"Roland Perry" wrote in message
news
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.

That said, 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.

Ian

"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.

In message , at 08:43:40 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].

- 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.

That happens with full-fare airlines too. There are newish EU rules
about providing refreshment vouchers etc.
--
Roland Perry

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

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...?

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.

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.
--
Roland Perry

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.

In message
Roland Perry wrote:

In message , at 08:43:40 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].

I would never voluntarily fly Ryanair but the office still books me to fly
with them on occasion.


--
Graeme Wall

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

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.

"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.

MC

"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.