Ryanair's online ticketing and pricing policy

[whole diary]

[JayMac]

Pax had to use the chutes to evacuate a Ryanair flight at Liverpool today. Wonder whether the cabin crew were standing at the top charging a fiver each for the privilege? 

(Actually given that it had just been parked at the airport I'm surprised they found the chutes were there at all....)

^5 for use of the chutes would be a bit steep! Similar drop-slides at theme parks and the like are usually included in the ticket price. Although I do remember having to pay 25p to go on one at Bowood House when I was a kid

(Teehee, my thousandth post. Do I get a prize?)

[devon_metro]

I hope they had bought Slide Insurance 

[willc]

Was a cartoon in Private Eye's Christmas issue of Santa stood next to a 'Ryansleigh' with its elf attendant informing him "Sack of toys - that's an extra thirty-five quid"

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Daily Mail:

Ryanair hikes luggage charges for summer (and passengers WILL have to pay to use the toilet too)

Ryanair, it appears, is intent on redefining the meaning of 'no frills'.
It emerged today that not only will passengers have to pay more for checked-in luggage in the peak summer period, the budget airline is forging ahead with its controversial plans to charge for using the toilets on its planes.
The Irish carrier will raise its per-bag fee from ^15 to ^20 for all bookings made after midnight tonight for travel in July and August.
The ^15 fee for checked-in bags will be in operation again from September.
Ryanair's Stephen McNamara said: 'We are determined to incentivise passengers to travel light this summer by increasing our checked-in baggage fees for the months of July and August only. Over 70 per cent of all Ryanair passengers will be unaffected by these changes because they travel with no checked-in bags.'

Meanwhile, it emerged today that the airline is working with Boeing to redesign cabins and develop coin-operated toilets on 168 of its planes.
Not content with charging passengers for use of the facilities, the airline is also looking at reducing the number of toilets on board, leaving just one available cubicle for up to 189 passengers.
To use the remaining toilet, passengers would be forced to part with either ^1 or ^1 for each visit.
Mr McNamara said: 'By charging for the toilets we are hoping to change passenger behaviour so that they use the bathroom before or after the flight. That will enable us to remove two out of three of the toilets and make way for at least six extra seats on board.'
The airline already charges for food and drink on board as well as leveraging a charge for credit card payments, hold luggage, online and airport check-in.
Mr O'Leary first suggested the toilet charges last year but the budget carrier appeared to backtrack on the idea.
However, the airline has confirmed its plans in its latest in-flight magazine, although Mr McNamara said the charges would not be coming in this summer.

[inspector_blakey]

That's an interesting contrast with Southwest: they're the original budget airline, and the biggest in the USA, although their pricing is based around low but realistic fares and very few surcharges, e.g. free drinks/snacks/two checked bags which makes them my airline of choice for internal flights.

I have heard a Southwest flight attendant say, jokingly, of the oxygen masks during the safety demo "Place the mask over your nose and mouth, insert a quarter* for each minute of oxygen, and breathe normally". Hope Mr O'Leary doesn't find out...

_{*25c coin, just in case anyone's not familiar with US currency!}

[John R]

One cubicle for 189 pax. Let's say each visit takes an average of 2 minutes, then that's 30 visits an hour, or an average of one trip per pax every 6 hours.

You only need someone to be ill (not an uncommon situation on flights), and there could be quite an unpleasant situation develop.

As far as I am concerned, it is yet another reason why I will never fly Ryanair.

[inspector_blakey]

SWA^» (Swansea - next trains)'s aircraft (also 737s, so I assume seating capacity is the same) have two bogs and they're generally busy for most of the flight. Although you'll get shouted at if you try to queue for the front lav, because standing forward of row 3 is a violation of Federal Aviation Authority regulations (I guess to make sure you don't rush the flight deck).

I actually wonder if there are regulations against having fewer than two toilets on aircraft above a certain size...having one bog might result in big queues but would be a real problem if it packed up during the flight.

[Mookiemoo]

One cubicle for 189 pax. Let's say each visit takes an average of 2 minutes, then that's 30 visits an hour, or an average of one trip per pax every 6 hours.

You only need someone to be ill (not an uncommon situation on flights), and there could be quite an unpleasant situation develop.

As far as I am concerned, it is yet another reason why I will never fly Ryanair.

Even working in belfast for six months I avoided.  The low cost scroates I rank as:

1. Flybe
2. BMI Baby
3. Squeezy jet
4. Die and dare

30-45 minutes is about all I can take.  I can see how they have stitched up the really short haul stuff - the internals, the irelands, the near continent.  But who in their right mind would fly as far as say greece with them.  Go to spain instead!