British Media: Vendetta against Ryanair

jetsonx

Why do the British media have a vendetta against Ryanair ?

I suspected it all along but C4 has finally confirmed it by airing a "Dispatches" documentary about them but why did'nt they go undercover with Sleazyjet ?

whiskeyman

You'll find they don't particular like BA either...
It's well known that Ryanair "use" the media very effectively.
They just like getting their own back... and Ryanair just has a lot of material to go on.
However, with soaring passenger numbers and profits, they won't give a toss.

jetsonx

whiskeyman wrote:

Ryanair "use" the media very effectively.
They just like getting their own back... and Ryanair just has a lot of material to go on.

good theory...

jimmycrackcorm

Won't make any difference, people love their €1 flights.

I read that they are going to go on about staff feeling exhausted. but all companies have exhausted staff.

BuffyBot

Well considering the trailer has a bit of a factual inaccuracy (where the cabin crew states she won't be checking their passports - actually the job of the ground staff), I'm not hopeful for the program. However, in fairness Dispatches is known for having reasonably well researched documentaries and Ryanair is pretty well known for stretching staff to the limit - so it should be interesting to see how it plays out.

democrates

That sort of thing is not surprising.

Once we were part of their empire, now our gdp per capita exceeds theirs, the economic performance of the emerald isle is the jewel in europes crown, Irish investors are into everything there from football clubs to property. The Irish are hugely popular around the world way out of proportion to our size, we've Guinness, Irish Pubs, Ryanair, Waterford Crystal, St. Patricks day, Riverdance, Enya, The Corrs, U2, Bob Geldof etc. etc.

Bound to be a bit of difficulty for some adjusting to the new relationship, old stereotypes die hard ('lazy/fighting/drunken Irish'), and not all journalists are jolly good sports. IRA activities over past decades can't have left a good taste in their mouths either and now they've to watch us party ever louder while they're on the back foot in the 'war on terror'.

It also happens sometimes in their soaps, with Irish characters depicted as scheming betrayers. Also on Dragons Den, an Irish entrepreneur admitted he hadn't paid his taxes completely and appeared cavalier about it. He was rightly lambasted for that, but the telling quote from the UK investor was "I have a problem with that, I have a cultural problem with that". Fine, the individual was wrong, but to characterise that as a cultural difference is to suggest that lax tax compliance is more an Irish trait than British. Subtle, but reveaing.

It's as if some of them think we can't be so successful without something underhand being at the back of it.

But I don't think it's anything to really worry about, anti-Irish propaganda is still a minority sport and most brits are decent skins just making their way in life like the rest of us.

BuffyBot

An interesting exchange:

http://www.ryanair.com/site/EN/inpage.php?partner=DISPATCHES

mike65

Maybe you should watch it first....the Irish also have a "Paddy" sterotype for taking offence easily.

Mike.

therecklessone

BuffyBot wrote:

Well considering the trailer has a bit of a factual inaccuracy (where the cabin crew states she won't be checking their passports - actually the job of the ground staff)

Read the letters exchanged bewteen Ryanair and the production company and you'll see that she was required to assist in the boarding of the aircraft (and it is airline policy that one of the four cabin crew does so)

I'd be inclined to agree with Mike, wait and see what the program contains before jumpin to any conclusions on the motivation of the production company or the commissioning editor for Despatches.

Figment

democrates wrote:

That sort of thing is not surprising.

Once we were part of their empire, now our gdp per capita exceeds theirs, the economic performance of the emerald isle is the jewel in europes crown, Irish investors are into everything there from football clubs to property. The Irish are hugely popular around the world way out of proportion to our size, we've Guinness, Irish Pubs, Ryanair, Waterford Crystal, St. Patricks day, Riverdance, Enya, The Corrs, U2, Bob Geldof etc. etc...

WOW! i am all for pride in ones country but wow!

Also you do realise that Ryanair is a UK registered company?

TempestSabre

People should look at how they achieve the €1 seats.

BuffyBot

People should look at how they achieve the €1 seats.

How do you think they do it?

leeroybrown

Ryanair are the obvious airline to pick. They brought cheap air travel to the market position it has today and are still the biggest and most successful player in that segment. They are also infamous for some of the HR problems that arise from the cost management practices that underpin their success.

TempestSabre

BuffyBot wrote:

How do you think they do it?

Compromise everything for the sake of profit.

Sarsfield

Figment wrote:

Also you do realise that Ryanair is a UK registered company?

It's a PLC. It's on the London & Dublin exchanges but it's an Irish company. A number of registered companies actually. Check www.cro.ie

There is a Ryanair UK registered at Stansted but it's a subsidiary of Ryanair PLC (Irish company registration number 249885)

And it's regulated by the IAA not the CAA.

TempestSabre

Regulations? You mean the ones they feel like complying with...;)

BuffyBot

Compromise everything for the sake of profit.

Easily said...

Sarsfield

The program is on at the same time as Eastenders & Corrie. Nobody will be watching.

If it's revelations are to have a wide audience (of Ryanair punters) the story will need to be picked up by the daily papers. Ryanair will get their right to reply there if necessary. And Ryanair are masters of the media. And advertise heavily in the papers.

Ryanair is making the most of it at the moment by advertising the program on the Ryanair.com front page! I don't think Michael O'Leary is too worried. Unless, of course, it turns out the program has got something genuinely serious to report.

TempestSabre

BuffyBot wrote:

Easily said...

Whats your point?

Sarsfield wrote:

.... I don't think Michael O'Leary is too worried. Unless, of course, it turns out the program has got something genuinely serious to report.

He doesn't care. Once he turns a profit what else matters. Hes allowed to do that, we're allowed to complain. Thats the system. You don't avoid problems you let them happen. Because thats more profitable. All major industries have done this at some point. The airline business is no difference to anything else.

BuffyBot

Whats your point?

The point is it's easy to make claims, but a different thing to give substance to them..

TempestSabre

BuffyBot wrote:

The point is it's easy to make claims, but a different thing to give substance to them..

Yes I see your point, RyanAir never being in the media about near misses or overshoots or other such incidents. :rolleyes:

LiamD

Ryanair is well known not to compromise safety.It's a given that if you get on board one of their flights, the most you'll get is a please and thank you and perhaps an overpriced sandwich.There are other 'Yes frills' airlines like Virgin, Qatar and Lufthansa if you want to pay for that, but as I recall Mr. O'Leary is well known for not just having one, but two of all the major components for each plane on standby in case they need replacing.

One thing that puzzles me though, is how he is making a profit.200 seats on a plane at €1 each would surely barely cover the jet fuel for that flight!I know some seats are going to be more, but they're rarely more than €20 or so.The only thing I can think of is the merchandise.Anyone care to shed any light on how they are doing so well?

BuffyBot

In-flight sales, baggage charges, cost management on absolutely everything, expensive tickets (you would be surprised how many of the later tickets are quite dear), no-shows (Ryanair get to keep the ticket cost etc), change fees...so many different ways of making money.

TempestSabre

Most airlines choose to stay well within the safety guidlines, whereas Ryanair operates right up to them. Never been proved to break them. Of course in the flying game most accidents are attributed to pilot error regardless of the contributary factors that might cause pilot error. Gets most airlines off the hook.

Its a bit like asking the guy who falling from the empire state building, "how'se it going?".... "Alright so far..."

They try not to spend on anything. Ask Jane O'Keeffe

democrates

TempestSabre wrote:

Most airlines choose to stay well within the safety guidlines, whereas Ryanair operates right up to them. Never been proved to break them. Of course in the flying game most accidents are attributed to pilot error regardless of the contributary factors that might cause pilot error. Gets most airlines off the hook.

Its a bit like asking the guy who falling from the empire state building, "how'se it going?".... "Alright so far..."

They try not to spend on anything. Ask Jane O'Keeffe

The killer is, when airlines go like railways did in the uk after privatisation, how do you nail the gits who decided the policies that endangered lives? How do you prove that?

TempestSabre

democrates wrote:

The killer is, when airlines go like railways did in the uk after privatisation, how do you nail the gits who decided the policies that endangered lives? How do you prove that?

TBH they usually get away with it. :mad:

democrates

TempestSabre wrote:

TBH they usually get away with it. :mad:

Precisely, the accountability is simply not adequate. In the light of that, talk by big oil/pharma et al about corporate social responsibility seems merely an attemt to convert past wrongdoings into a branding boon.

TempestSabre

democrates wrote:

Precisely, the accountability is simply not adequate. In the light of that, talk by big oil/pharma et al about corporate social responsibility seems merely an attemt to convert past wrongdoings into a branding boon.

Many theorise that Ryanair use all adverse publicity as a means of generating free advertising. Which is smart but tells you all about how your complaints will be handled.

democrates

TempestSabre wrote:

Many theorise that Ryanair use all adverse publicity as a means of generating free advertising. Which is smart but tells you all about how your complaints will be handled.

Exactly. Though he did seem a bit shaken by that court case. The usuual manic smile was absent.

TempestSabre

democrates wrote:

Exactly. Though he did seem a bit shaken by that court case. The usuual manic smile was absent.

Maybe he had to pick up a fare in the merc on the way in

democrates

TempestSabre wrote:

Maybe he had to pick up a fare in the merc on the way in

Classic!