Heading370:
Annak a nem hivatalos SN Brussels oldalnak meg tudod adni a címét?
Ez egy kicsit hosszú lesz, de itt leirják, hogy milyen rossz és gonosz is valójában ez a Ryanair!
A végén már tényleg szinte örültem, hogy nem repül felénk ez a "pimasz" társaság és nem vagyunk kitéve ilyen szörnyűségeknek!:-)))
A day in the life of Ryanair
It's the low-cost airline that everyone loves to hate. But does it deserve its reputation? Rosemary Behan reports
Five personal experiences with Ryanair
Almost everyone has a Ryanair horror story. For although there are other low-cost airlines, Ryanair is the one we seem to have come to loathe - while at the same time happily snapping up fares that cost as little as a penny. Ryanair, for its part, gives the impression of being unrepentant. You want food, you want frills, go elsewhere. You want rock-bottom fares, come to us - but be prepared to take the rough with the smooth.
But is the airline as bad as it appears? To help find out, I picked a day at random last month and spent it at Stansted, Ryanair's main UK hub. On the same day, five passengers filed reports of their Ryanair flights to provide a snapshot of the airline's performance.
4.50AM
The day has yet to dawn on Friday, December 13, 2002 - and already the complaints have started.
"They don't care. They told us it wasn't their problem." Michael Henrikesn and Tina Andersen, from Aarhus, Denmark, sit wearily on chairs near the Christmas tree. After checking in for the 7.25pm flight to Aarhus yesterday, the pair were told that the flight had been cancelled due to the fog that still engulfs Stansted Airport. The next flight, at 7.20 this morning, is full, so the two are having to sit it out until 4pm - a 21-hour wait.
Today, fog will go on wreaking havoc with Ryanair's flight schedules. Most passengers don't know it yet. Those that do - like Michael and Tina - are already strewn around the airport like refugees. People lie sprawled across every available seat and dozens of bodies are curled up in sleeping bags on the floor. BAA staff tell me it is like this virtually every night, fog or no fog.
Ryanair provides no compensation nor accommodation for passengers who are delayed due to cancelled flights, even if the next flight is not available for several days. Passengers at Stansted can either return home and apply for a refund or sit it out. EasyJet, by contrast, offers compensation amounting to the cost of the flight for flight cancellations or delays of more than four hours, and up to L50 towards accommodation for passengers on flights cancelled after 8pm.
Some Ryanair passengers, however, have spent the night at the airport out of choice. Steven Nielsen, a student, is rubbing his eyes and sitting up in his sleeping bag, as two friends continue dozing. They are due to fly on the 7.30 Ryanair flight to Ancona.
"Spending the night was the only way to get here early enough," said Steven, who lives in London. "It seemed better than having to leave home really early." The first train from London arrives at the airport at 5.15am, while a L50 taxi fare would wipe out the benefit of any cheap tickets.
Mr Nielsen and his friends had chosen this particular departure because it was the only one they could get for 1p plus taxes, the sort of price for which some passengers will forgive Ryanair almost anything.
5AM
At first sight, Stansted seems quite pleasant. Early travellers arrive to find a large, bright, modern space with an impressive array of shops and cafes, many of which are already open. However, it soon becomes clear why there is such a wide variety of shopping opportunities. They know how long you're going to be there.
More than 50 per cent of Stansted's flights are generated by Ryanair. One look at the departures screens reveals just how large the airline has become. Its flights are scheduled to take off roughly every five minutes. Sometimes, bizarrely, flights are scheduled to take off at the same time, even though this is physically impossible. The schedules are relentless until about 7pm, when the number of flights drops to about six an hour. Apart from the people crawling from sleeping bags, those massing for the first flights of the day - the 6.25 to Milan, the 6.25 to Rome and the 6.25 to Venice Treviso - look surprisingly jolly.
5.30AM
Crowds are building in Zone K. The queues for Ryanair flight 256 to Malmo, due to leave at 6.45, are backed up 50 yards from the check-in desk. Next to the Malmo queue, a handful of people is checking in for the 6.30 flight to Hamburg. Angela Potts, 43, with her children Eleanor, six, and Joshua, nine, are about to go away for one night as a Christmas present for Joshua. "We didn't care where we went as long as it was cheap," said Mrs Potts, who spent 90 minutes on the internet securing her 1p flights. Taxes had come to L63.
The Potts live in Basingstoke and had stayed overnight in a hotel after a journey involving two coaches and two taxis. "It cost us several times as much to get here as it did for the flights," said Mrs Potts.
6AM
The first delays of the day, amounting to between 30 minutes and an hour, appear on departure screens. Delays caused by Britain's air traffic control system are Ryanair's most popular excuse for hold-ups, in addition to the weather.
7AM
Trading is in full swing at Stansted's shopping outlets. Outside, visibility is still so poor that no planes can be seen taking off or landing. FR1012 to Brussels, scheduled to depart at 7.25, has been delayed by an hour. FR901 to Cork, due to depart at 7.30, has been diverted to Shannon. FR966 to Gothenburg, due to leave at 7.15, has been delayed by an hour and five minutes. The stream of passengers coming from Arrivals is worringly modest.
Many Ryanair passengers believe that delays are beyond the airline's control. "You can't help the weather," said one man, skipping off a flight from Dublin that has been delayed by 90 minutes. "Nothing Ryanair can do about air traffic control," said another from the same flight.
If something goes wrong, just remember, it is never Ryanair's fault. It is, however, sometimes the fault of the passenger. As the hours pass, I notice that the people who are the most angry are often those who have least reason to make a fuss. By far the most common complaint I hear is that the airline fails to let people check in for their flights after check-in has closed, just 40 minutes before departure. "The flight doesn't leave for another 10 minutes," protested one man from Derry, while a couple from Devon moaned: "Ryanair didn't warn us about the traffic coming here."
8AM
Tina and Michael, our overnighting Danes, have moved to a different spot for a change of scene. They've discovered that Ryanair put a larger plane on the 7.20am Aarhus flight but the check-in staff didn't know. "It left with 60 empty seats," says Tina. They still have to wait until 4pm.
Flight delays are now racking up almost quicker than I can record them, but the attitude among most passengers seems to be one of reluctant acceptance.
10AM
In Zone J, the queue for the 11.45 flight to Knock has reached staggering proportions. The queue for the 12.15 Stockholm Vasteras flight is shorter - just 50 yards long. On the departure screens, FR3004, the 10.55 flight to Rome, is showing an estimated delay of 65 minutes.
11AM
FR3004 has now been delayed by two hours "due to weather problems at Stansted". Funny how other planes seem to be taking off. I question a member of BAA staff. "Not all Ryanair pilots can land in fog and not all its aircraft can land in fog," she claims.
FR209 to Dublin has been delayed by an hour "due to earlier weather problems". FR768, due to depart for Frankfurt Hahn, a former US Air Force military base 60 miles from Frankfurt, has been delayed by an hour. "Awaiting fuel and de-icing of aircraft," passengers are told.
Air traffic control delays are blamed for pending delays to flights to Knock and Frankfurt Hahn. FR805, the 11.45 to Knock, is delayed by an hour and 20 minutes, and FR754, the 11.25 to Frankfurt, is delayed by 40 minutes. Mysteriously, only the FR768 flight to Frankfurt, due to leave at 11.45, has been diverted to Saarbrucken "due to fog".
Frank O'Rourke, 54, from Dundee, is standing in the long, stationary queue for Vasteras. He is going to Stockholm with his wife, Heather, for three days. Their tickets cost L49 out and L3.99 coming back. They have flown with Ryanair four times before. Mr O'Rourke is succinct in his opinion of Ryanair. "It's shite," he says. "Just standing for an hour to get checked in. Last time it was a trainee at the desk. The staff are rubbish. Just because it's a cheap airline shouldn't stop them being efficient."
12PM
At 12.20 the final call goes out for FR209, the 11.15 to Dublin. The 10.55 Rome flight is now scheduled to leave at 1.35pm. FR805 to Knock has been diverted to Shannon and passengers are to be bussed to Knock.
1PM
FR806 from Knock to Stansted has been cancelled.
2PM
Technical madness has descended on the airport's monitors. It's 2.15 and they are still saying that the 10.55am to Rome is scheduled to depart at 1.35pm as, apparently, is the 10.40 to Carcassonne.
From now on, it all goes downhill. Virtually all of Ryanair's departing and arriving aircraft are now late. This is partly because, in common with other no-frills carriers, its aircraft have very tight turn-around times. This means that a delay to an incoming flight often has a direct knock-on effect on the next one going out.
A constant stream of people arriving at the airport stares vacantly at Ryanair's departures information.
Passengers on FR208 from Dublin, which was due to arrive at 12.45pm, but is 90 minutes late, are still waiting for their baggage at 2.30pm. Passengers on the 1.20 Go flight from Malaga are already collecting theirs.
Kate Reynolds, 27, travelling from Waterford with her boyfriend, Martin Kenny, is unperturbed by the delay. "We were told that the flight leaving Stansted was delayed so that's fair enough. Ryanair are all right. You get what you pay for. We only paid 30 euros [about L20] each. It's cheaper than Aer Lingus."
3PM
The 1.45 Perpignan flight has just taken off. The other airlines operating from Stansted, including Go and Buzz, seem to be giving more notice of delays. At 1.45pm, Go announced that the 3pm flight to Naples had been delayed until 3.40, and the 3.15 to Dusseldorf with Buzz is scheduled to depart at 4.20. As our writers found (see below), Ryanair often prefers to trap its passengers at the gate before announcing delays in retrospect.
4PM
More delays, more tears and more shouting. FR3004 to Rome, which was due to leave at 10.55am, has now been delayed until 5.55pm. Cafes and bars must be making a fortune. The 4.30 from Rome is not expected until 7pm.
Some of the faces circling Ryanair's check-in area are becoming familiar. The Liddane family, who checked in happily at 10am for the 11.45 Knock flight, are among at least 14 people who missed it because the monitors said the flight was being delayed by several hours when it wasn't.
"BAA says it's Ryanair's fault, Ryanair says it's nothing to do with them," says Mr Liddane, fuming. The Liddanes are due to attend a memorial in Westport, Co Mayo, at 9am tomorrow morning.
"The flight kept coming up as 'estimated at 2pm', then 3pm, then it disappeared off the screen," Mr Liddane says. "Ryanair told us they put out announcements but they didn't. They told us it was our fault. They must have a school where they train people to be hard-nosed, impolite and unsympathetic."
Because there isn't another flight to Knock until tomorrow, Ryanair offers to put the family members on a flight to Dublin, where they are expected to hire a car at their own expense to drive to Knock.
Then, however, it emerges that one of the family's bags has been sent to Shannon - a cardinal security sin - where the Knock flight was diverted to because of fog. The family is then put on a flight to Shannon to retrieve the bag. They plan to hire a car and drive to Knock at their own expense.
"Ryanair promise to send the baggage on but having known them from experience we decided it was better to pick it up ourselves," says Mr Liddane. "The whole way through there was no acceptance that anything was their fault."
5PM
The atmosphere around the Ryanair check-in desks is one of frenzied upset. Female Ryanair staff are fielding hordes of angry customers because the 6.10 to Forli has been cancelled, dozens of connections have been missed because of delays to incoming flights, and Ryanair refuses to reimburse passengers or re-book them without charge.
Passengers shouldn't really be surprised: Ryanair's own terms and conditions state: "We recommend that passengers do not book connecting flights on Ryanair services. As we are a point-to-point airline and therefore will not be liable for any losses or expenses arising out of any failure to achieve a planned connection."
Women are crying into mobile phones and men are slumped with their heads in their hands. The Ryanair ticket sales desk - set apart from the check-in desks - is doing a roaring trade.
Marly Nilsson, a business development manager from Sweden, has missed check-in for the 6.20 flight to Gothenburg because her flight from Shannon was delayed by more than an hour. "I understand they have their rules but the staff are just so rude. They say they can't do anything about it and I will have to buy another ticket for tomorrow and find somewhere to stay tonight," says Ms Nilsson, in tears.
6PM
The 4pm flight from Frankfurt has been cancelled. FR316 from Stansted to Verona has been diverted to Milan (Bergamo). Passengers will be coached to Verona (Brescia). FR586 from Stansted to Pisa has been diverted to Genoa. FR224, the 6.15 flight from Dublin, has been delayed until 9.55pm. The litany continues. Passengers returning from a romantic weekend in Venice on FR795, due to land at Stansted at 5.45, have been diverted to Bournemouth and are to be bussed to Stansted at 8.30pm.
7PM
It's not getting any better. FR632 from Stansted to Montpellier has been diverted to Perpignan. FR937, the 6.05 flight from Perpignan, is on approach at 7.45, while the 5.35 from Dublin arrives at 7.25.
The BAA information desk informs waiting friends and relatives that the FR9903 from Newquay, due at 6.40pm, has been diverted to Bournemouth for refuelling and there is no further news. Karen Vickery, 24, from Bury St Edmunds, who is waiting to meet her mother, is worried - she doesn't know what is happening and the cost of parking her car in the short-term car park will soon exceed the L19 cost of her mother's flight.
8PM
At 8.07, those waiting for the 6.40 from Newquay are told that the plane is "on approach". The 8.05 flight to Glasgow, the 9.10 to Dublin and the 8.20 to Frankfurt are all delayed by between one and two hours.
Mary King and her boyfriend Vincent Reay, from London, are leaving the airport after having an argument with Ryanair's passenger services manager, Colin Lemon.
The couple were about to board FR3008, the 5.40 to Rome, when they were turned away at the gate. The reason? Mr Reay was carrying not his passport, but his driving licence along with his boarding card. "I had lost my passport so phoned Ryanair weeks ago to ask what to do," Mr Reay says.
"They told me I could bring my international driving licence instead because it has a photo on it. I checked in, went through security and we thought we were on our way when we were turned back. Our weekend has been ruined. Mr Lemon wasn't willing to speak to us."
9PM
FR4135 from Stansted to Frankfurt and FR587 from Pisa to Stansted have been cancelled. Most of the airport's shops have closed.
10PM
Ryanair's check-in desks are abandoned and all its staff have disappeared. At 10.45, departures screens are still telling passengers for the 9.45 Glasgow flight to "Go to gate". The 9.10 flight to Dublin has been delayed until 12.05am. The 10.40 from Dublin is not expected until 12.05am, the 10.40 from Malmo is expected at 12.50am and the 10.50 from Forli has been cancelled.
11PM
FR633 from Montpellier to Stansted has been cancelled due to fog. The 11.05 from Pisa and the 11.05 from Aarhus are both expected at 12.10am, the 11.10 from Turin is expected at 12.45am and the 11.15 from Rome is not expected until 12.40am.
A few dozen passengers, resigned to a night at the airport, begin to make themselves comfortable. Somewhat perversely, an air of jollity prevails. One woman puts on her pyjamas, while young couples cuddle up and single people seem happy to arrange themselves with blankets and headphones, books and packets of crisps. The hardiest stake out sites in shop doorways. Others are making enthusiastic use of the airport bar.
12PM
Or were. The bar has now closed. Two lone somnambulists robotically play slot machines. BAA announces to "meeters and greeters" that the 11.05 from Genoa, the 11.20 from Perpignan and the 11.20 from Milan have been cancelled and that "passengers are being accommodated until tomorrow". Quite how or where is unclear.
1AM
FR4199 from Milan, which was due at 11pm, is the last Ryanair flight to arrive, at 1.27am. Baggage from the 11.20 from Nimes, the 11.20 from Turin and the 11.15 from Rome is in the baggage hall. Having missed the last train to London, bleary-eyed passengers are herded onto coaches bound for central London. In four hours, it all starts again.
A Ryanair spokesman said that "severe weather conditions affected all airlines across Europe on Friday, December 13, 2002. Over 95 per cent of Ryanair pilots are qualified to land in Category 3 conditions ["low visibility, including fog"]. This issue did not have any impact on the Friday, December 13 flight schedule".
He added that "Ryanair is the only company to publish monthly customer service statistics. During December Ryanair received 0.52 complaints per thousand customers, the lowest level in over five years. . . "
The company does not publish punctuality statistics for December until tomorrow, but in November, according to its own figures, 86 per cent of flights were on time and 99.4 per cent of complaints received, it claims, were answered within seven days.
Ryanair (0871 246 0000; www.ryanair.com).
Five personal experiences with Ryanair
The staff must know the flight is delayed. Why don't they just tell us?
We sent five reporters on return Ryanair flights from Stansted on Friday December 13. These are their reports.
Flight FR84 to St-Etienne (onboard: Olivia Harrison)
Scheduled departure 10.10
Actual departure 10.10
Ticket price L52
I don't think I've ever had an easier flight - though there was an hour's delay on the way back due to an earlier "medical emergency" in Germany. I only had a few minutes to wait at check-in, and was surprised at the efficiency of boarding and disembarking.
The flight was fullish on the way out but not even half full on the way back; the staff were very polite, and the snacks, though pricey ( L4 for a sandwich), were better than many airline meals I've had.
Apart from the expected young budget travellers, passengers were business types, children, a few elderly people, and a middle-aged woman in a huge and very real fur coat. The mix was cosmopolitan - British and French passengers mingled with people from Mexico, Germany, Scotland, Italy, the US and Zimbabwe. Talking to some of them, it was obvious we had paid very different prices for tickets - between L40 and L318 return.
Aircraft turnaround time was quick - no more than 30 minutes - as we disembarked immediately and boarded just minutes before take off. Links to and from the airport were also efficient: the Stansted Express at one end, and an airport shuttle at the other. Most remarkablle of all, however, was that everyone, staff included, seemed in remarkably good spirits throughout.
Flight FR211 to Dublin (onboard: Tim Ellert)
Scheduled departure 12.15
Actual departure 1.55
Ticket price L88.74
The grumpy check-in assistant was unwilling - or unable - to give any information about our delayed flight and clearly wanted me to move on as quickly as possible. No announcements were made about the delay. Eventually a woman at the desk told me the plane had landed and was being turned around ready for boarding. About 20 minutes later a Tannoy announced that the plane would be landing in 10 minutes.
Limited seats were available in the lounge (we had to sit on the floor or stand) and in the end our plane didn't land until 70 minutes after our scheduled boarding time. We joined a queue for our Dublin flight at gate 41 as advertised on tickets and screen, but were then turned away as the queue was for the previously delayed Hamburg flight. Again, there was no information or announcement.
Once aboard, the plane was in poor condition: dirty windows, flaking paint or frayed fabric on most surfaces - the armrest of my seat was broken, a large open hole revealing sharp, ripped metal edges. The faded seat-belt signs were virtually unreadable and the safety guide appeared to be for another type of plane - but the hostesses were cheerful and endlessly apologetic.
Air-conditioning on the plane was off, or malfunctioning, until halfway through the flight, leaving windows steamed up, the air smelly and passengers breathless and hot. Almost everyone complained about the delays and when asked if they would use Ryanair to travel on business, all but one of the people I spoke to said no - though they acknowledged that if you pay only L30 you should know what to expect.
Cabin crew whizzed through the plane offering drinks after take off and then disappeared - though this was a short trip. No food was offered, except crisps or peanuts, but the selection of drinks was good. Trying my luck I asked for three (free) glasses of water but was told I was only entitled to one. . .
Reclaiming baggage was quick and painless and took just 10 minutes, followed by a 30-minute bus ride to the city centre ( L2). Coming home the flight was similar - though this time it was two and a half hours late.
Flight FR3004 to Rome (onboard: Lucy Mulloy)
Scheduled departure 10.55
Actual departure 1.20
Ticket price L79
Ryanair's internet booking service was good - my ticket popped up in my emailed account in a few moments. L79 return was good value, but with the L23 train fare to Stansted it looked less appealing. In 15 minutes I had checked in and was on my way - at least in theory. I had to trek the length of Stansted's terminal to find my departure gate.
My flight was due to leave at 10.55am, but I only made it to gate 58 at 10.40. Worryingly, only a handful of couples and some children were waiting - with no plane in sight. 10.55 passed and we all filed back up the escalator to investigate.
There was no Ryanair representative to direct or advise us. Eventually the change of gate appeared on the monitor with a new estimated departure time of 11.30. No reason was given for the delay, or the second delay, or the third, by which time 10.55am had become 1.20pm.
The delay gave me time to chat to other passengers. Helen Smith complained: "It's the dragging on, the estimating times that gets to me. They must know that the flight is going to be delayed by three hours if it's been diverted, so why don't they just give you the straight information? I could go and get some food in that time and relax. This frustration is totally unnecessary."
A Ryanair representative appeared, polite and accommodating - but she was totally uninformed. She could only speculate as to the cause of the delay and at what time the plane would arrive at Stansted, never mind depart.
Passenger Lucinda Millward asked the stewardess about the possibility of compensation for the three-hour delay. "If there is, I want it too," she replied. She had been working non-stop since 6am and was due to clock off at 8pm. Ryanair staff, I gathered, get no overtime for delays.
On the return flight the charming pilot got us back to Stansted 30 minutes ahead of schedule. But then I had to wait an hour for my luggage, which had been misdirected to the domestic terminal and eventually arrived soaking wet with no apology or explanation.
Flight FR684 to Stockholm (onboard: Tiffany Hancock)
Scheduled departure 12.15
Actual departure 1.30
Ticket price L109.95
My ticket was hardly cheap, and because I had to use inconvenient airports, long transfers at both ends cost an additional L36.95. I was quoted L130 return by SAS for a flight from Heathrow to the closer airport of Stockholm Arlanda. This would have been L16.20 cheaper in total - and worth it in terms of the time I spent waiting and travelling between airports. I left home at 8.30am, arriving at Stansted at 10.45 to find long queues at virtually every Ryanair check-in desk. In the event, my queue moved quickly and only took 20 minutes.
After security I rushed to gate 40, where crowds of people were sitting squashed together on the floor - just 10 seats had been provided for our entire flight. Twenty-five minutes before our scheduled departure, the Tannoy announced that our plane had not yet arrived and was not expected until 12.15pm, the time our flight was supposed to be taking off. Departure was now estimated for 12.40.
No explanation was given for the delay and the response from the information desk was a robotic "adverse weather conditions" - though other planes were taking off. Most people remained patient but only, they told me, because they had paid so little for their flights.
Our flight eventually took off at 1.30, an hour and 15 minutes late. The stewardesses were helpful and polite, despite the fact that their working day had started at 6am. Still water, coffee and hot chocolate all ran out after half an hour.
FR684 eventually landed at 4.35pm at the Portakabin that passes for Vasteras airport. The queue for passport control snaked out of a tiny room into the snow outside where I stood for 15 minutes in sub-zero temperatures.
The journey did not end at the airport. We then had to catch a coach that took 90 minutes to reach Stockholm, which meant that I didn't arrive until 7pm. Having left at 8.30am, I had spent 11 and a half hours travelling.
Ryanair flights might cost you less cash but will cost you more in terms of time. Next time I'm only away for a weekend, I'll delve a little deeper in my pocket.
Flight FR416 to Glasgow (onboard: Maya Mendiretta)
Scheduled departure 8.05
Actual departure 10.20
Ticket price L97.82
I could have got to Glasgow in five hours by train for as little as L36, and around L90 if I'd bought the ticket on the day. I bought my plane ticket over the internet 12 days in advance and paid just under L100. Airport transfers added L27. It certainly wasn't the cheapest way to get to Scotland, but would I save time?
Transfer to Stansted was easy. Buying the rail ticket was quick and the train was half-empty, though in summer I've had to stand jammed amid people and luggage for the 45-minute trip. Everything at check-in and security was quick and efficient, until I reached the long queue for boarding 25 minutes before departure. I sat down, which was just as well, because at 8.05, our scheduled departure time, the Tannoy announced that the plane was only just leaving Glasgow and would be two hours late.
Passengers complained that they could have been given an earlier warning, which would have meant they could stay in the shopping area rather than endure the departure lounge for two hours. Passengers had asked at check-in if the flight was on time and been told yes.
We eventually took off at 10.10. On board, I asked a stewardess for some blankets as the plane was cold - they didn't have any. On arrival at Prestwick at 11.20 there were no coach or train transfers to the city. Instead Ryanair had arranged a shared taxi system at L8 each for the 45-minute journey. I eventually arrived at my hotel at half-past midnight. A journey that would have taken five hours by train had taken over six hours with Ryanair and had cost L73 more.
The return flight on Sunday was on time, but the Stansted Express wasn't working and the replacement bus took two hours to get to Liverpool Street.
