RyanAir catching crap again

Wompa1

http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/1212/families-of-ill-children-forced-to-repack-luggage.html

The families of three seriously-ill children, who were embarking on a surprise charity trip to Disneyland, said they were annoyed, inconvenienced and humiliated after they had to repack their overweight luggage for a Ryanair flight.

The families were all travelling with the Share a Dream Foundation, and the seven children on the trip were recipients of the National Children of Courage awards.

They had been honoured for their bravery in the face of serious illnesses, many of them life-threatening.

As part of their award they were all treated to a surprise trip to Disneyland in Paris and took off from Dublin Airport.

Three of the families involved had to check in twice at the Ryanair check-in desk after some of their luggage was found to be overweight.

The families said they were annoyed and humiliated when they had to unpack some bags, which included their sick children’s medicines and other essential items, and repack into other luggage.

Share a Dream described the incident as a "disgrace". In addition, the group observed the quota of just four wheelchairs when booking the trip.

In a statement about the incident this afternoon, Ryanair said they regret the inconvenience caused, but are pleased that the families concerned avoided excess bag baggage charges by being given the opportunity to repack their bags.

What do people reckon? Rules are Rules in my opinion. I don't think it's news worthy but apparently RTE do. Does RTE have something against Ryanair?

anncoates

Unfortunately when you market and run your business as aggressively as Ryanair do, you irritate a lot of people and you end up getting flak for stuff others wouldn't.

They are a popular company but not a 'popular' one, as it were.

m.j.w

What do they want? Rules for some and not for others? There luggage was overweight and they had to do what anyone else would have had to. Makes no difference who it happens to, follow the rules and it doesnt happen.

Thoie

To Ryanair they were just passengers. Surely whoever booked the tickets should have made the families aware of the luggage allowances?

Fratton Fred

Before Ryanair you had to pay four billion pounds to fly to London. Now it only costs 49cent.

Or something like that :rolleyes:

Kylo Ren

Fratton Fred wrote: »

Before Ryanair you had to pay four billion pounds to fly to London

Yeah, but to be fair it was a return and they did an amazing chicken salad on the way.

Dodge

Wompa1 wrote: »

Does RTE have something against Ryanair?

O'leary somehow has managed to make himself simultaneously the most publicised/talked about man in irish buiness and also some sort of underdog

He can't court all that publicity, and then complain when not every story is accompanied by the tag "ireland's low cost airline..."

Ryanair have loads of ugly little things about them but I use them, when it suits me (time/price etc). I don't see why people have to be so brand dependent one way or the other

Go with whatever carrier suits your needs/wants best (be it cheap and nasty like Ryanair or otherwise)

mikom

Wompa1 wrote: »

http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/1212/families-of-ill-children-forced-to-repack-luggage.html



What do people reckon? Rules are Rules in my opinion. I don't think it's news worthy but apparently RTE do. Does RTE have something against Ryanair?

If Ryanair were RTE then every house in the country would have to pay for a Ryanair flight even if you only ever flew British airways.

mitosis

I stand with Ryanair on this one. Everyone knows the rules, they're not that hard to follow.

ScumLord

The foundation could have avoided these inevitable problems if they'd booked with Aer Lingus. I've never seen them bother to check luggage. Booking with Ryanair is like booking an economy saver bus trip they could have splashed out a bit.

dickwod1

Wompa1 wrote: »

Does RTE have something against Ryanair?

Everybody seems to pick on Ryanair unfairly so, The rules are there in black and white everybody knows them, The reason they were on a Ryanair flight in the first place is because the tickets were cheap, So if they wanted to be treated differently they should have booked different tickets from someone like AerLingus who probably would have let them on but the tickets would be a hell of a lot dearer.

Lollipops23

But...everyone who flies Ryanair knows this...?

Sorry, but their luggage is their luggage. Same rules apply across the board.

keith16

Those people 'humiliated' themselves.

Boom_Bap

It sounds like Ryanair actually helped them by avoiding excess baggage costs.

Terms and Conditions apply when flying with any airline.

I actually had a pleasant surprise recently flying with Ryanair, I was flying back from Berlin with the wife and 2 kids and they bumped us to priority boarding for free.

If you abide by the terms and conditions of Ryanair, you will have no problem.

who the fug

Keno 92 wrote: »

Yeah, but to be fair it was a return and they did an amazing chicken salad on the way.

One way, and there was no fresh lemon for my G&T

hooradiation

Lollipops23 wrote: »

But...everyone who flies Ryanair knows this...?

Sorry, but their luggage is their luggage. Same rules apply across the board.

Ryanair are awful cunts - but not cutting the families of terminally ill children some slack is low, even by their shitty standards.

What was the big deal about making them redistribute stuff across all the bags? What terrible fate was going to befall their flying peasant wagon if they didn't?
I mean the weight they'll be carrying will be the exact same either way.

staker

I missed a good few Christmases and summers back home due to exorbitant prices set by airlines back before Ryanair arrived.
It's really easy to play by their rules when you're "only" paying 100 lids or so for a flight in my book.

piperh

I'm so glad i'm not the only one, i read this last night and my first thought was "And" i fail to see how its Ryanair's fault they were over the limit, if they didn't want to repack they should have just paid the excess charges.

daveyeh

Share a Dream described the incident as a "disgrace". Ehh, hello, it's RYANAIR!

Use another airline in future. Ryanair don't do customer service or rule-bending. No matter who you are. If you want that, pay more and fly with another airline.

Leftist

I can't believe how some people stick up for ryanair. People who aren't even employed by ryanair, and if they were and had any form of independent personality, they probably wouldn't be quick to jump to their almighty employer's defence.

Just because they're owned by an irish man. They couldn't care less about you.
I'm not saying you should begrudge them but they are heartless, they operate well but they don't need you mere mortals jumping to their honour because you think you're some kind of patriot.

humanji

Thank god "the rules" override compassion these days. Sure f*ck the kids and the adults trying to do something nice for them.

Where To

Ryanair are Ryanair, everyone knows this. You know they're going to be strict on weight, so why pack your bags overweight?

daveyeh

Leftist wrote: »

I can't believe how some people stick up for ryanair. People who aren't even employed by ryanair, and if they were and had any form of independent personality, they probably wouldn't be quick to jump to their almighty employer's defence.

Just because they're owned by an irish man. They couldn't care less about you.
I'm not saying you should begrudge them but they are heartless, they operate well but they don't need you mere mortals jumping to their honour because you think you're some kind of patriot.

I don't think its about patriotism in fairness. Its about the rules.

They operate a heartless business model. It's what they do. Personally I hate flying with them but it won't stop me doing so again if the price is right.

jameshayes

rules are rules, why try think you can avoid them! Really annoying watching people getting caught trying to escape with extra baggage - delaying my always late a$$

daveyeh

humanji wrote: »

Thank god "the rules" override compassion these days. Sure f*ck the kids and the adults trying to do something nice for them.

Overly emotional ninnyness.

super_furry

There's 'the rules' and then there's basic human decency. Ryanair appear to have plenty of the former and little of the later.

humanji

daveyeh wrote: »

Overly emotional ninnyness.

How so? It's the sentiment being shown here. Rules are rules and f*ck everyone who can't live with them.

Frank Black

Leftist wrote: »

I can't believe how some people stick up for ryanair. People who aren't even employed by ryanair, and if they were and had any form of independent personality, they probably wouldn't be quick to jump to their almighty employer's defence.

Just because they're owned by an irish man. They couldn't care less about you.
I'm not saying you should begrudge them but they are heartless, they operate well but they don't need you mere mortals jumping to their honour because you think you're some kind of patriot.

People are responding to an RTE News item which seeks to denigrate Ryanair, by pointing out the actual facts.
RTE is stuffed to the gills by extreme left ideologists who hate Ryanair and all they stand for.

kopfan77

Where To wrote: »

Ryanair are Ryanair, everyone knows this. You know they're going to be strict on weight, so why pack your bags overweight?

Alot of people making the assumption "shur everyone knows what ryanair are like". Yes its 2012 but dont presume that all people these days are frequent flyers and know the ins and outs of how ryanair run their business. I know one of the families involved...there was mad dash trying to get passports etc when they got this opportunity and hell of a lot of thought into how to best pack/transport large quantities of medication, wheelchairs etc for a child with severe medical issues. This wasnt your everyday traveller, so cut em a bit of slack....if this was me, or the majority of travellers who rolled up with bags overweight etc, then yes I would expect to be treated this way by ryanair and I would have no one to blame but myself...but these werent normal circumstances.......no one seems to be able to use common sense and discretion these days.....the world is not black and white people...theres lots of grey thrown in as well

daveyeh

humanji wrote: »

Thank god "the rules" override compassion these days. Sure f*ck the kids and the adults trying to do something nice for them.

I assumed this was sarcasm.

daveyeh

humanji wrote: »

Rules are rules and f*ck everyone who can't live with them.

This should be Ryanairs motto

daveyeh

kopfan77 wrote: »

This wasnt your everyday traveller, so cut em a bit of slack....if this was me, or the majority of travellers who rolled up with bags overweight etc, then yes I would expect to be treated this way by ryanair and I would have no one to blame but myself...but these werent normal circumstances

THEY DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES

Irish Guitarist

The family weren't 'forced' to do anything. They could have left their bags the way they were. It sounds like the man or woman at the check in desk was trying to save them money by advising them on how to pack their bags so they wouldn't be overweight. He or she didn't make up the rules and was trying to help without losing their job. Instead of complaining about this being a 'disgrace' the family should be thankful to this helpful person.

Duggys Housemate

Ryanair did what any other airline would do. Bags were overweight. People were not charged. They re-distributed the weight. This has always happened even before cheap airlines. I can't even see what the problem might even be - is it that certain groups should get privilege? Should Ryanair send a circular?

kopfan77

daveyeh wrote: »

THEY DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES

Easy with the text dude...jeez....someones a bit touchy about the subject. I made two points...1) dont make assumptions that everyone is au fait with the workings of ryanair and 2) that these days...in comparison to when i was a lad in short pants...there is no such thing as discretion and commons sense...and I dont limit that to ryanair.

So ease up on the shouting

V_Moth

I think this post explains why media organisations are jumping on Ryanair at every opportunity.

daveyeh

kopfan77 wrote: »

So ease up on the shouting

Sorry!

kopfan77

daveyeh wrote: »

Sorry!

more like it

mathepac

Leftist wrote: »

... Just because they're owned by an irish man. ...

Who dat man?

O'Leary doesn't care about seemingly negative publicity. RTE haven't copped on to the fact that in O'Leary's view the only bad publicity is no publicity. "Call me all thundering ***** ye like, but do it in big bold headlines" sez Mick, who has his own PR planters dropping copy to outlets too lazy or too unionised to have real reporters, like the socialist enclave that is RTE.

It's a shame the children and their families were inconvenienced though. Like others with serious illness as part of their every daily lives, they probably don't travel by air often enough to keep up with all the demands of the rent-a-rack operators. It's a shame too O'Leary has so little regard for their courage and for them as brave people struggling with health difficulties that his only thought was exploit them for publicity purposes, rather like some of the cynics in the thread.

ScumLord

Leftist wrote: »

I can't believe how some people stick up for ryanair. People who aren't even employed by ryanair,

kopfan77 wrote: »

Alot of people making the assumption "shur everyone knows what ryanair are like". Yes its 2012 but dont presume that all people these days are frequent flyers and know the ins and outs of how ryanair run their business.

I don't really accept the excuses at this stage. Everybody must know unless they live under a rock. The amount of times Ryanair have made the news for doing something similar means you couldn't possibly have missed the message, Ryanair are strict. That's the bottom line and they stick to their rules, everybody knows they stick to these rules. At least Ryanair are honest and consistent.

If you don't like it there's Aer Lingus, and you don't have to pay that much more if you plan out your trip in advance. There are numerous airlines that can be picked and they're all up front about they're restrictions so if you run into bother it's your own fault. It's not nice, it's annoying but I guess the bottom line is there's only so much room on the plane and Ryanair cram as many people as they can on the plane so there's less room per person.

I p[refer to fly Aer Lingus any more, I have no problem flying Ryanair but it's a much more pleasant experience with one of the other airlines.

Boombastic

I.ll keep my cheap travel thanks, so just follow the rules!

anncoates

The alleged intransigence shown by Ryanair staff re: rules is could be more to do with the work culture there and they're probably afraid to bend the rules in a given situation even when there is compassionate reason to do so.

Duggys Housemate

The only thing here is the families were given a present. Ryanair probably weren't informed, a print out is a print out to them.

Otherwise the rules were in fact bent a little.

bluecode

As a couple of others pointed out. The airport staff did them a favour. They allowed them to re-distribute the weight and avoid extra charges. That is actually against the rules so in theory the staff could have got into trouble. Incidently the people at the airport may not even work for Ryanair. So they have no flexibility to bend rules set by Ryanair. They could lose their jobs and the company they work for lose the contract.

But above all I find it unbelievable that not one adult in the party checked beforehand whether or not the bags were overweight. The 'It'll be grand,' approach doesn't work with Ryanair.

That's bad enough but then they go crying to RTE to highlight their stupidity.

But it is fair to say that Ryanair absolutely invites this sort of criticism. V-Moth linked to my post in yet another thread about Ryanair. But it bears repeating. The attitude of O'Leary and his management towards customers and staff of Ryanair have produced a situation where almost everyone hates Ryanair even if they use it a lot. In my opinion this has begun to backfire on them and could even damage them commercially eventually. Maybe it already has. So many people absolutely refuse to fly on Ryanair. I've been on several flights where I heard people say they'll never fly Ryanair again. Even if it was their own fault just like the people in the article. But that doesn't matter. It's how it's handled that matters and Ryanair handling of those situations invariably leads to drama and tears.

The fault lies directly with O'Leary. That's his management style. It's completely unneccessary and counter productive. But he's made so much money now. He doesn't care and I doubt anyone in his company has the balls to tell him that to his face.

faceman

If it was in Ryanair's T&C's that you would be beaten up if your bag was overweight, would that be ok too?

Ryanair could have been a bit more compassionate with dying kids FFS.

The tail definitely wagging the dog

gobnaitolunacy

I flown other low-cast carriers overseas with pleasant staff instead of Ryanair's sour hatchet-faced cnuts which proves that the no-frills airline model needn't be an unpleasant experience.

ScumLord

bluecode wrote: »

But it is fair to say that Ryanair absolutely invites this sort of criticism.

Of course they do, it's part of their marketing strategy.

Ryanair have produced a situation where almost everyone hates Ryanair even if they use it a lot.

Ryanair have no interest in being loved, they are the cheapest, everybody knows it and they'll continue to use the cheapest option.

I've been on several flights where I heard people say they'll never fly Ryanair again.

I've never seen that myself but I wouldn't be at all surprised if they went onto use Ryanair again and again.

People don't value quality and service any more, they are always won over by the cheapest option no matter how aware they are of the fact that the service won't be as good, and if anything goes wrong they'll be left high and dry. For the most part you'll never have a problem with Ryanair if you pay attention to the rules. They have the most routes, the most flights and the quickest service. Any Ryanair flight I've been on has left and arrived on time or ahead of schedule I have no complaints really.

Celly Smunt

gobnaitolunacy wrote: »

I flown other low-cast carriers overseas with pleasant staff instead of Ryanair's sour hatchet-faced cnuts which proves that the no-frills airline model needn't be an unpleasant experience.

then pay the extra 50 or so and don't fly with them again.Simples.

gobnaitolunacy

pmcmahon wrote: »

then pay the extra 50 or so and don't fly with them again.Simples.

You've missed the point, nice does not always have to cost money.

Celly Smunt

gobnaitolunacy wrote: »

You've missed the point, nice does not always have to cost money.

you missed my point.Flying does not mean just ryanair.

ISDW

People always hold Aer Lingus up as this model airline who treat their customers properly. I flew from Knock to Birmingham a few months ago with Aer Lingus, it was a regional flight, so smaller plane. About a quarter of the people on the flight had to check their hand luggage in at the boarding gate as it was too big, the size allowed on those flights is less than on normal flights. This information is displayed on the website when you book, and on the ticket that you print out. They had to pay €20 each, or it may have been €30 and there was lots of moaning and cries of "this would never happen on Ryanair"

On another Aer Lingus flight from Bournemouth to Dublin, it was the first day of their new service, there was lots of press activity and we, the paying customers were left standing at the boarding gate for half an hour while speeches were made about how great it was - and we had to listen to them. So the flight was late taking off, no apology, they wanted to get their press stuff done, and we were completely unimportant.

So I will fly with either one, but they are just as bad as each other.