Ryanair launch an iPhone app - suprise surprise, it's not free

seamus

Yeah, €3 for the "privilege" of managing your Ryanair booking from an app rather than from their website, and to book flights.

Anyone got any theories as to what good reason they could possibly have for charging for this app which doesn't actually give you anything other than a nicer interface to their website?

My suspicion is that they will include a feature where you can "print" your boarding card on the phone for a €1 fee (Aer Lingus already do this for free), and about six months after they've released the Android app, they'll start charging a €5 fee for anyone who brings a paper boarding card instead of their phone, claiming that "manual handling" of the paper incurs more cost.

Dave!

They should offer a free app which allows you to search for / browse flights, and then you have to have the paid version to book it. That would be smart.

Anyway, let them at it. Use the Aerlingus app if you don't like Ryanair.

Biggins

They can keep it. Stuff them!

My name is URL

That's one ugly lookin' app

Pal

what's an app ?

Sleepy

Give me functionality that lets me choose an airport (Dublin), enter my desired departure and return dates and return all flights under x euros that match my search and I'll pay €3 for it.

AnonoBoy

Pal wrote: »

what's an app ?

It's an apple after two bites have been taken.

Micky Dolenz

If a business can get me close to a European city for a few pennies, then I won't deny them trying to turn a profit by other means.

General Relativity

seamus wrote: »

Anyone got any theories as to what good reason they could possibly have for charging for this app which doesn't actually give you anything other than a nicer interface to their website?

They paid someone to devolop and build the app?

smash

seamus wrote: »

My suspicion is that they will include a feature where you can "print" your boarding card on the phone for a €1 fee

Surely it will just generate a QR code that will scan from your screen at check in.

ejmaztec

Biggins wrote: »

They can keep it. Stuff them!

There's no need to go app-sh1t over it.:eek:

Dravokivich

Pal wrote: »

what's an app ?

It's short for application

seamus

General Relativity wrote: »

They paid someone to devolop and build the app?

I was going to make the point that they don't charge you to use the website even though they had to pay someone for that, but the Ryanair website looks like a Junior Cert computer science project, so I can't be sure if they did pay someone to make it

Lapin

seamus wrote: »

Yeah, €3 for the "privilege" of managing your Ryanair booking from an app rather than from their website, and to book flights.

Anyone got any theories as to what good reason they could possibly have for charging for this app which doesn't actually give you anything other than a nicer interface to their website?

My suspicion is that they will include a feature where you can "print" your boarding card on the phone for a €1 fee (Aer Lingus already do this for free), and about six months after they've released the Android app, they'll start charging a €5 fee for anyone who brings a paper boarding card instead of their phone, claiming that "manual handling" of the paper incurs more cost.

You did well to type all that with one hand.

Because it looks from your post like Michael O'Leary is standing behind you, slowly twisting your other arm in an agonising attempt to force you to download his app before it snaps at the elbow.

Hang in there with your good arm for another 15 minutes and use it to phone Joe Duffy.

He loves listening to people whinging about Ryanair.

afatbollix

Sleepy wrote: »

Give me functionality that lets me choose an airport (Dublin), enter my desired departure and return dates and return all flights under x euros that match my search and I'll pay €3 for it.

Its called sky scanner it will look at all airlines for the route for you and list them in price order.

seamus

Ah the fanboys are out :pac:

What I loved looking at the reviews of the app is that one guy said, "Yeah it's a great app. €3 is a total rip-off, but it's Ryanair, so I expect that". It seems O'Leary has finally managed to grind people down into accepting that it's OK to pay for everything, nothing should be free.

i71jskz5xu42pb

Mick's view on the €3 charge

from the horse's mouth wrote:

Ryanair's O'Leary in London launching a €3 app he'll never use cos 'social media is for people who have no friends' http://pic.twitter.com/b8rEHSnS

You might hate O'Leary but you gotta love him.

Biggins

seamus wrote: »

...It seems O'Leary has finally managed to grind people down into accepting that it's OK to pay for everything, nothing should be free.

Are we sure he's not a member of Fine Gael?

kraggy

One of life's greatest mysteries is, why do people get so worked up about Ryanair charges?

1. Nobody is forcing anyone to buy anything
2. Everyone knows the costs involved in booking a flight and checking in etc with Ryanair.

It's like that idiot on Facebook who wrote on Ryanair's wall complaining that she had to pay 60 euro per boarding pass because she forgot to check in before she go to the airport.

Couldn't believe the amount of "likes" her post got. She agreed terms, she messed up, she had to pay. If she can't see the logic in that, then I hope she never has children.

Lapin

seamus wrote: »

It seems O'Leary has finally managed to grind people down into accepting that it's OK to pay for everything, nothing should be free.

I'm not a businessman but I believe its a lot easier to survive in business if your customers pay for things.

CJ_

Silly the way they still don't accept a boarding pass on an iPhone.

I did it for the first time with Air Canada 4 years ago!!!


Mod:
Rereg Banned

Lapin

CJ_ wrote: »

Silly the way they still don't accept a boarding pass on an iPhone.

I did it for the first time with Air Canada 4 years ago!!!

Why is it silly ?

seamus

Lapin wrote: »

I'm not a businessman but I believe its a lot easier to survive in business if your customers pay for things.

Yes, but you don't need to treat your customers like scum to survive in business.

All businesses see customers as cattle to be milked dry. The difference is that Ryanair treat their customers like that, most other businesses at least keep up a pretence that they give a ****.

General Relativity

seamus wrote: »

Yes, but you don't need to treat your customers like scum to survive in business.

All businesses see customers as cattle to be milked dry. The difference is that Ryanair treat their customers like that, most other businesses at least keep up a pretence that they give a ****.

So you'd like him to be more dis-honest? Cool.

Lapin

seamus wrote: »

Yes, but you don't need to treat your customers like scum to survive in business.

All businesses see customers as cattle to be milked dry. The difference is that Ryanair treat their customers like that, most other businesses at least keep up a pretence that they give a ****.

As I said earlier - nobody forces anyone to use Ryanair.

I've never been treated badly by them and have been flying with them regularly for years.

Only last Friday, their staff at Bristol were among the friendliest and most helpful I have ever encountered on any airline.

mikom

seamus wrote: »

Yes, but you don't need to treat your customers like scum to survive in business.

All businesses see customers as cattle to be milked dry. The difference is that Ryanair treat their customers like that, most other businesses at least keep up a pretence that they give a ****.

Give me a ryanair deal any day over an Aer lingus "sale".

anhedonia

I will always spend extra money to fly aerlingus.

I outright refuse to support Ryanair's business model.

Mr Benevolent

Micky Dolenz wrote: »

If a business can get me close to a European city for a few pennies, then I won't deny them trying to turn a profit by other means.

They don't do that any more.

CJ_

Lapin wrote: »

Why is it silly ?

Because it's the same as paper! Except it's on your phone, all they have to do is scan it.

They're not the only ones guilty of it. It's the way forward.

Naos

anhedonia wrote: »

I outright refuse to support Ryanair's business model.

Why exactly?

I've flown with them for years and never had to pay anything extra. Granted at some stage I may be caught out and have to fork out but I've saved a LOT on my travels with their flights.

Dave!

Also been flying with them for years, and my only complaint is that their branding, colours, etc., make me want to vomit. I'm sure it's an intentional strategy, but bloody hell...

Chuck Stone

The colours inside the plane are trippy.

minidazzler

seamus wrote: »

Ah the fanboys are out :pac:

What I loved looking at the reviews of the app is that one guy said, "Yeah it's a great app. €3 is a total rip-off, but it's Ryanair, so I expect that". It seems O'Leary has finally managed to grind people down into accepting that it's OK to pay for everything, nothing should be free.

It IS OK to pay for everything. It's called Capitalism. As long as you pack a small enough bag (which is still a pretty decent size) and you follow their little rules flying with them costs fcuk all and is hassle free. If people can't follow simple rules then they deserve what they get.

Complain all you like, but don't expect sympathy. In the vast majority of cases it's not deserved. (Colostomy bag situation from a couple of months back withstanding.)

Micky Dolenz

Confab wrote: »

They don't do that any more.

When I fly home I can either pay €55 return with Ryanair or €200 + with another airline. That,s some difference.

Biggins

Micky Dolenz wrote: »

When I fly home I can either pay €55 return with Ryanair or €200 + with another airline. That,s some difference.

I have to say, I find AirLingus oft times just as chap now.
I've booked flights twice with them in the last month and their prices are similar to Ryanair.

fishy fishy

you don't have to use it tho. You can always book Aer Lingus or some other airline.

Chips Lovell

It's this kind of stuff that really endears Ryanair to me as a company:

http://www.businesspost.ie/#!story/Home/News/Michael+O'Leary+slams+%22stupid%22+passenger+for+not+printing+boarding+card/id/19410615-5218-5047-2e5e-ddacb3393351

suicide_circus

Micky Dolenz wrote: »

If a business can get me close to a European city for a few pennies, then I won't deny them trying to turn a profit by other means.

i can't remember the last time ryanair got me anywhere for "pennies"! Those mega cheap fares are few and far between now.

pickarooney

afatbollix wrote: »

Its called sky scanner it will look at all airlines for the route for you and list them in price order.

I'm not sure if Sleepy meant that it would look for flights to anywhere if you left out the destination, but if he didn't then that would be a cool option.

Micky Dolenz

suicide_circus wrote: »

i can't remember the last time ryanair got me anywhere for "pennies"! Those mega cheap fares are few and far between now.

I didn't mean it literally, even then you had to pay taxes etc.

mikom

suicide_circus wrote: »

i can't remember the last time ryanair got me anywhere for "pennies"!

I can't remember the last time any other airline got me anywhere for "pennies"!

suicide_circus

Vladimir Kurtains wrote: »

http://www.businesspost.ie/#!story/Home/News/Michael+O'Leary+slams+%22stupid%22+passenger+for+not+printing+boarding+card/id/19410615-5218-5047-2e5e-ddacb3393351

"Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary has described a passenger who forgot to print out her boarding pass when travelling with the airline as “stupid”.
He went on to describe passengers in general who forget to print their boarding passes as “idiots”, according to a report in the Daily Telegraph."
LOL he ain't wrong.

suicide_circus

mikom wrote: »

I can't remember the last time any other airline got me anywhere for "pennies"!

True but if youre gonna treat me like bollix and try and flog me loads of crap and absolutely crucify me if i make a mistake, you had better give me rock bottom fares, otherwise what exactly is the point in flying FR ?

Dave!

suicide_circus wrote: »

True but if youre gonna treat me like bollix and try and flog me loads of crap and absolutely crucify me if i make a mistake, you had better give me rock bottom fares, otherwise what exactly is the point in flying FR ?

One wonders why Ryanair is flourishing and Aerlingus is floundering if the former is so sh*t and offers no advantage to the consumer?!

K.Flyer

minidazzler wrote: »

As long as you pack a small enough bag (which is still a pretty decent size) and you follow their little rules flying with them costs fcuk all and is hassle free. If people can't follow simple rules then they deserve what they get.

Complain all you like, but don't expect sympathy.

Just make sure you are not one of the last 20 or so passengers onto the plane.
Even if all passengers stick to the "little rules" of "one carry on bag per person" there will not be enough overhead spaces to accomodate each passengers bag if the flight is full.
With the seats so tightly packed in now its very difficult to get your bag under the seat and if you do manage to do it you end up with a very uncomfortable flight.

suicide_circus

Dave! wrote: »

One wonders why Ryanair is flourishing and Aerlingus is floundering if the former is so sh*t and offers no advantage to the consumer?!

Aer Lingus ' massive wage and pension bill coupled with no doubt archaic civil service type work practices probably don't help. Im not saying ryanair aren't a fantastic success story Im just saying i don't see the value for money in them i once did. They are somewhat riding on the wave of past glories and will need to innovate as this won't last forever

Chuck Stone

Biggins wrote: »

I find AirLingus oft times just as chap now.

Because Ryanair forced them to compete.

K.Flyer

suicide_circus wrote: »

Dave! wrote: »

One wonders why Ryanair is flourishing and Aerlingus is floundering if the former is so sh*t and offers no advantage to the consumer?!

Aer Lingus ' massive wage and pension bill coupled with no doubt archaic civil service type work practices probably don't help. Im not saying ryanair aren't a fantastic success story Im just saying i don't see the value for money in them i once did. They are somewhat riding on the wave of past glories and will need to innovate as this won't last forever

Don't Aer Lingus have to pay out more for landing fees at the "better" airports.

syklops

anhedonia wrote: »

I will always spend extra money to fly aerlingus.

I outright refuse to support Ryanair's business model.

So before Ryanair came along you though 600 euros to London was just fine and dandy yeah?

CelticRambler

Micky Dolenz wrote: »

I didn't mean it literally, even then you had to pay taxes etc.

Not if you worked the system right. Best deal I ever got was an August return France to Dublin for three, 6cts all-in. :cool:

But that was 2009, those days are long gone.

Biggins

Chuck Stone wrote: »

Because Ryanair forced them to compete.

Very true.
Non-arguable.

So if anyone espouses saying that there is huge differences most times between similar flights, they need to re-look at the exact figures.