 70 per cent of all Ryanair passengers will be unaffected by these changes because they travel with no checked-in bags.'

Meanwhile, it emerged today that the airline is working with Boeing to redesign cabins and develop coin-operated toilets on 168 of its planes.
Not content with charging passengers for use of the facilities, the airline is also looking at reducing the number of toilets on board, leaving just one available cubicle for up to 189 passengers.
To use the remaining toilet, passengers would be forced to part with either ^1 or ^1 for each visit.
Mr McNamara said: 'By charging for the toilets we are hoping to change passenger behaviour so that they use the bathroom before or after the flight. That will enable us to remove two out of three of the toilets and make way for at least six extra seats on board.'
The airline already charges for food and drink on board as well as leveraging a charge for credit card payments, hold luggage, online and airport check-in.
Mr O'Leary first suggested the toilet charges last year but the budget carrier appeared to backtrack on the idea.
However, the airline has confirmed its plans in its latest in-flight magazine, although Mr McNamara said the charges would not be coming in this summer.

One cubicle for 189 pax. Let's say each visit takes an average of 2 minutes, then that's 30 visits an hour, or an average of one trip per pax every 6 hours.

You only need someone to be ill (not an uncommon situation on flights), and there could be quite an unpleasant situation develop.

As far as I am concerned, it is yet another reason why I will never fly Ryanair.