Ryanair again.

Flukey

:mad: Last weekend I was going to Liverpool, flying Ryaniar. It was partially my own fault, but I arrived just a few minutes late for the check-in for my flight. The flight was still not due to depart for more than another half an hour, nobody had yet boarded, and in true Ryanair style, as it turned out: it was late taking off. But despite my pleadings, they would not let me check in. :mad:

Their next Liverpool flight was not until after 10pm. The best I could do was to fly to Manchester, which I had to do in the end, and pay for it, another €60. That flight was due to take off at about 6:25pm and it too departed late, by about 19 minutes. I carefully checked that one. I got to Manchester about 7:30pm. Luckily I already had a lift to Liverpool, as one of my friends who was on the Liverpool flight, had organised a friend of his, who was a taxi driver, to go and collect me.

Ironically, one of the reasons I was late was that I did not leave the house until after watching the Cheltenham Gold Cup, which was won by War of Attrition, owned by Michael O'Leary. The race was late starting, but he didn't pull his horse out. I hear his wife is pregnant. Will he disown the child if it is overdue? While on my flight I had a look through some of their literature. I saw that they have to be over 3 hours late in taking off, before they will pay their customers anything, but customers are penalised for being just a few minutes late, for a flight which is not due to take off for another 40 minutes at least, bar delays, which are commonplace. As I said, I was late for check-in, but they could have easily let me check-in. I know they have their strict rules, and that is fair enough, but there should be some reasonable flexibility.

whiskeyman

Flukey wrote:

but there should be some reasonable flexibility.

No, there shouldn't.

I got stung last year myself by turning up 1minute and 20second late to a checkin desk (the electronic clock on the wall said so) at East Midlands and I was refused checkin. Had no other option to stay in the airport hotel as that was the last flight.

The Terms & Conditions clearly state checkin times etc.. and I had to pay the price.

If there was more flexibility, more flights would be delayed.

Flukey

In those cases Whiskeyman, both of us were only a few minutes from the boarding area. I was in phone contact with my friends upstairs and they were sitting waiting around, and were for some considerable time, more than enough for me to have gone through all the formalities and security and be sitting in the boarding area in plenty of time, even if the flight took off on time. Neither your's nor my late check-in would have delayed our flights. Both of us would have been up well in time for boarding. As I said, that flight was delayed anyway, as was the one I got on. If you arrive within a few minutes of actual take-off, you might delay the flight or if you are wandering around the shops nearby instead of the boarding area, you might. Our cases would not have delayed the flight.

They give you the "paperwork" line, but as things are now all computerised, that is not a valid excuse, at that length before boarding and take-off. On the flight I did get, there was no explanation, apology or even mention of the delay in take-off. It is alright for some it would appear.

whiskeyman

Flukey wrote:

It is alright for some it would appear.

That's because no matter how peeved off we get, we have to accept the warning was there since the moment we went online to book, and we've all heard of someones example.
Ryanair are notorious for no flexibiltiy when it comes to their T&Cs, and it's one of the aspects of their business model that has aided their success.
If they starting making allowances in one area, it could spread and bring in all sorts of variables to their process.


Might as well mention that since that incident last year, I've kept flying with Ryanair and made sure to be well on time. I've had no issues since.

secret_squirrel

Flukey wrote:

They give you the "paperwork" line, but as things are now all computerised, that is not a valid excuse, at that length before boarding and take-off.

You dont have a clue how much work there is to be done after a flight is closed. Suffice to say it still involves both computer time and paperwork. And hassle for the checkin agent to open the flight again.

You were late coz you were sat in front of the TV?? And you expect sympathy??

John R

Flukey wrote:

Our cases would not have delayed the flight.

No, but your bags might have.


I am no fan of RA in general but in this instance I agree with them, the MINIMUM check-in times are clearly stated and the best policy is to rigidly stick to them no arguements or exceptions.

A Dub in Glasgo

Flukey wrote:

:mad: Last weekend I was going to Liverpool, flying Ryaniar. It was partially my own fault, but I arrived just a few minutes late for the check-in for my flight.

I am not a great fan of the definitive nature of the rules but how can you say it you were ony partially to blame? You were fully to blame.

BuffyBot

They give you the "paperwork" line, but as things are now all computerised, that is not a valid excuse

Well, you seem so knowledgable...it must be Ryanair in the wrong.

Sorry, but in this case you have no one to blame but yourself.

crosstownk

I hate Ryanair with a passion but I think they were right in this instance. I fly RA regularly and while I hate most everything about them I have never once been late arriving at my destination - I fly with them 10-15 times a year. Their punctuality is second to none and is the only reason I continue to use them. But if they were to hold check-in desks and gates open for late comers then their punctuality would be considerably worse.

dowlingm

Flukey

the point is not that the area was close by or how much hassle you would be. Ryanair's tight turnarounds means nothing can delay them that they can prevent, even for a second. As an airline they are often unfair in some matters and their IR policy is brutal but their policy on punctuality is well known - and I speak as someone who was also refused boarding in Treviso because I was late arriving from Trieste which meant I overnighted in Stansted (not nice).

This is an airline that refused boarding to a minister without ID, even though the check-in agent knew who he was. That's consistency.

Calina

Flukey wrote:

I know they have their strict rules, and that is fair enough, but there should be some reasonable flexibility.

I find that people only ever look for reasonable flexibility for themselves.

davidoco

To be fair to Ryanair I was late in arriving at Stanstead for the last flight out one Sunday night, flight at 2150 I arrived at the door of Standstead about 2125 and it takes at least 2 - 3 minutes to run over to their checkin desks.

No problem sir just don't delay in duty free and proceed directly to the plane.

Some girls do .....

JackieChan

davidoc,
Perhaps she had not closed the flight at that stage.

Flukey

Secret Squirrel wrote:

You dont have a clue how much work there is to be done after a flight is closed. Suffice to say it still involves both computer time and paperwork. And hassle for the checkin agent to open the flight again.
You were late coz you were sat in front of the TV?? And you expect sympathy??

On the contrary, I know a lot about what is involved. I work in IT and have friends who work in airlines, and also, it wasn't sitting in front of the TV that delayed me.

John R wrote:

No, but your bags might have.

I wasn't checking in any bags. I was taking everything on board with me.

crosstownk wrote:

Their punctuality is second to none and is the only reason I continue to use them. But if they were to hold check-in desks and gates open for late comers then their punctuality would be considerably worse.

Dowlingm wrote:

Ryanair's tight turnarounds means nothing can delay them that they can prevent, even for a second. As an airline they are often unfair in some matters and their IR policy is brutal but their policy on punctuality is well known.

As I said, both the flights involved were late leaving, and by far more than my late arrival. The hostess on the flight I did get on, when asked what the delay was, told me that they had been running late all day. They have often been late on other occasions I've flown with them too. They may be second to none, but they are far from punctual.

Calina wrote:

I find that people only ever look for reasonable flexibility for themselves.

In my work I expect people to be on time, but I do give flexibility, as most people do, on a time schedule do. Yes, I have myself to blame for much of this, but there is still room for flexibility. Most closing times on anything are well within the limits to give people more than enough time to carry out whatever needs to be done subsequently. As a result, there is some flexibility there. Even with Ryanair's tight schedule, there was more than enough time to have allowed me through. I was slightly late, but they were completely inflexible, as you would expect from Ryanair. Ryanair have done well based on their style, but they would do even better with decent customer service.

BuffyBot

Ryanair have done well based on their style, but they would do even better with decent customer service.

A financial whizz too. A man of many talents.

Fighting Irish

Flukey wrote:

:mad: Last weekend I was going to Liverpool, flying Ryaniar. It was partially my own fault, but I arrived just a few minutes late for the check-in for my flight. The flight was still not due to depart for more than another half an hour, nobody had yet boarded, and in true Ryanair style, as it turned out: it was late taking off. But despite my pleadings, they would not let me check in. :mad:

Their next Liverpool flight was not until after 10pm. The best I could do was to fly to Manchester, which I had to do in the end, and pay for it, another €60. That flight was due to take off at about 6:25pm and it too departed late, by about 19 minutes. I carefully checked that one. I got to Manchester about 7:30pm. Luckily I already had a lift to Liverpool, as one of my friends who was on the Liverpool flight, had organised a friend of his, who was a taxi driver, to go and collect me.

Ironically, one of the reasons I was late was that I did not leave the house until after watching the Cheltenham Gold Cup, which was won by War of Attrition, owned by Michael O'Leary. The race was late starting, but he didn't pull his horse out. I hear his wife is pregnant. Will he disown the child if it is overdue? While on my flight I had a look through some of their literature. I saw that they have to be over 3 hours late in taking off, before they will pay their customers anything, but customers are penalised for being just a few minutes late, for a flight which is not due to take off for another 40 minutes at least, bar delays, which are commonplace. As I said, I was late for check-in, but they could have easily let me check-in. I know they have their strict rules, and that is fair enough, but there should be some reasonable flexibility.

They are cheap, they have rules in place, if you follow the rules you will not have any problems

secret_squirrel

Flukey wrote:

it wasn't sitting in front of the TV that delayed me.

My mistake - would you care to explain what you meant belowthen?

one of the reasons I was late was that I did not leave the house until after watching the Cheltenham Gold Cup

Also you have still failed to explain why you deserve special treatment, from Ryanair when no-one else gets it.

Have you considered that the check-in person doesnt have authority to re-open a flight. Or that they had to open another flight for some people who turned up on time, or that they had another job to do, that was more important than catering to the needs of someone who couldnt turn up on time?

Sorry absolutely no sympathy for you.

Larianne

Think of it this way...if the Ryanair staff had re-opened the flight for you who was 2 mintues late for check-in, grand. But then as he/she was checking you in another late person or group of people arrive and they would expect to keep it open for them,who would be about 6 mintues late for check-in. And if they refused them their question would be "well why did you let him in, he was late?".... exactly. You were late for check-in. Tough sh*t, leave a few mintues earlier if you have a tendancy for tardiness.

So the Ryanair flight that you were meant to be on was late taking off..yes sometimes flights are delayed and sometimes they are on time. They can't change the rules for you. These things cause a knock on affect to the rest of the day...

I hate people who are late!

Chris_533976

I have absolutly no sympathy whatsoever for someone being late for checkin.

Tough ****. You were late. Pay the price, live with it.

Sponge Bob

davidoco wrote:

To be fair to Ryanair I was late in arriving at Stanstead for the last flight out one Sunday night, flight at 2150 I arrived at the door of Standstead about 2125 and it takes at least 2 - 3 minutes to run over to their checkin desks.

Same as that in Shannon, I was carrying hand baggage only though and was there about 2 mins after checkin closed .

If you are gonna wing it timewise make sure you only have hand baggage and you have some chance.

Padraig Mor

Flukey wrote:

there is still room for flexibility. .

No there's not. It's written on your confirmation in capital letters:

"CHECK-IN DESKS CLOSE STRICTLY 40 MINUTES BEFORE SCHEDULED DEPARTURE
We reserve the right to cancel your reservation and deny you boarding
if you do not comply with the Check-in Deadline."

If you can't be bothered to show up on time, tough. Get there early and watch the race in the airport if it's that important.

DublinWriter

Fighting Irish wrote:

They are cheap...

I just lurrrve what Michael O'Leary has done with the whole reality vs perception thing.

If you're amoung the last 10 people to buy tickets on any particular Ryanair flight then you're gonna pay anywhere from €180 to €240.

When you work out the average seat price on, say, their Liverpool route then you'll see they work out about the same as Aer Lingus.

kippy

OP-
No sympathy here for you either.
The rules are the rules for a reason. (all have been pointed out in earlier posts-the onus is on you to be on time for checkin no matter what the circumstances)

Dublin writer,
I have never paid more than 60 Euro one way for a flight to anywhere in Europe-nor have I ever been more than ten minutes late arriving at the destination.

A few years ago pre Ryanair, Aerlingus and most carriers were a lot more expensive than 220 euro-Ryanairs entry into the market have forced other carriers to lower their prices-which is why the average seat price for the route you speak of may be similiar between ryanair and aerlingus. However if ryanair (or similiar "low cost carriers") was(were) not in the market can you imagine what the average seat price on Aerlingus would be?
If Ryanair need to sell the last few seats for more money than the first few-then fair enough, I say.
Ryanair and other low cost carriers have helped lower the cost of travel across the board. The competition has been a great thing that has opened up air travel to everyone.

DublinWriter

kippy wrote:

Dublin writer,
I have never paid more than 60 Euro one way for a flight to anywhere in Europe-nor have I ever been more than ten minutes late arriving at the destination.

Go on the Ryanair site now and try booking the earliest flight to Liverpool that you can get.

kippy wrote:

A few years ago pre Ryanair, Aerlingus and most carriers were a lot more expensive than 220 euro-Ryanairs entry into the market have forced other carriers to lower their prices

True, very true. But that was 15 years ago. People can't keep using this excuse to forgive Ryanair of it's current litany of customer server misdemeanours.

kippy

Go on the Ryanair site now and try booking the earliest flight to Liverpool that you can get.

Its just over 179 euro return including taxes leaving tomorrow morning.
I dont regularily decide to go somewhere on 24 hours notice. I didnt deny that there are expensive seats as well-how would they make any money if they sold all seats for less than 60 euro?
I doubt they would ever make any money if the allowed people who were late for checkin on their services.

True, very true. But that was 15 years ago. People can't keep using this excuse to forgive Ryanair of it's current litany of customer server misdemeanours.

I would think that per passanger carried their "litany of customer service misdemeanours" would be lower than many airlines. ( I dont have any figures to back this up so apologies for that)
And, I wouldnt call this post anythin to do with a customer service misdeamor either, the original poster was totally at fault.

BendiBus

I believe the average fare on Ryanair is somewhere around the €40 mark. Far cheaper than any of the competition.

I'm doing a return to Gatwick next week for a grand total of €20 incl all taxes & charges.

And I think that Ryanair was also the best thing ever to happen to Aer Lingus. They probably wouldn't have survived if they hadn't had such a level of efficiency forced on them.

dowlingm

DublinWriter

it works that way because more often than not biz travellers are travelling at short notice. Traditional airlines had a lot of stupid rules (one way more expensive than return, must stay sunday night) whereas modern yield management rewards early bookers. The last few seats on ALL ryanair services are expensive - that's where they make profits.

A Dub in Glasgo

Yep, I am on the 06:30 BA shuttle from Glasgow to Heathrow on Thursday coming back at 17:00. Booked on Monday for the sum of £374 (approx €550). Every airline is expensive with last minute bookings although some airlines are more expensive than others.

John R

BendiBus wrote:

I believe the average fare on Ryanair is somewhere around the €40 mark. Far cheaper than any of the competition.

I'm doing a return to Gatwick next week for a grand total of €20 incl all taxes & charges.

Rubbish.

The absolute bottom return fare Dublin-Gatwick is €48.50 That is with an advertised fare of €0.01

On average on Dublin-London I find Ryanair to be cheapest roughly half the time but often the saving is so small it is not nearly enough to cover the increased cost of getting from Gatwick or Stansted.

BendiBus

John R wrote:

Rubbish.

The absolute bottom return fare Dublin-Gatwick is €48.50 That is with an advertised fare of €0.01

On average on Dublin-London I find Ryanair to be cheapest roughly half the time but often the saving is so small it is not nearly enough to cover the increased cost of getting from Gatwick or Stansted.

They had a special offer a couple of weeks ago. It's on my credit card bill already. It was €20 all up. I know it's usually minimum €48. I posted it on bargain alerts at the time of booking if you want to look.

Apologies, it was actually €25 in total. I forgot the credit card charge. Still not €48.50 though!

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2054904468

I got the average fare of €40 from here. I've no doubt it's one way and before taxes & charges, but when I'm accused of talking rubbish I feel the need to defend my honour

John R

BendiBus wrote:

They had a special offer a couple of weeks ago. It's on my credit card bill already. It was €20 all up. I know it's usually minimum €48. I posted it on bargain alerts at the time of booking if you want to look.

Apologies, it was actually €25 in total. I forgot the credit card charge. Still not €48.50 though!

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2054904468

I got the average fare of €40 from here. I've no doubt it's one way and before taxes & charges, but when I'm accused of talking rubbish I feel the need to defend my honour

Apologies on the accusation in that case.

It is a bit pointless quoting special offers that are rarely available, in that category I could quote the €2 including taxes, charges and credid card fees I paid Bus Eireann today for a return to Waterford but it is not really relevant to the typical cost that the vast majority of tickets cost.

As for comparitive statistics sourced from a press release on ryanair.com some of this


would be advised before swallowing.

BendiBus

Indeed.