Wafted from paradise to Luton Airport
 

In message
, at
07:04:27 on Tue, 13 Oct 2009, Neil Williams
remarked:

Which is the same reason most people won't travel by train.

Indeed. Ryanair, as with trains, can be fine.

I see people getting on and off Ryanair flights almost every week. They
don't seem especially distressed. Only flown them once myself (apart
from 20 years ago) and it was fine. If anything the Berlin Metro train
to get to the airport, plus the long walk to the actual airport from the
station [1], was the worst aspect of the trip.

Oddest thing for a frequent flyer is the way they use the airplane's own
stairs, not even the airport's stairs, to get onto the plane. That's
what you expect on the little Fokkers (tm), but not on a huge 737!

[1] Presumably that's Ryanair's fault too!!
--
Roland Perry

Wafted from paradise to Luton Airport
 

In message , at 15:18:38 on
Tue, 13 Oct 2009, Recliner remarked:
Yes, Ryanair buys huge batches of identical planes from Boeing (but
always with the threat of defecting to Airbus, as easyJet did), for
knock-down prices. O'Leary proudly shows off about ordering them during
recessions, when he can get the best deal. They are then kept for a
relatively short time, before being sold on, with little or no
depreciation (as Ryanair buys them for less than the second-hand price).

That's the same model as all the big car rental companies!
--
Roland Perry

Wafted from paradise to Luton Airport
 

"Roland Perry" wrote in message

In message
, at
07:04:27 on Tue, 13 Oct 2009, Neil Williams
remarked:

Which is the same reason most people won't travel by train.

Indeed. Ryanair, as with trains, can be fine.

I see people getting on and off Ryanair flights almost every week.
They don't seem especially distressed. Only flown them once myself
(apart from 20 years ago) and it was fine. If anything the Berlin
Metro train to get to the airport, plus the long walk to the actual
airport from the station [1], was the worst aspect of the trip.

Oddest thing for a frequent flyer is the way they use the airplane's
own stairs, not even the airport's stairs, to get onto the plane.
That's what you expect on the little Fokkers (tm), but not on a huge
737!

Presumably that save a bit of time and perhaps airport fees, too. It's
one reason why they like the 737, as it's low enough for this to be an
option (the A320 is quite a bit higher).

Wafted from paradise to Luton Airport
 

Roland Perry writes:
to get to the airport, plus the long walk to the actual airport from the
station [1], was the worst aspect of the trip.

[1] Presumably that's Ryanair's fault too!!

It would have been shorter if you had just paid the fee!

-Miles

--
Accordion, n. An instrument in harmony with the sentiments of an assassin.

Wafted from paradise to Luton Airport
 

In message , at 01:05:47 on Wed, 14 Oct
2009, Miles Bader remarked:
to get to the airport, plus the long walk to the actual airport from the
station [1], was the worst aspect of the trip.

[1] Presumably that's Ryanair's fault too!!

It would have been shorter if you had just paid the fee!

What fee is that?
--
Roland Perry

Wafted from paradise to Luton Airport
 

In message , at 19:46:37 on
Tue, 13 Oct 2009, Paul Corfield remarked:
Eurostar does not resemble a bus.

And most trains don't resemble Eurostar.

Yes - it was an example. There are many trains that do not resemble a
bus or even a coach. The ambience is completely different.

Yes, the average EMT ex-Central boneshakers are even worse then a bus.

I travel on buses all the time and they're fine for their job

So do I - and they get a bad image. Having spent a week in Geneva, you'd
be surprised at the number of oytsiders prepared to pay £20 for a taxi
ride that was slower than a very acceptable [free] bus. Although some of
that is probably the worry of having to understand announcements
exclusively in French abut where to get off :(

And what nationality would those outsiders be? American per chance?

Mainly Europeans - and an American from Washington DC area was "with me"
trying to persuade people the bus wasn't as bad as they thought it might
be.

I appreciate I am indulging a slight stereotype here but it takes little
effort to research public transport options and to use them when you
arrive in a foreign city.

That's very true. While I'm happy with the Metro/Bus in many cities, I
haven't yet come to grips with the buses in Lisbon, for example.
--
Roland Perry

Wafted from paradise to Luton Airport
 

On Oct 13, 8:24*pm, Roland Perry wrote:

Yes, the average EMT ex-Central boneshakers are even worse then a bus.

Don't give them ideas...

Neil

Wafted from paradise to Luton Airport
 

Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 21:19:24 on
Mon, 12 Oct 2009, Paul Corfield remarked:


I travel on buses all the time and they're fine for their job

So do I - and they get a bad image. Having spent a week in Geneva, you'd
be surprised at the number of oytsiders prepared to pay £20 for a taxi
ride that was slower than a very acceptable [free] bus. Although some of
that is probably the worry of having to understand announcements
exclusively in French abut where to get off :(

And despite their widespread reputation for efficiency my 5.30am bus to
the airport was ten minutes late (and the roads deserted of course, so
no excuse there).

It could just be a Geneva thing - last time I went there our bus hit a
parked car.

--
Arthur Figgis Surrey, UK

Wafted from paradise to Luton Airport
 

Elie wrote:
On Oct 11, 4:51 pm, Bruce wrote:
On Mon, 12 Oct 2009 07:09:57 +0900, Miles Bader wrote:
Roland Perry writes:
Ha! If you'd fly a Korean airline, you could have violent and insane too!
What a strange remark. Are you a xenophobic?.
Er, no. It was a joke (no doubt a poor one), but based on real
experience (and if you know anything about Korea, you'd know that
Koreans can be ... feisty).
On what basis would you attempt to justify such racist remarks?

Guys, I think you're taking his words too seriously. I'm Korean and I
see some truth to what he says. I agree he exaggerated a little but
if I heard that, I'd just laugh and take it as what it is: a joke, so
just chill.

Didn't a pilot on an Air Canada flight go stark raving bonkers [1] a
while back, and the aeroplane got diverted to Ireland as a result?

[1] IANAdoctor

--
Arthur Figgis Surrey, UK

Wafted from paradise to Luton Airport
 

On Tue, 13 Oct 2009 22:45:58 +0100, Arthur Figgis
wrote:

Elie wrote:
On Oct 11, 4:51 pm, Bruce wrote:
On Mon, 12 Oct 2009 07:09:57 +0900, Miles Bader wrote:
Roland Perry writes:
Ha! If you'd fly a Korean airline, you could have violent and insane too!
What a strange remark. Are you a xenophobic?.
Er, no. It was a joke (no doubt a poor one), but based on real
experience (and if you know anything about Korea, you'd know that
Koreans can be ... feisty).
On what basis would you attempt to justify such racist remarks?

Guys, I think you're taking his words too seriously. I'm Korean and I
see some truth to what he says. I agree he exaggerated a little but
if I heard that, I'd just laugh and take it as what it is: a joke, so
just chill.

Didn't a pilot on an Air Canada flight go stark raving bonkers [1] a
while back, and the aeroplane got diverted to Ireland as a result?

[1] IANAdoctor

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27808624/
("Pilot has mid-flight mental breakdown")
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/7217977.stm
("Pilot breakdown diverts flight")
From another report in www.ctvbc.ctv.ca :- "It said the pilot asked
the flight attendants to ask passengers if any of them was a qualified
pilot, but when none was found, one of the stewardesses revealed that
she held a current commercial pilot's licence and an out-of-date
licence for reading cockpit instruments."

It doesn't seem to have generated an investigation in either .ie or
..ca being described as a "medical emergency" WRT the emergency action
taken.

Wafted from paradise to Luton Airport
 

Roland Perry writes:
to get to the airport, plus the long walk to the actual airport from the
station [1], was the worst aspect of the trip.

[1] Presumably that's Ryanair's fault too!!

It would have been shorter if you had just paid the fee!

What fee is that?

The "short walk" fee.

-miles

--
Infancy, n. The period of our lives when, according to Wordsworth, 'Heaven
lies about us.' The world begins lying about us pretty soon afterward.

Wafted from paradise to Luton Airport
 

"MC" wrote in message
ster.com...
SNIP
Er... this was 20+ years ago. How can you compare your experiences with
modern flying trends. The airline industry and regulations have moved on
enormously since then. Budget airlines were still only a twinkle in the
eyes of a lot of the current budget airline bosses.

Freddie Laker ring a bell? "Skytrain" - now when was that?

DW downunder

Wafted from paradise to Luton Airport
 

"DW downunder" noname gurgled happily, sounding much like they were
saying:

Er... this was 20+ years ago. How can you compare your experiences
with modern flying trends. The airline industry and regulations have
moved on enormously since then. Budget airlines were still only a
twinkle in the eyes of a lot of the current budget airline bosses.

Freddie Laker ring a bell? "Skytrain" - now when was that?

DW downunder

It's 27 years since Skytrain went titsup.

It's also 17 years since EasyJet was set up.

Wafted from paradise to Luton Airport
 

In message
"DW downunder" noname wrote:


"MC" wrote in message
ster.com...
SNIP
Er... this was 20+ years ago. How can you compare your experiences with
modern flying trends. The airline industry and regulations have moved on
enormously since then. Budget airlines were still only a twinkle in the
eyes of a lot of the current budget airline bosses.

Freddie Laker ring a bell? "Skytrain" - now when was that?

First flight 26 Sep 1977 though the first application for a licence for the
service was 15 Jun 1971.

Lasted until 5 Feb 1982.

--
Graeme Wall

This address not read, substitute trains for rail
Transport Miscellany at www.greywall.demon.co.uk/rail

Wafted from paradise to Luton Airport
 

"DW downunder" noname wrote in message
...

"MC" wrote in message
ster.com...
SNIP
Er... this was 20+ years ago. How can you compare your experiences with
modern flying trends. The airline industry and regulations have moved on
enormously since then. Budget airlines were still only a twinkle in the
eyes of a lot of the current budget airline bosses.

Freddie Laker ring a bell? "Skytrain" - now when was that?


Not during the mid - late 80s timeframe we are talking here. It was a
trans-Atlantic service and also had a slightly different operation model
than modern day budget airlines including the fact that tickets were not
bookable and were only sold on a first come first served basis at the point
of departure.

MC

Wafted from paradise to Luton Airport
 

"Roland Perry" wrote in message
...
or terminating within
the EC. (fair usage restrictions apply)

Wriggle wriggle.
--
Nonsense , he mentioned Korean Airlines, there is no way of deciding if he
meant North or South.

Wafted from paradise to Luton Airport
 

In message , at 18:14:23 on Wed, 14
Oct 2009, Buddenbrooks remarked:
or terminating within
the EC. (fair usage restrictions apply)

Wriggle wriggle.

Nonsense , he mentioned Korean Airlines, there is no way of deciding if
he meant North or South.

Apart from the Northern ones apparently not being allowed to fly to
Europe.
--
Roland Perry

Wafted from paradise to Luton Airport
 

Wafted from paradise to Luton Airport
 

Buddenbrooks wrote:

wrote in message
...

Same here. I also find getting to Heathrow a lot easier than Stansted
or Luton, for example.


Unfortunately the time from touchdown to hire car is longer than the
flight from schipol when you go via Heathrow.

You will have to get used to it, the trend from the 60s onwards is for
air travel to become functional and the term 'jet set' is probably
meaningless to the majority, certainly not
bringing to mind upper class exclusive travel.

Give it a few years and Business Class air travel will be the same
concept as the business class section of the underground trains.



I've heard that this is already happening, unfortunately.

Wafted from paradise to Luton Airport
 

MC wrote:
"Roland Perry" wrote in message
...
In message , at 10:37:43 on Tue,
13 Oct 2009, Recliner remarked:
Give it a few years and Business Class air travel will be the same
concept as the business class section of the underground trains.
Actually, long haul business class has improved steadily over the years,
and is now as good a sfirst class used to be.
I'd agree with that. Airlines that have lie-flat or almost-flat seats in
business class really don't need to have a FC at all (and some don't any
more).
--
Roland Perry


I have used BC many times on a few airlines but I have found the "new" Club
Class on BA to be the best I have experienced. BC on many airlines does,
indeed, far surpass "old" FC cabins but the new FC cabins can offer
excellent privacy. Has anyone had the fortune to travel FC on a Singapore
Airlines or Emirates A380 :o)

http://www.singaporeair.com/saa/en_U...uite/index.jsp

http://www.emirates.com/om/English/f...rst_class.aspx


MC
Nice, indeed.

Wafted from paradise to Luton Airport
 

Roland Perry wrote:
In message .com, at
14:49:38 on Tue, 13 Oct 2009, MC remarked:
I have used BC many times on a few airlines but I have found the "new"
Club
Class on BA to be the best I have experienced.

There are many things right about it, but also a few rough edges. It's
really difficult to serve food to people with window seats, for example,
because the people seated on the aisle get in the way.

BC on many airlines does, indeed, far surpass "old" FC cabins but the
new FC cabins can offer excellent privacy. Has anyone had the fortune
to travel FC on a Singapore Airlines or Emirates A380 :o)

Not yet, but I may travel in Business on an Emirates 380 in the spring.
FC is a stupid price!

How is it stupid?

Wafted from paradise to Luton Airport
 

Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 09:20:44 on Mon, 12
Oct 2009, Adrian remarked:

I've never flown Ryanair - nor do I ever intend to, mainly because of
their attitude to quoting a cheap fare then chiselling every penny out
of you in compulsory "extras"

If you add together the number of people swearing this, plus the number
of people who *do* actually fly, I wonder if it exceeds 100% of the
flying population? [Ryanair are Europe's biggest carrier, and will fly
67 million people this year].

That's not 67m _individuals_, is it...?

No, but what's the average number of flights people make with them per
year?

I was meant to be flying back from Schiphol to Luton, on a late evening
flight. The plane had a technical problem, so wasn't available for
boarding. It happens. What SHOULDN'T happen is all the passengers being
left at the gate with no staff, no information, no access to
refreshments - for SIX HOURS. We finally got to Luton at about 3am,
IIRC.

That happens with full-fare airlines too.

The mechanical problems do, yes. They're unavoidable.
The _communication_ problems? No. Not IME.

Sadly, the communications problems often exist, whatever the airline.

They do, and that's a fact. But they are not as nearly as bad/pronounced
on premium airlines, compared with the budget airlines.

Wafted from paradise to Luton Airport
 

Recliner wrote:
"MC" wrote in message
ster.com
"Bruce" wrote in message
...
On 12 Oct 2009 08:43:40 GMT, Adrian wrote:

"Ian F." gurgled happily, sounding
much like they were saying:

Did you have a bad experience, or are you just reacting to the
chattering campaign about them?
I've had a couple of bad experiences - herded around like cattle,
talked at by snotty-nosed ground staff like I was a piece of ****,
shown no respect whatsoever...

I'm a reasonably frequent flyer and I'm too old and
dyed-in-the-wool to worry about saving a few pennies to be treated
like that. I'd far rather spend the extra and be shown some degree
of care. And this is not just me - I know dozens of friends and
colleagues that feel the same way. I have always found easyJet to
be far superior in every way to
Ryanair, although, understandably, not on a level with the major
airlines. I would travel with them like a shot, but I will never,
ever, ever travel Ryanair.
I've never flown Ryanair - nor do I ever intend to, mainly because
of their attitude to quoting a cheap fare then chiselling every
penny out of you in compulsory "extras" - but I've also sworn off
SleazyJet after direct personal experience about ten years ago.

I was meant to be flying back from Schiphol to Luton, on a late
evening flight. The plane had a technical problem, so wasn't
available for boarding. It happens. What SHOULDN'T happen is all
the passengers being left at the gate with no staff, no
information, no access to refreshments - for SIX HOURS. We finally
got to Luton at about 3am, IIRC.

I used to commute weekly from Heathrow to Schiphol in the late 1980s.
I had a similar experience with BA, involving a five hour wait at
Schiphol on a Friday evening, with the aircraft still not having left
Heathrow on the preceding flight. No attempt was made to transfer us
to KLM, which would have saved several hours, and only after many
complaints were refreshments provided.

I decided to reject BA in favour of BMI (called British Midland in
those days). It happened twice more with BMI, once with a four
hour delay and once with a seven hour delay, meaning I arrived home
in West London about 2:00 AM. But the overall service of NMI was so
much better than BA that I stayed with them. Plus, it was only two
flights in around 50, so it wasn't too bad.

My point is that flag carriers such as BA and "full price" airlines
such as BMI have similar problems to the low cost, as do rail
operators. What they all share is that they are all spectacularly
bad at dealing with them, in most cases. However. it was one area
where GNER absolutely shone.
Er... this was 20+ years ago. How can you compare your experiences
with modern flying trends. The airline industry and regulations have
moved on enormously since then. Budget airlines were still only a
twinkle in the eyes of a lot of the current budget airline bosses.

I have flown almost exclusively with BA in that last 8 or 9 years and
have never had a problem with them apart from one occasion when we
had to wait for 2hrs, onboard, before we could depart. However, the
crew were very good with refreshments etc... during that time. Had I
been sat on a Ryanair plane I somehow doubt the "FREE" refreshments
would have bee so forthcoming. The only times I have ever had reason
to complain was when I have flown with budget airlines. One time was
BMI Baby the other Thomas Cook Airlines.

I've had a couple of occasions when BA cancelled flights because of bad
weather at Heathrow. In neither case did it deal with them well. I'd
agree with Tony that British Midland was better than BA in the 1980s,
but it lost its way later, when it couldn't decide what kind of airline
it wanted to be.


Still a pretty good airline, in my experience. At least if you are going
some place like Amsterdam.

Wafted from paradise to Luton Airport
 

rail wrote:
In message
"DW downunder" noname wrote:

"MC" wrote in message
ster.com...
SNIP
Er... this was 20+ years ago. How can you compare your experiences with
modern flying trends. The airline industry and regulations have moved on
enormously since then. Budget airlines were still only a twinkle in the
eyes of a lot of the current budget airline bosses.
Freddie Laker ring a bell? "Skytrain" - now when was that?

First flight 26 Sep 1977 though the first application for a licence for the
service was 15 Jun 1971.

Lasted until 5 Feb 1982.

People's Express was offering flights from Brussels to Newark in the 80s
for about $100, I recall reading.

Wafted from paradise to Luton Airport
 

MIG wrote:
On 12 Oct, 09:50, Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 09:32:02 on Mon, 12
Oct 2009, Ian F. remarked:

I know millions of people are happy being treated like **** in order to
save a couple of quid - that is their prerogative and I'm glad that
Ryanair is there to provide them with what they require.
And to some extent trains and buses serve a similar purpose. It's not
just Maggie who thinks public transport is for losers :(
--
Roland Perry

The thing is to resist every move by the railways to follow the
Ryanair model. Don't be fooled by the "get what you pay for"
arguments. Low price for poor service seems fine to me, but the
trickery is not, and nor is the gambling.

Currently the railway operators don't just wash their hands of their
customers and leave them stranded, no matter how little they've
paid.

"Sorry, train cancelled. Here's your AP fare back. Now find
somewhere to stay the night and get an Anytime single tomorrow. If
you like you can use it now on a train at exactly the same time as the
one that was cancelled ..."
There was a service a few years ago, that was running trains out of
Waterloo to Southampton for about £1. The problem, however, was that
passengers who paid that fare were confined to one car on the train. I'm
under the impression that it was not the most pleasant journey.

Wafted from paradise to Luton Airport
 

Roland Perry wrote:
In message
, at
02:04:03 on Mon, 12 Oct 2009, MIG remarked:
On 12 Oct, 09:50, Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 09:32:02 on Mon, 12
Oct 2009, Ian F. remarked:

I know millions of people are happy being treated like **** in order to
save a couple of quid - that is their prerogative and I'm glad that
Ryanair is there to provide them with what they require.

And to some extent trains and buses serve a similar purpose. It's not
just Maggie who thinks public transport is for losers :(

The thing is to resist every move by the railways to follow the
Ryanair model. Don't be fooled by the "get what you pay for"
arguments. Low price for poor service seems fine to me, but the
trickery is not, and nor is the gambling.

The so-called "simplified" fare system, plus opaque routing
restrictions, means that train fares are at least as bad.

Currently the railway operators don't just wash their hands of their
customers and leave them stranded, no matter how little they've
paid.

Actually, they do. You just tune out the reports.

"Sorry, train cancelled. Here's your AP fare back. Now find
somewhere to stay the night and get an Anytime single tomorrow. If
you like you can use it now on a train at exactly the same time as the
one that was cancelled ..."

Ah, that's a common one of the "chattering criticisms". But does it
actually happen any more? The closest is probably "You need to catch the
next available flight, which is tomorrow" (or possibly later, but that's
just a timetable thing). A colleague flying Business Class on United got
bumped Saturday (flight cancelled) and had to wait 24hrs for the next
flight.

But, for the premium paid to travel first class and for the fact that it
was not his fault, did the airline look after him?

Wafted from paradise to Luton Airport
 

Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 18:40:32 on
Mon, 12 Oct 2009, Paul Corfield remarked:
I would rather have needles stuck in my eyes than fly Ryanair.

Did you have a bad experience, or are you just reacting to the
chattering campaign about them?

Am I allowed to say I have never travelled with them and never will?

So 100% prejudice. Glad we got that out in the open.

This is based on what you'd probably call an irrational dislike of their
business model and of dear old Mr O'Leary. He's a clever bloke but I
don't like his business methods or attitudes whereby Ryanair are always
right and everyone else can go hang.

If I want to experience bus travel then I'll use a bus thanks very much!

Or quite a lot of trains. Indeed, Ryanair's planes are mainly pretty
new, and not bad to travel on at all.

No reclining seats, no pouch in the back of the previous seats,
instructions printed onto the back of each seat, surly staff, and
possibly standing room only in the future.

I'm just wondering how this doesn't differ from the Tube.

Wafted from paradise to Luton Airport
 

Neil Williams wrote:
On Oct 13, 2:51 pm, Roland Perry wrote:

Which is the same reason most people won't travel by train.

Indeed. Ryanair, as with trains, can be fine. I have used them
several times and have never had any kind of problem (other than lack
of legroom), nor been hit with any "hidden" fees.

Neil
I've heard reports that they in the past charged people £4 for a
boarding pass, just out of the blue, with no warning whatsoever. I don't
mean the current £40 that one has to pay if they have forgotten to check
in on line or forgotten their boarding pass.

Wafted from paradise to Luton Airport
 

Roland Perry wrote:
In message
, at
07:04:27 on Tue, 13 Oct 2009, Neil Williams remarked:

Which is the same reason most people won't travel by train.

Indeed. Ryanair, as with trains, can be fine.

I see people getting on and off Ryanair flights almost every week. They
don't seem especially distressed. Only flown them once myself (apart
from 20 years ago) and it was fine. If anything the Berlin Metro train
to get to the airport, plus the long walk to the actual airport from the
station [1], was the worst aspect of the trip.

Oddest thing for a frequent flyer is the way they use the airplane's own
stairs, not even the airport's stairs, to get onto the plane. That's
what you expect on the little Fokkers (tm), but not on a huge 737!

[1] Presumably that's Ryanair's fault too!!
Is that a normal feature on most 737s, to have their own retractable stairs?

Wafted from paradise to Luton Airport
 

Recliner wrote:
"Roland Perry" wrote in message

In message , at 21:19:24
on Mon, 12 Oct 2009, Paul Corfield remarked:

I don't feel I have lost out by not travelling by Ryanair. I would
hope Mr O'Leary's planes are pretty new given the huge rate of
expansion that he has managed with his airline
I'm sure it's part of his business plan to buy new planes to give easy
and consistent maintenance and operations. As opposed to BMIbaby who
have a rag-bag collection of surprisingly old planes.

Yes, Ryanair buys huge batches of identical planes from Boeing (but
always with the threat of defecting to Airbus, as easyJet did), for
knock-down prices. O'Leary proudly shows off about ordering them during
recessions, when he can get the best deal. They are then kept for a
relatively short time, before being sold on, with little or no
depreciation (as Ryanair buys them for less than the second-hand price).


IIRC , the Panorama report stated that he was practically ready to do a
deal with Airbus, then backed out at the last minute. I think that one
of the Airbus executives also said that Ryanair were trying to secure
planes at unacceptably low prices.

Wafted from paradise to Luton Airport
 

In message , at 20:31:38 on Wed, 14 Oct
2009, " remarked:

A colleague flying Business Class on United got bumped Saturday
(flight cancelled) and had to wait 24hrs for the next flight.

But, for the premium paid to travel first class

Business class.

and for the fact that it was not his fault, did the airline look after
him?

A free hotel room for 24hrs, and half the weekend trashed. (It was a
her, incidentally).
--
Roland Perry

Wafted from paradise to Luton Airport
 

In message , at 20:30:26 on Wed, 14 Oct
2009, " remarked:
There was a service a few years ago, that was running trains out of
Waterloo to Southampton for about £1.

Still is, called Megatrain.

The problem, however, was that passengers who paid that fare were
confined to one car on the train.

Didn't last long, according to reports from travellers. Now any carriage
is acceptable.

I'm under the impression that it was not the most pleasant journey.

Why's that? Many advance purchase train tickets today are issued with
compulsory reservations. What's the unpleasantness if they turn out to
be all in one carriage?
--
Roland Perry

Wafted from paradise to Luton Airport
 

Roland Perry gurgled happily, sounding much like they
were saying:

If anything the Berlin Metro train to get to the airport, plus the long
walk to the actual airport from the station [1], was the worst aspect
of the trip.

[1] Presumably that's Ryanair's fault too!!

Considering Ryanair use Schonefeld, rather than Tegel like the "proper"
airlines - yes, it is...

Wafted from paradise to Luton Airport
 

In message , at 20:20:35 on Wed, 14 Oct
2009, " remarked:
Not yet, but I may travel in Business on an Emirates 380 in the
spring. FC is a stupid price!

How is it stupid?

By being about £10k
--
Roland Perry

Wafted from paradise to Luton Airport
 

In message , at 19:47:08 on Wed, 14
Oct 2009, Adrian remarked:
If anything the Berlin Metro train to get to the airport, plus the long
walk to the actual airport from the station [1], was the worst aspect
of the trip.

[1] Presumably that's Ryanair's fault too!!

Considering Ryanair use Schonefeld, rather than Tegel like the "proper"
airlines - yes, it is...

Six of one and half a dozen of the other. Tegel isn't even on the Metro
(you have to get a bus).
--
Roland Perry

Wafted from paradise to Luton Airport
 

In message , at 20:38:41 on Wed, 14 Oct
2009, " remarked:
Neil Williams wrote:
On Oct 13, 2:51 pm, Roland Perry wrote:

Which is the same reason most people won't travel by train.
Indeed. Ryanair, as with trains, can be fine. I have used them
several times and have never had any kind of problem (other than lack
of legroom), nor been hit with any "hidden" fees.
Neil
I've heard reports that they in the past charged people £4 for a
boarding pass, just out of the blue, with no warning whatsoever.

I hear lots of thing. Not all are true.

--
Roland Perry

Wafted from paradise to Luton Airport
 

In message , at 20:34:56 on Wed, 14 Oct
2009, " remarked:
Indeed, Ryanair's planes are mainly pretty new, and not bad to travel
on at all.

No reclining seats,

I like that, it means the person in front can't invade my personal
space.

no pouch in the back of the previous seats,

Why is that a problem? All they have in them is a magazine and...

instructions printed onto the back of each seat,

....safety instructions that are more obvious glued to the seatback.

surly staff,

They aren't the best, I agree. But they aren't any worse than the
majority of bus/train employees.

and possibly standing room only in the future.

Chatter, chatter. [Although in fact you've fallen for yet another bit of
Ryanair virus marketing. They know it would never be allowed to have pax
stood in the aisles, even if the fare was lower. Gets them more media
exposure though, which is exactly what they want.]

I'm just wondering how this doesn't differ from the Tube.

The Tube seems very popular.
--
Roland Perry

Wafted from paradise to Luton Airport
 

In message
" wrote:

[snip]
There was a service a few years ago, that was running trains out of
Waterloo to Southampton for about £1. The problem, however, was that
passengers who paid that fare were confined to one car on the train. I'm
under the impression that it was not the most pleasant journey.

Still exists though I've never actually seen a £1 fare available. It's not a
seperate train but Megatrain have bought batches of tickets on SWT services.
So the journey is the same as travelling on an ordinary SWT ticket, these
days they don't even have a dedicated (part of) coach.

--
Graeme Wall

This address not read, substitute trains for rail
Transport Miscellany at www.greywall.demon.co.uk/rail

Wafted from paradise to Luton Airport
 

"Roland Perry" wrote in message
...
In message , at 20:31:38 on Wed, 14 Oct
2009, " remarked:

A colleague flying Business Class on United got bumped Saturday (flight
cancelled) and had to wait 24hrs for the next flight.

But, for the premium paid to travel first class

Business class.

and for the fact that it was not his fault, did the airline look after
him?

A free hotel room for 24hrs, and half the weekend trashed. (It was a her,
incidentally).


If operating within the EU, compensation is also payable.

In your colleague's case, the minimum they should have expected would have
been a seat on the next flight home, hotel accommodation as necessary and
compensation set down by EU regulations. These are the minimum every
passenger should expect when the flight originates in the EU.

Why was she bumped. If it was due to overbooking, the way airline bump will
depend on the the type of ticket (flexible or budget), frequent flyer
membership, class of travel etc. I am surprised that you colleague was not
offered a seat in economy and some compensation. They would then bump an
economy passenger to make room.

Bumping happens and if I am able to spare the time until the next flight I
will always volunteer myself (at check in or via the lounge desk) on the
provision of a class upgrade on the next flight (if long haul) or a decent
cash incentive (short haul). I have never been bumped or downgraded so
volunteering from the outset seems to work :o). There seems to be no
incentive to volunteer being bumped on a budget airline though.

MC

Wafted from paradise to Luton Airport
 

"Roland Perry" wrote in message
...
In message , at 20:20:35 on Wed, 14 Oct
2009, " remarked:
Not yet, but I may travel in Business on an Emirates 380 in the spring.
FC is a stupid price!

How is it stupid?

By being about £10k

'Tis rather silly. One may argue whether or not it is actually worth it.
For royalty and "A list" celebs who want some privacy it may be worth the
money but if I had that sort of money to throw around I would certainly give
it a go. However, I have occasionally seen discount fares for FC on the
A380 for around half the amount you mention. Don't ask me where to though.

MC