Ryanair to fly to Primary Hubs.

roundymac

.irishexaminer.com/business/ryanair-agrees-to-buy-200-boeing-planes-285515.html
Ml O'Leary stated yesterday that Ryanair will start flying to primary hubs as other airlines cut routes. Now I don't know if this another attempt at geting the press to start giving him free publicity like he gets with "Ryanatlantic" for want of a better way to describe it. What primary airports does FR fly to at the moment? Madrid is the only one off hand that I can think off. Will he start to introduce conectivity, it would make me more inclined to consider FR in the future if they introduced it.

L1011

roundymac wrote: »

.irishexaminer.com/business/ryanair-agrees-to-buy-200-boeing-planes-285515.html
Ml O'Leary stated yesterday that Ryanair will start flying to primary hubs as other airlines cut routes. Now I don't know if this another attempt at geting the press to start giving him free publicity like he gets with "Ryanatlantic" for want of a better way to describe it. What primary airports does FR fly to at the moment? Madrid is the only one off hand that I can think off. Will he start to introduce conectivity, it would make me more inclined to consider FR in the future if they introduced it.

Barcelona, Brussels, has applied for slots at Amsterdam, Glasgow rather than Prestwick; there's a few others also I think. Its been a definite concerted change in the last two years or so.

intellectual dosser

They're turning the screw on a lot of competitors, they are telling their customers that they are innovating everything they do, whether on large or small scales. New website, new business classes, easing baggage restrictions, and now an order for state of the art planes leading to a fleet of 500+. All the while airlines are reducing services.

2014 has been about Ryanair saying "We are the airline of the future"

pajor

Fiumicino instead of Ciampino in Rome. New route to Athens as well.

IngazZagni

They fly to lots of primary airports now. Barcelona, Madrid, Brussels BRU, Rome FCO, Athens, Lisbon plus smaller city primary airports like Prague, Budapest, Bucharest, cologne, Hamburg etc. probably others.
They fly to every major airport in Spain and the UK excluding Heathrow.
Ryanair fly to a huge amount of quite small cities too and they generally fly to the primary airport in these.

Edit: Oh excluding Belfast too

MuffinsDa

intellectual dosser wrote: »

They're turning the screw on a lot of competitors, they are telling their customers that they are innovating everything they do, whether on large or small scales. New website, new business classes, easing baggage restrictions, and now an order for state of the art planes leading to a fleet of 500+. All the while airlines are reducing services.

2014 has been about Ryanair saying "We are the airline of the future"

Where exactly is "innovation" in all of the above?

Their previous website was 10+ years behind competition, they are merely catching up.

Their draconian baggage restriction were loathed by everyone in Europe, they are merely catching up.

etc etc.

Love the way the fanboys spin all of this as innovation!

intellectual dosser

MuffinsDa wrote: »

Where exactly is "innovation" in all of the above?

Their previous website was 10+ years behind competition, they are merely catching up.

Their draconian baggage restriction were loathed by everyone in Europe, they are merely catching up.

etc etc.

Love the way the fanboys spin all of this as innovation!

I dont think the website was behind, it was purely as designed, but now they're changing tact. The baggage restrictions helped them get to where they are by allowing them to offer lower prices to those without. Its hard to deny that Ryanair are innovators of the industry.

I like Ryanair, they're the first airline I check with and they've never let me down, but I wouldnt describe myself as a 'fanboy'

Galway K9

- Big Foot
- Lough Ness Monster
- Ryanatlantic
- Standing Flights
- Toilet Charge
- Primary Hub flights

Guess what they all have in common?

Stinicker

If Ryanair can move closer to the Southwest Airlines business model then they will destroy the legacies all across Europe, The Ryanair model of old was just too miserly.

Idbatterim

when they get the brand new planes, which internally and externally look fantastic from the images I have seen, this will give them another advantage. It will be nice in 2014 to actually fly in something that has something other than a dated cabin which is exactly what any of the short hauls I have been on have... The AirExplorer flight I was on the other day (operated on behalf of Ryanair) really took the biscuit...

fits

Idbatterim wrote: »

when they get the brand new planes, which internally and externally look fantastic from the images I have seen, this will give them another advantage. It will be nice in 2014 to actually fly in something that has something other than a dated cabin which is exactly what any of the short hauls I have been on have... The AirExplorer flight I was on the other day (operated on behalf of Ryanair) really took the biscuit...

Nothing beats Norwegian for nice interior (free WiFi too) short haul.

Zonda999

Really amazing now that between Ryanair, Easyjet and Norwegian, there are 692 firm orders for 737/A32x, plus 356 options for the same, staggering figures. Can all three actually have their cake and eat it with all these orders I wonder?

Back on topic, I think Ryanair have really laid the groundwork for this new approach of theirs in the last few years by at least moving to some bigger airports. They are still missing from the true Primary hubs of Europe though. I would consider these first and foremost to be LHR, CDG, FRA & AMS, and to a lesser extent MUC maybe. This isn't really so much of an issue I don't think given Ryanair don't do connections.

In the case of those five as well, in the case of London I don't think this really matters given their presence at other major airports here. In the case of Paris, yes they have BVA but maybe they have missed a trick in not trying to infiltrate Orly, although I know Ryanair have a checkered history in France which may have stopped them doing this anyway. In the case of MUC and AMS, they don't have real alternatives. FRA is a true hub, rather than a major city, so to speak so I doubt Ryanair would be too bothered

pajor

Zonda999 wrote: »

Back on topic, I think Ryanair have really laid the groundwork for this new approach of theirs in the last few years by at least moving to some bigger airports. They are still missing from the true Primary hubs of Europe though. I would consider these first and foremost to be LHR, CDG, FRA & AMS, and to a lesser extent MUC maybe. This isn't really so much of an issue I don't think given Ryanair don't do connections.

While getting my facts straight earlier I saw this (IT):

Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary has previously said the only airports it will never fly to are London Heathrow, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Paris Orly, and Frankfurt Main. The airline declined to comment last night as it is in a closed financial period.

I guess time will tell if that ever changes.

Zonda999

LHR has to be the most unlikely you would think. Then again even Easyejt have apparently said they would consider LHR

On this one, if the story about Virgin Little Red ceasing operations is true and some of the slots left over are benchmarked for competitors to BA on the EDI and ABZ routes, I wonder would Easyjet be interested. Apparently much of Liittle Reds traffic on these routes is O&D so you never know

Zonda999

Zonda999 wrote: »

LHR has to be the most unlikely you would think. Then again even Easyejt have apparently said they would consider LHR

On this one, if the story about Virgin Little Red ceasing operations is true and some of the slots left over are benchmarked for competitors to BA on the EDI and ABZ routes, I wonder would Easyjet be interested. Apparently much of Liittle Reds traffic on these routes is O&D so you never know

Little red won't be going anywhere till 2016, they are sitting on the slots so Virgin can then use them as long haul slots. All these rumours of little reds demise are based on one newspaper report and ill informed commentary based on this article that has jumped to the answer of "well it's doing bad so they must be going to close it".

Those slots are worth a lot to Virgin, the dabble in the short haul market was only that a dabble if it worked it worked if it didn't they lost a quantifiable amount of money but in return got a bag load of slots that would have cost them a fortune if they were to buy them.

Tenger

Stinicker wrote: »

If Ryanair can move closer to the Southwest Airlines business model then they will destroy the legacies all across Europe, The Ryanair model of old was just too miserly.

That would mean paying their staff above the average aviation salary and giving them a share of the profits every year. Not going to happen with MoL or similar at the helm. I have never liked the comparison with Southwest, while MoL did take inspiration from their operation (single type, point to point travel, minimum frills, cheaper airports) he also left so much of it out.
Southwest don't charge for bags, don't charge for snacks onboard either.

beazee

Idbatterim wrote: »

The AirExplore flight I was on the other day (operated on behalf of Ryanair) really took the biscuit...

OM-AEX (built 1992) recently seen 2014-09-10 as flight RYR113
from LGW/EGKK (London) to DUB/EIDW (Dublin).

Han534

Its about time I have been fooled on many ocasions that I was getting flown to the destination, not 100 miles away

Cookiemunster

Han534 wrote: »

Its about time I have been fooled on many ocasions that I was getting flown to the destination, not 100 miles away

That's your own fault really. I always check how far my destination is from the airport no matter what airline I fly. And FRs airport policy was hardly a secret.

Tenger

Han534 wrote: »

Its about time I have been fooled on many ocasions that I was getting flown to the destination, not 100 miles away

Cookiemunster wrote: »

That's your own fault really. I always check how far my destination is from the airport no matter what airline I fly. And FRs airport policy was hardly a secret.

Have agree with Cookiemunster here, easy to look up travel options/costs from airport to give you a heads up. And it has always been an element of FR operations.

fr336

Tenger wrote: »

Have agree with Cookiemunster here, easy to look up travel options/costs from airport to give you a heads up. And it has always been an element of FR operations.

Oh and is one element of why they can be so cheap. I swear too many people just do whatever's in fashion, literally. In this case for most of them it's biting the hand that feeds.

homerjay2005

Han534 wrote: »

Its about time I have been fooled on many ocasions that I was getting flown to the destination, not 100 miles away

ive flown to over 30 different airports with Ryanair air across 300+ flights and not once have i ever landed anywhere but where i expected.

each and every one of those airports had proper, swift and cheap connections too to where i wanted to go. Ryanair have done amazing business opening up all parts of Europe, without them 50 or more airports wouldnt even exist today.

fr336

homerjay2005 wrote: »

ive flown to over 30 different airports with Ryanair air across 300+ flights and not once have i ever landed anywhere but where i expected.

each and every one of those airports had proper, swift and cheap connections too to where i wanted to go. Ryanair have done amazing business opening up all parts of Europe, without them 50 or more airports wouldnt even exist today.

Leave it out Homer, Ryanair are inferior and even perhaps evil with their bargain fares and quality service. Oh wait they let everyone fly rather than a privileged few? Oh that won't do at all, even with the wannabe rich people who also couldn't afford it at all or too frequently before. Up the Tories! (Or whatever you guys call them)

L1011

I think the only time Ryanair haven't landed where people should have been expecting was the Ballykelly incident and that was a wet lease anyway...

Arguably, Quinnsworth and British Midland brought air travel to the masses here with the yellow pack deals - Ryanair's prices at the time were set at exactly £1 less than the BA/EI IATA fares; by the time they went low cost in the mid 1990s, fares had already collapsed.

Chris_5339762

beazee wrote: »

OM-AEX (built 1992) recently seen 2014-09-10 as flight RYR113
from LGW/EGKK (London) to DUB/EIDW (Dublin).

Been on two of the Airexplore ones... feel more cramped and smaller, thats for sure.

Cool to see the old ashtrays in the armrests, albeit glued shut though!

snubbleste

Ryanair has applied for slots at Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports and is in talks with other airports in France as it seeks to transform itself into a feeder carrier for long-haul traditional airlines.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/09/30/uk-ryanair-france-idUKKCN0RU0J120150930

munchkin_utd

snubbleste wrote: »

Ryanair has applied for slots at Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports and is in talks with other airports in France as it seeks to transform itself into a feeder carrier for long-haul traditional airlines.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/09/30/uk-ryanair-france-idUKKCN0RU0J120150930

and the headline in the irish independent was "Ryanair applies for two Paris slots", obviously having zero comprehension of what a slot actually is, which is hard to believe after the whole discussion of the importance of Heathrow slots.
http://www.independent.ie/business/world/ryanair-applies-for-two-paris-slots-looking-at-longhaul-alliances-oleary-31570290.html

muppets.

roundymac

More free advertising for FR and MOL, now that the T/As are ruled out it's slot's at major airports that are the bait.:pac:

snubbleste

Ryanair awarded 15 daily slots at CDG
Dub among destinations
http://www.latribune.fr/entreprises-finance/services/transport-logistique/ryanair-obtient-une-quinzaine-de-vols-quotidiens-a-roissy-534000.html

Locker10a

snubbleste wrote: »

Ryanair awarded 15 daily slots at CDG
Dub among destinations
http://www.latribune.fr/entreprises-finance/services/transport-logistique/ryanair-obtient-une-quinzaine-de-vols-quotidiens-a-roissy-534000.html

EasyJet won't like this

Strumms

Locker10a wrote: »

EasyJet won't like this

same for Aer Lingus. That absolute dump Beauvais and it's lack of ground connections put a lot of people off using that route as a way of getting into Paris. Bit of a game changer.

Beersmith

Strumms wrote: »

same for Aer Lingus. That absolute dump Beauvais and it's lack of ground connections put a lot of people off using that route as a way of getting into Paris. Bit of a game changer.

Two of my most hated airports, beavais and cdg.

JCX BXC

Charles de Gaulle is famously bad, but Beauvais is worse.

Beersmith

Carnacalla wrote: »

Charles de Gaulle is famously bad, but Beauvais is worse.

Exactly! Not as if ryanair going to cdg makes the trip much better tbh

esforum

intellectual dosser wrote: »

easing baggage restrictions

Dunno about that one. I wont get into a long winded rant but they have definiately edged back towards the bad old days compared to the relax and easy going manner they introduced following Michaels comments about pissing off customers.

Bob24

Beauvais is horrible for sure, but I don't understand the hate for CDG. Not that I find it great, but I would say the same thing about most large hubs in Europe. Maybe it's me but if I am flying to Asia I definitely prefer transferring in CDG rather than Heathrow. Francfort is pretty much on par and Amsterdam might be a bit better. Not all the same ones, but they all have issues.

Chris_5339762

Paris ORLY with Transavia is the way to go!

JCX BXC

Chris_5339762 wrote: »

Paris ORLY with Transavia is the way to go!

Although only an evening flight and only from Dublin.

Bob24

Chris_5339762 wrote: »

Paris ORLY with Transavia is the way to go!

If the final destination is central Paris or a suburb in the south, and you are flexible with times (I think they only have one flight per day) - it is indeed a nice option.

If you are going somewhere around Porte Maillot (or a western suburb of Paris) Ryanair and Bauvais could actually be quicker - though possibly less enjoyable :-)

Strumms

Chris_5339762 wrote: »

Paris ORLY with Transavia is the way to go!

I've not flown them yet but I have noticed some very good prices over the year. I'd be a regular visitor to Paris as in several times a year and was going to use them in January but EI have a sale on and was just cheaper.

Don't get all the hate for CDG really it's an airport with excellent ground connections and easy enough to get around. Beauvais isn't an airport it's a shack with a runway.

Bob24

Strumms wrote: »

Don't get all the hate for CDG really it's an airport with excellent ground connections and easy enough to get around. Beauvais isn't an airport it's a shack with a runway.

I assume one thing people don't like is the lack of decent shops and food options in some terminals (the one Aer Lingus flies to really isn't great, while Air France gets a much better one). Also while there is railway link to central Paris the line is dated and doesn't go through the best suburbs, causing discomfort to some (and occasional theft problems).

But yes as I said as a transfer hub I would choose it over Heathrow anytime.

munchkin_utd

Bob24 wrote: »

I assume one thing people don't like is the lack of decent shops and food options in some terminals (the one Aer Lingus flies to really isn't great, while Air France gets a much better one). Also while there is railway link to central Paris the line is dated and doesn't go through the best suburbs, causing discomfort to some (and occasional theft problems).

But yes as I said as a transfer hub I would choose it over Heathrow anytime.

the rail link is more than just Paris from CDG.
Theres a TGV station there too with direct links to Britanny, Provence, Lille, Montpellier, Bordeaux and Strasbourg

Locker10a

Strumms wrote: »

same for Aer Lingus. That absolute dump Beauvais and it's lack of ground connections put a lot of people off using that route as a way of getting into Paris. Bit of a game changer.

I guess they will still have their connecting traffic, but Ryanair are slowly closing in on EZY main hubs , AMS, CDG, MAD,BCN to name a few where easyJet were once alone in serving O&D alone

Bob24

munchkin_utd wrote: »

the rail link is more than just Paris from CDG.
Theres a TGV station there too with direct links to Britanny, Provence, Lille, Montpellier, Bordeaux and Strasbourg

Yes that's great (and is a separate station from the the Paris RER) and I do use it regularly: direct high speed trains from the CDG to Besancon in the east of France were I go to visit family.

But I assumed most Irish tourist flying to CDG have Paris as a final destination and might be put-off by the crapish RER (trying to understand the bad press it seems to have here).

Strumms

Bob24 wrote: »

I assume one thing people don't like is the lack of decent shops and food options in some terminals (the one Aer Lingus flies to really isn't great, while Air France gets a much better one). Also while there is railway link to central Paris the line is dated and doesn't go through the best suburbs, causing discomfort to some (and occasional theft problems).

But yes as I said as a transfer hub I would choose it over Heathrow anytime.

Yeah I guess there are not so many food options in T1 in CDG. I usually take the late flight back to DUB so will have eaten in the city and just have something on the plane.

I don't really get your point about the rail connection however. The rolling stock on RER B have all been completely refurbished over the last couple of years. It's a regular service too. When you say it doesn't go through the best suburbs, I presume you mean the northern banlieues of the city. There is no other way to get from CDG into Paris center ! I've never seen an ounce of hassle on that train either. Lands you smack in the center of Paris with easy onward train or Metro connections like Chatelet, St Michel, Gard Du Nord.

Bob24

Strumms wrote: »

I don't really get your point about the rail connection however. The rolling stock on RER B have all been completely refurbished over the last couple of years. It's a regular service too. When you say it doesn't go through the best suburbs, I presume you mean the northern banlieues of the city. There is no other way to get from CDG into Paris center ! I've never seen an ounce of hassle on that train either. Lands you smack in the center of Paris with easy onward train or Metro connections like Chatelet, St Michel, Gard Du Nord.

I might have been unlucky but last time I used it (December last year) it was not a new or a refurbished train.

And what I meant is that you could come across anti-social behavior on the trains which are not direct to Gard du Nord and stop at most stations on the way. I have heard negative feedback from a couple of people I know who visited Paris and can understand it. I do specifically know a Chinese person who had her iPad stolen by a guy who grabbed it from her and ran out of the train at a station between Paris and the airport. Probably wasn't the smartest thing to use the iPad while sitting next to the carriage door on that train, but tourists arriving at a major European city might like a very safe clean, and faster direct route to the city where they don't have to worry about this type of thing.

Also as far as I know strikes and delays are fairly common line B (and again I have experienced delays myself waiting over 30 minutes for a train as there were delays and the platform is not in a heated area).

All these things do add-up and this is one of the things I suspect might give CDG that bad press (even though once again I don't understand myself why people here are saying they hate it - I dislike some things about it but don't hate it more than most other European large hubs).

Strumms

Bob24 wrote: »

I might have been unlucky but last time I used it (December last year) it was not a new or a refurbished train.

And what I meant is that you could come across anti-social behavior on the trains which are not direct to Gard du Nord and stop at most stations on the way. I have heard negative feedback from a couple of people I know who visited Paris and can understand it. I do specifically know a Chinese person who had her iPad stolen by a guy who grabbed it from her and ran out of the train at a station between Paris and the airport. Probably wasn't the smartest thing to use the iPad while sitting next to the carriage door on that train, but tourists arriving at a major European city might like a very safe clean, and faster direct route to the city where they don't have to worry about this type of thing.

Also as far as I know strikes and delays are fairly common line B (and again I have experienced delays myself waiting over 30 minutes for a train as there were delays and the platform is not in a heated area).

All these things do add-up and this is one of the things I suspect might give CDG that bad press (even though once again I don't understand myself why people here are saying they hate it - I dislike some things about it but don't hate it more than most other European large hubs).

I've lived in Paris and used the RER B daily as it was my commute to and from work as well as the boozer my mate used to run and I haven't ever experienced an ounce of hassle. Criminals, pick pockets etc will target public transport in any city London or Dublin no different. Knowing of someone who was mugged or whatever doesn't make the system inherently unsafe.

As for speed. Considering how far the airport is from the center of Paris depending on the train direct or not you can get to Gard Du Nord in 28 mins which is good going. Doing the same commute from Dublin airport in rush hour into our center of the city would take longer.

here are what the refurbished trains look like : https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/74/Renovated_train_interiors_of_MI_79_R_05.jpg

To be honest I'd rather the RER then something like the Heathrow express which in fairness as lovley trains but paying upwards of £30 for a one way trip that lasts 10 minutes is rip off central.

Noxegon

Bob24 wrote: »

I assume one thing people don't like is the lack of decent shops and food options in some terminals (the one Aer Lingus flies to really isn't great, while Air France gets a much better one).

No food at all when I was in CDG 2E earlier this year. The only restaurant in the entire airside area had closed for the evening...

Bob24

Noxegon wrote: »

No food at all when I was in CDG 2E earlier this year. The only restaurant in the entire airside area had closed for the evening...

Are you sure it was 2E? There are definitely more than one place to eat there (not necessarily all proper restaurants with waiting staff coming to your table, but at least places where you can get warm food or salads and sit down) : http://easycdg.com/airport-guide/shopping-and-eating/

Terminal 1 (were Aer Lingus flies) is fairly crap however - once you've passed security I don't think you can get anything better than a pastry or a tiny overpriced sandwich.

LiamaDelta

Strumms wrote: »

I've lived in Paris and used the RER B daily as it was my commute to and from work as well as the boozer my mate used to run and I haven't ever experienced an ounce of hassle. Criminals, pick pockets etc will target public transport in any city London or Dublin no different. Knowing of someone who was mugged or whatever doesn't make the system inherently unsafe.

As for speed. Considering how far the airport is from the center of Paris depending on the train direct or not you can get to Gard Du Nord in 28 mins which is good going. Doing the same commute from Dublin airport in rush hour into our center of the city would take longer.

here are what the refurbished trains look like : https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/74/Renovated_train_interiors_of_MI_79_R_05.jpg

To be honest I'd rather the RER then something like the Heathrow express which in fairness as lovley trains but paying upwards of £30 for a one way trip that lasts 10 minutes is rip off central.

A tad dramatic maybe? LHR to Paddington £20 (£18 online) for a 15 minute journey (approx 20 miles)
And you have the alternative of the tube and Heathrow Connect and buses.

Strumms

Its not dramatic actually. I paid upwards of 30 granted my flight had been delayed into LHR and i needed to be in Camden by a certain time so the walk up price was i given was 31 or something it was defo over 30. Be it 20 or whatever i would hardly call it dramatic to think that is a rip off for a 10 or 15 minute trip.