Honestly, it beats flying in the US. I’m willing to put up with some discomfort for the ability to travel places. Even then, Ryanair’s jets were actually more comfortable than some other (more expensive) short-haul airlines I’ve been on.

In any case, you compared the full-price walk-up Eurostar fare with the book-in-advance Ryanair fair (without fees).

I flew with EasyJet for the first time at the weekend, and after hearing all the horror stories of the budget airlines I was pleasantly surprised. It was basic, but within the limitations of flying, airport security and their pricing EasyJet do a good job.

Unless I’m promised more service than I’m getting
or am legally obligated to patronize a business,
it’s inappropriate for me to complain about how I
am treated as a customer of that business?

“people-milk” is my new favorite word

An analgam of Eastern philosophy, CIA methods and Western logic brings you:
“The journey is the destination”+Extraorinary Rendition=Ryanair

http://www.chicagohistory.org/fire/oleary/

Also, why don’t people take a train instead of flying? Isn’t that the whole point of being in Europe?

Seriously, though, I can see complaining about hidden fees, but what is there to complain about something you know in advance? Are you legally required to use this airline, or something?

Last month they gulled me out of £20 because their website wouldn’t let me sign in online. They wanted another £20 for the return flight for the same reason, but I was tired and kicked up enough of a fuss that they waived the fee (which is in essence a punitive fine, given that you don’t have contact with their staff anyway, checkin is by machine)

Airliners are certified to carry as many people as can leave the cabin in some amount of time, I think it’s 90 seconds. But given a typical airliner’s proportions between cabin floor space and the number of emergency exits, you have to really CRAM a whole plane FULL of zero-leg-room seats before you come anywhere CLOSE to having too many people to evacuate in 90 seconds. Your typical long-range airliner could hold half again as many seats and still be able to evacuate everyone in time. Shorter-range airliners are packed a little tighter (no first/biz class, less leg room… which is bearable for 2 or 3 hours) but they still hold way fewer people than they’re certified for. One recently-introduced 737 modification installs a smaller pressure bulkhead at the very back, i.e. the “back wall” of the cabin is further back into the tail, allowing one more row of seats (maybe two if you get rid of the galley, I forget exactly). It’s expensive and it’s heavy, but it pays for itself.

And I don’t see why people are getting so upset about how RyanAir operates. If you don’t like it, just fly with another airline. Simple. What’s the big deal? No one HAS to fly RyanAir. And if some people do have to (because they can’t afford more expensive airlines), then until RyanAir came along, people with that budget could not fly at all. In general, “more options” = “good” in my book. And sure, I wish there were a whole spectrum ranging from RyanAir to super-luxurious Emirates-style first class, since then we could each get exactly what we’re willing to pay for (On longer flights I’d get something a LITTLE better than economy class; Say, 1.5x the leg room. On shorter flights I’d get whatever is cheapest). But unfortunately airlines, like most non-online businesses, can’t go after the long tail practically.

It’s absolutely awful, yes, but it’s incredibly cheap.

Just don’t use them if you don’t like the service.

From the page:

“Eight days later O’Leary eventually admitted that it was a publicity stunt saying “It is not likely to happen, but it makes for interesting and very cheap PR”.”

I think this may just be adding fuel to the fire.

So yeah, if you don’t mind all that, you are a satisfied RyanAir customer. The word “cattle” also comes to mind.

It sounds like an BDSM airline, I can only imagine the quality of people who fly it. Must be like a ‘Greyhound’ of the skies.

the checkin process was nuts. there are no dividers for the check in line. there was a different flight that was open for check in at the same time. no one could really tell ten people out from the front which line was for which. a passenger more skilled in the art of ryanair ‘bumped me’ (read struck me) with their suitcase in order to knock me out of my spot.

their queing process at the gate is also insane. shoving matches ensued to be closer to the front of the line at their gate. side effect of free-for-all seating. after this went on for about ten minutes they announced over the intercom that our flight was now boarding at a different gate on the other side of that terminal. people hurdled unoccupied seats to win the race. a slightly more furious shoving match ensued for line placement.

we were let out onto open tarmac where people ran to the board stairs.

i have never in my life felt more like a part of a herd of cattle being prodded towards my untimely execution. i can’t believe in this era of flight security that they haven’t lost their right to operate in western airports after what has to be a million incidents of good old fashioned person on person violence.

never fly ryanair. never.

…this is starting to sound like Comcast’s internet service.

(Toilets aren’t for customers per se; they’re for the airline to minimize cleaning costs. Ryanair seems to have forgotten this. But they’ll learn soon enough.)

but seriously, if you’re a poor college student who can shove a pack under your seat and hold your wee while you hop around europe for cheap, ryanair and easyjet are both great options.

im sorry you think that people cant add up. I include taxes, airport transfers and fees before i consider the price and eurostar still comes WAY WAY above the price. Im not stupid i know how the low cost airlines work, but i also take hand luggage and travel alone.

eurostar really need to sort out their website and their prices, they seem to think that aeroplanes dont exist. Id take the train every time but not at 3 times the price.