Another FR charge on the way...!

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Member for

18 years 6 months

Posts: 2,343

From the 4th April, all new bookings with Ryanair will be subject to an additional €2 (£1.76) levy in order to cover the cost of EU laws, which require it to compensate passengers whose flights have been disrupted.

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Business/Ryanair-imposes-new-charge-to-cover-compensation-for-disrupted-flights/Article/201103415963144?lpos=Business_First_Home_Article_Teaser_Region_1&lid=ARTICLE_15963144_Ryanair_imposes_new_charge_to_cover_compensation_for_disrupted_flights

Surely this just goes to prove that FR's pricing strategy and/or business model is unsustainable because, at the end of the day, it is their choice to sell seats at such low prices and if they end up having to pay out compensation for whatever reason then that is ultimately their problem and they should be made to absorb the cost of this, and not pass it onto customers.

I wonder how long it will be before this new levy, which is designed to cover the cost of EU laws, gets overturned by the EU itself...:D:diablo:

Original post

Member for

20 years 5 months

Posts: 10,625

I'm not sure that's even legal!
That's like charging passengers for the Pilot's ATPL as the law states they must have one!

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 4,887

I'm not sure that's even legal!
I'm not sure. It's a tax, and those can be specified. It's quite common for a invoice to have a seperate line for VAT.

To take another example from trucking: companies can charge road tolls (e.g. London congestion zone surcharge, the German Maut surcharge) seperately from their tariffs. But I get no or at best limited choice whether I want the truck to avoid the LCZ or the German Autobahn.

Member for

19 years 11 months

Posts: 10,160

Don't encourage them, Sandy! :eek:

Member for

20 years 5 months

Posts: 10,625

It's a tax

I don't think it is.
A legal requirement to compensation does not = Tax

Member for

14 years

Posts: 949

Regardless, people can/will choose whether to fly with Ryanair, or a more reputable airline.

That almost sounded like a perfectly logical conclusion. :p

Member for

16 years

Posts: 1,059

It is pretty logical to me.
Why fly Ryanair when, after all the extra charges have been added in, they cost the same as a proper airline and they don't give a sh*t when things go wrong and you are stranded somewhere?

Member for

14 years 7 months

Posts: 308

waiting for the drop down box for selection of 1 pilot or 2
ie if you want 2 its £5 extra, if 50 passengers choose this extra you get 2 pilots!!!!!!
interim choice basic flight trained cabin crew to assist 1 pilot £2
it may happen lol

Member for

16 years 5 months

Posts: 216

Yawn... same old prejudices....'more reputable airlines'?

I'm not fussy about being treated like a princess when I fly - I like the plane to take off and land - on a runway, wheels down - but I don't have much choice when I fly home to visit my family - either fly FR and be at my parent's gaff within 15 minutes of stepping off the plane or fly to another airport and travel an hour when I'm coming and another hour when I'm going (two extra hours with my family is way more important to me than being treated like the Princess with her flaming pea).

The 'more reputable airline' cancelled their route to that airport - presumably because FR were tonking them.

Another two 'more reputable airlines' helped me fly from LHR-MCT-RUH in a magically brief 36 hours.

Yet another 'more reputable airline' kept me delayed 8 hours in JNB, stopped me from embarking at CDG just long enough for me to miss my connection and didn't offer any assistance at the gate - other transfer pax were met at the gate and escorted to their flights.

The stories could go on but, I've generally found FR staff to be businesslike - some of them are even friendly considering the kind of dross they sometimes have to deal with. Their website is designed to catch the unwary, but if you post on a forum you should be able to operate voting buttons and drop-down boxes.

And yet they are villified in some quarters... unlike 'more reputable airlines'.

hmm :rolleyes:

Member for

14 years

Posts: 949

Yawn... same old prejudices....'more reputable airlines'?

And yet they are villified in some quarters... unlike 'more reputable airlines'.

Since your post seems directed at my comment, I'd like to reiterate; people can choose to fly Ryanair.

Obviously they work for you, for others - like me - they don't.

Member for

19 years 8 months

Posts: 1,953

I'm not sure that's even legal!

Of course it's legal. Ryanair's fares can be anything they like and they are at liberty to make up / break down the fares in any way they wish. They are not calling it a tax - which would by misrepresentation - but instead are calling it a levy. Smart. Their fares will be £1.76 more expensive, just like they added a £0.50 wheelchair levy to all fares a few years ago. As long as they don't misrepresent it as a tax, and as long as they comply with EU rules on showing the total fare rather than adding all the fees, levies and surcharges later in the booking process, they're OK to do this.

Can't believe I'm defending Ryanair for once... Still hate the airline and all it does and represents (including this new levy), and this new levy merely further confirms my feelings. But in reality all airlines effectively have a component already bult into their fares that covers disruption recovery (because it's a cost that ultimately has to be funded from revenue), and all Ryanair are doing is stating what that component of their fares is.

My feeling is that the anti-EU rhetoric from Ryanair on this one might not work - I think many of their pax would pay £1.76 extra if Ryanair genuinely look after them when the wheels fall off the wagon (but will they genuinely do it now they're openly charging for it, or will they still wriggle as much as they can to get out of paying - I suspect the latter,).

Andy

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 2,886


My feeling is that the anti-EU rhetoric from Ryanair on this one might not work - I think many of their pax would pay £1.76 extra if Ryanair genuinely look after them when the wheels fall off the wagon (but will they genuinely do it now they're openly charging for it, or will they still wriggle as much as they can to get out of paying - I suspect the latter,).

Andy

I can't believe you are either;) At the end of the day, MoL has made no secret of the fact that he wanted to create a bus service in the sky. To a very large extent he has done so. And as bus and train operators don't feed you when the service is delayed or cancelled, don't put you up in hotels when the vehicle breaks down and in general don't give a fiddlers naughty for your welfare, then, (oh gawd, this next piece is so difficult for me to type), then why should he?. As others have often stated on here, we all have a choice, I just get sick of hearing people bleating when the 'cheap' choice doesn't turn out to be quite what they expected. Don't use 'em......I don't!

Member for

16 years 5 months

Posts: 216

Since your post seems directed at my comment, I'd like to reiterate; people can choose to fly Ryanair.

Obviously they work for you, for others - like me - they don't.

Not having a go at you - your post simply provided the phrase around which I constructed my post...

Just making the point that there are, like in every company, some pretty d*mned helpful people working for FR as well and that there are many working for 'other airlines' who could not give two sh*ts. To single out Ryanair as disreputable is an adjective too far for me.

Member for

19 years 8 months

Posts: 1,953

And as bus and train operators don't feed you when the service is delayed or cancelled, don't put you up in hotels when the vehicle breaks down and in general don't give a fiddlers naughty for your welfare, then, (oh gawd, this next piece is so difficult for me to type), then why should he!

Actually the long distance TOCs in the UK will put their customers in a taxi if necessary to get them home if the last train of the day is cancelled - as I can testify to as it has happened to me with East Midlands Trains. One of the biggest gripes I have with S.....g ;) O'Riley and his airline is that he won't take responsibility for his passengers when the wheels fall off. If this fee means Ryanair will genuinely take care of their punters when things go wrong (again, somehow I feel they'll still wriggle all they can to get out of it) then they might even go up in my estimation!

Andy

Member for

19 years 11 months

Posts: 10,160

Moderator Message

Chaps - please don't use insulting terms to refer to identifiable individuals.

Strictly speaking, it's a breach of Item 5 of the Code of Conduct.

Thanks,

GA

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 2,886

I stand corrected Andy. Apologies to GA for my 'naughty';)

Member for

19 years 8 months

Posts: 1,953

Chaps - please don't use insulting terms to refer to identifiable individuals.

Strictly speaking, it's a breach of Item 5 of the Code of Conduct.

Thanks,

GA

Not gonna happen in this case Grey - I've always referred to him as such on his forum (without previous censorship), and always will... Search the forum for that word and you'll find it's been used many many times before. If you're determined on this you're going to need moderate a lot of old topics, and moderate each time the subject of Ryanair comes up in future.

Member for

14 years

Posts: 1,234

Not having a go at you - your post simply provided the phrase around which I constructed my post...

Just making the point that there are, like in every company, some pretty d*mned helpful people working for FR as well and that there are many working for 'other airlines' who could not give two sh*ts. To single out Ryanair as disreputable is an adjective too far for me.

Your post is actually the first ever, and I mean ever, good word I have heard about RyanAir.
That's in 4 or 5 forums, and general discussion at airports or at work. Newspapers too, but they don't count as they are full-o-ship.
Most people are satisfied at the price but at a great many other sacrifices.
Luckily for you, your family is close to one of the aerodromes he uses.

Member for

20 years 5 months

Posts: 10,625

Thing is, as I understand it, it does not cost £88m.

The legislation only costs when it's time to pay out for delays.
FR Boast being the most on time carrier, so it can't be costing them £88m to pay pax for delays.

Member for

14 years

Posts: 949

Just read this thread on Airliners.net. It would seem to support what Skymonster and Interflug62M have long been saying; if the translation is correct.

Didn't think it deserved a thread of its own.