Ryanair to revolutionise european air travel

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Member for

19 years 10 months

Posts: 784

Here it is the big revolution from Ryanair.com announced today.

RYANAIR TO REVOLUTIONISE EUROPEAN AIR TRAVEL

FARES REDUCED BY 9% (£2.50 OR €3.50) FROM 16TH MARCH '06

WEB CHECK-IN TO ELIMINATE CHECK-IN AND AIRPORT QUEUES

LUGGAGE ALLOWANCES INCREASED FROM 25KGS TO 30KGS

PASSENGERS ONLY PAY FOR THE BAGGAGE SERVICE THEY USE

Ryanair, Europe’s largest low fares airline today (Wednesday, 25 th January 2006) announced details of its next revolution in European low fare air travel. From the 16th March, Ryanair will introduce a number of key service improvements for all passengers including (1) all Ryanair’s fares will be reduced by 9% (£2.50 or €3.50), (2) all passengers travelling with hand luggage and in possession of an EU passport will be able to check-in on the web at www.ryanair.com and by-pass all check-in and airport queues, (3) these passengers will also be given priority boarding which will also eliminate boarding gate queues as well, (4) for bookings after 16th March, Ryanair is increasing each passenger’s luggage allowance from the current 25kgs to 30kgs (comprising 10kgs carry-on and 20kgs checked-in luggage) which will substantially reduce excess baggage fees and finally (5) all passengers travelling with checked in luggage who book after 16th March will now pay a fee of £2.50 (€3.50) per bag, per flight if booked in advance on the website, or £5.00 (€7.00) per bag, per flight if presented unbooked at the airport.

As a result of these changes, those 25% of Ryanair’s passengers who presently travel with just hand luggage will avail of lower fares, will avoid the inconvenience of check-in or boarding gate queues and will no longer cross subsidise those passengers travelling with checked in luggage. A further 50% of Ryanair’s current traffic (who travel with just one checked in bag) will see no change in their cost of travel, as the £2.50 ticket price reduction will fund their £2.50 baggage fee if booked on the internet. These passengers will enjoy much shorter queues at check-in thanks to the large numbers of people who will now switch to web check-in, thereby reducing the airport check-in queues. Lastly those passengers who presently travel with more than one checked in bag will see the cost of their travel rise by the £2.50 (€3.50) per bag for their second and subsequent bags. These passengers will also enjoy shorter check-in queues, and will be encouraged to travel with less checked in luggage which would then make these changes cost neutral for them as well.

This 9% “across the board” reduction in Ryanair’s ticket prices from 16th March will make these changes revenue neutral for Ryanair. The airline estimates that the reduction in ticket revenues and excess baggage fees will cost Ryanair more than £100m per annum. These lower fares will stimulate further traffic growth and increase the current (50%) price differential between Ryanair’s prices and the average ticket prices of our higher fare competitors such as Easyjet. We expect as a result of these measures, and in particular the attraction of web check-in and priority boarding that more and more of Ryanair’s customers will be incentivised to travel with hand luggage only and take advantage of Ryanair’s industry leading 10kgs of carry-on luggage.

The upside for Ryanair in these initiatives will be the opportunity to significantly reduce airport and handling costs. We believe that between 40% to 50% of passengers will quickly switch to our new web check-in/priority boarding service. This will allow Ryanair to reduce the number of check-in desks, baggage hall and other handling facilities we rent at major airports. It will significantly reduce the number of check-in and baggage handling staff required to handle individual flights, although the airline expects few reductions in staffing numbers in these areas, as existing numbers will be required to handle our rapid growth. Ryanair believes that its airport and handling costs will be reduced by over 10%, which equate to a saving of some €30m. This saving would equate to 10% of Ryanair’s current year forecast after tax profits.

Announcing these changes in London, Michael O’Leary, Ryanair’s Chief Executive said:

“Many sceptics have doubted whether Ryanair could drive its fares even lower. Well today we prove the doubters wrong. From 16th March next, Ryanair will reduce its fares by almost 10% across the board. Ryanair will also become the first low fares airline in Europe to make web check-in available for all our customers and we believe that this service will prove enormously attractive to passengers who wish to avoid those frustrating queues at airport check-in, at security, and at the boarding gate as well.

“These changes will also be welcomed by the overwhelming majority of our remaining passengers who will still be checking in one bag, as these passengers will enjoy lower air fares, but also shorter and faster moving queues at airport check-in. We have no doubt that this pioneering development for checked in bags is the way forward, as it will encourage and incentivise more passengers on short-haul journeys to travel with hand luggage only. Ryanair’s higher carry-on limit of 10kgs, and our new increased checked in allowance of 20kgs will largely eliminate excess baggage charges.

“These changes will enable Ryanair to reduce our airport and handling costs across the network. We will require fewer and less expensive airport facilities such as airport check-in and baggage hall facilities. We will carry fewer bags making our aircraft lighter and improving our fuel consumption. Our existing check-in and baggage handling personnel will now be able to accommodate significantly greater traffic numbers as we aim to double the size of the airline over the coming five years.

“Ryanair started the low fares revolution in Europe back in 1990. We have continued to pioneer changes in both the cost and practice of air travel over the past 15 years. Today’s announcement takes this revolution one step further. With a 9% reduction in Europe’s lowest air fares and the first web check-in facility for low fare passengers, we believe that up to half of Ryanair’s passengers will now be encouraged to avoid airport queues. Short-haul travel in Europe will never have been cheaper or more convenient than Ryanair will make it this year”.

Original post

Member for

18 years 6 months

Posts: 2,343

Very interesting. I notice that there is nothing in there about improving their customer service standards... :p

Member for

21 years

Posts: 4,209

I was talking to AndrewM last night, and we agreed how it was quite obvious that Ryanair were going to go down the "pay for baggage" route pretty quickly. When FlyBe announced an identical policy a few months back, Ryanair did not produce a vitriolic press release, and make a big song and dance about it in all their marketing. Given Ryanair never miss an opportunity for publicity, it was fairly clear they were going to introduce this.

Personally I think easyJet will adopt a similar policy too, particularly online checkin. I'm not sure whether they will imediatley start charging for baggage so as to give them a Unique Selling Point over Ryanair and FlyBe.

Member for

19 years 11 months

Posts: 10,160

Hmmm.... this must be a new and unfamiliar definition of the word "revolutionary".

I wonder whether Mr O'Leary and his colleagues are familiar with the word "hyperbole"?

Member for

18 years 6 months

Posts: 42

Hmmm "Revolutionise European Air Travel"?

The reducing fares claim is a little, well, misleading, for a company with a fare structure like they have. If I've flown with them it's usually been 1p or 99p + 'charges'. Is that now going to be -£2.49 or -£1.51 + charges?

Would "Ryanair are second airline to start charging for baggage" be a far better and more accurate description?

Member for

20 years 1 month

Posts: 3,124

checked in luggage who book after 16th March will now pay a fee of £2.50 (€3.50) per bag, per flight if booked in advance on the website, or £5.00 (€7.00) per bag, per flight if presented unbooked at the airport

Con of the Century! £5!
Online check-in is good though. I'm not sure how they can prove they are actually reducing fares by 9% though when they already sell seats for nothing+tax? Unless they are reducing the tax and charges?

Not exact revolutionary anyway...

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 920

I quite like the ideas to be honest.

Next thing is prices to be based on approximate weight of passenger, though whether that would get through the politcal correctness council or the anti-discrimination brigade I don't know.

At least we're heading towards a system where the passengers that generate the cost pay for it in fares, and those that don't, don't. A possible end to cross subsidisation maybe?

Member for

18 years 6 months

Posts: 42

whether that would get through the politcal correctness council or the anti-discrimination brigade I don't know.

I dunno either, but I'm sure Ryanair would be willing to fight it all the way in the courts to find out.

Member for

19 years 11 months

Posts: 1,012

I hate passengers who bring too much cabin luggage as it is. Watch it get worse.

Member for

20 years 10 months

Posts: 9,401

I am in full favour of all these ideas, web check is a superb idea, especially for an airline who does not have allocated seating. Anyone know when this will be introduced, and how far in advance you can check in? And as someone who only flies low costs for a short break (Normally a day), I totally agree with charging for baggage for people that use it.

Good on Ryanair!

Member for

20 years 10 months

Posts: 1,089

I'm not sure how giving web check-in passengers priority boarding " will also eliminate boarding gate queues"

Doesn't it just mean you would be at the front of the queue, while those who had the cheek to check-in a bag would be stuck at the back.

As by738 says just watch the handluggage grow.

1L.

Member for

21 years

Posts: 4,209

I dunno either, but I'm sure Ryanair would be willing to fight it all the way in the courts to find out.

Nono its quite alright to positively discriminate against the overweight, gives them an incentive to get fitter. Thats the way the NHS seems to be moving anyway.

Whoops, another thread verring towards GD :p

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 4,213

Nono its quite alright to positively discriminate against the overweight, gives them an incentive to get fitter. Thats the way the NHS seems to be moving anyway.

Whoops, another thread verring towards GD :p

As a thin person I would have to agree.

Member for

19 years 11 months

Posts: 10,160

Nono its quite alright to positively discriminate against the overweight, gives them an incentive to get fitter. Thats the way the NHS seems to be moving anyway.

Whoops, another thread verring towards GD

Blimmin' students! :p

Sizeist remarks are hardly likely to endear you to this Mod........... :diablo:

Do try and keep this thread on-topic, chaps. :rolleyes:

Member for

19 years 8 months

Posts: 1,953

I wonder what that nasty little man in Ireland will think of next (or copy next)?

Whilst I accept on-line checkin is generally a good idea, charging for checked baggage is NOT. Online checkin will not, however, as Ryanair claim alleviate boarding gate queues but merely change the order in which people stand in them.

Pay-for-baggage will merely result in more people trying to cram more stuff into overhead bins to avoid the charge, making the entire boarding/deboarding experience much less pleasant for everyone.

Whilst the claim of reducing fares is laudible, just like their claim that they do not have a fuel charge, it is misleading as Ryanair do not publish fares or have fare caps - it is thus impossible to tell whether they have reduced fares and in fact they can increase average fares invisibly simply by limiting the number of reduced fares available. Finally though, I do look forward to Ryanair reducing the price of its £0.99 tickets by £2.50 - it would seem reasonable to assume that they will now PAY THE PASSENGER £1.51 for buying such a ticket! :diablo:

I suspect that much of this will be revenue positive for Ryanair - many passengers will either buy the "check in baggage" in advance just to be sure, and then on the day of travel if they find they don't need checked bags I suspect Ryanair won't be giving any refunds... Or they won't buy the checked bag option thinking they can make do with carry on, and then on the day find they need to take a checked bag and will get stiffed for £5.00 instead of £2.50.

Well done Ryanair - you seem to be determined to make the entire travel experience less pleasant and more stressful, and you continue to find ways to extract more money from your most vulnerable customers - those who do not travel regularly. OLCI is a good idea but won't achieve what you say - as for the rest, I never have travelled with Ryanair and this just decreases the likelihood that I ever will.

Andy

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20 years 5 months

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RYANAIR TO REVOLUTIONISE EUROPEAN AIR TRAVEL

:diablo:

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18 years 5 months

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best pic anyones produced on these forums yet ;)

Member for

24 years 2 months

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I wonder how long it will take MoL to start chrging the use of the Bathroom !!!!!

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24 years 2 months

Posts: 4,213

Another factor maybe will be that since Ryanair could potentially use their own staff from the aircraft for everything bar checkin staff thus meaning the airports are really only getting income from landing fees and pax charges plus what the people buy. I am sure for smaller regional airports out of the way who use their own staff for handling this may be a large reduction in the money coming in?? Maybe this will mean FR will find it harder to get smaller airports when they expand (probably into Eastern Europe)????

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18 years 2 months

Posts: 24

I just thought that i would mention that ryanair never said that they were going to reduce fares by 2.50 they said that they will reduce fares by 9% which for a .99 ticket will equal about .09 drop not 2.50.

I live in the US and if there were fares like that here i would be flying all the time. the cheapest fare in the country i doubt goes below 30 dollars. so what ever works in my opinion.