# What has "No Frontiers" got against Ryanair.



## BOXtheFOX (8 Mar 2010)

I was watching the No Frontiers holiday programme on RTE last night, they were doing a piece on La Rochelle.  At the end of the piece they said that to get there you could fly to Bordeaux with Aer Lingus for circa €99.

No mention was made of the fact that Ryanair fly direct in to La Rochelle airport, a short bus ride from the town, and very cheaply!

I have noticed this for other destinations that they feature. Have they something against Ryanair or is Aer Lingus paying a fee to be mentioned?


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## tiger (8 Mar 2010)

I only watch the program occasionally, but to me it appears that at the end of a segment they only mention the carrier/hotel/operator that they went with, and not a list of options.  So yes, there is probably some form of advertising involved.


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## dereko1969 (8 Mar 2010)

I noticed this too yesterday, it was as if we had gone back in time. The section on London (may have been a repeat from previous week) seemed to indicate no-one else flew there other than Aer Lingus - the very least they should do is to state that other flight options are available.


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## Padraigb (8 Mar 2010)

I think it likely that they get freebies from airlines and hotels, and the _quid pro quo_ is giving them a mention in the programme.

If they adopted a policy of mentioning all air carriers, they wouldn't get freebies, and they also might get into difficulty if they overlooked one airline. And the ferry companies might feel aggrieved.

And as for the bit where they say "We stayed in the _Hotel Bellecourt_". Would they have to list every other hotel and _chambres d'hôtes_ in town?

Ryanair get their cheap publicity by other methods.


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## dereko1969 (8 Mar 2010)

But it should be made obvious that that is the case.


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## Padraigb (8 Mar 2010)

dereko1969 said:


> But it should be made obvious that that is the case.



How obvious? It's a while since I last watched the programme, so I am not conversant with how they express things. Is it okay if they say something like "We flew with Aer Lingus to Bordeaux and got a train from there to La Rochelle." or do they have to say "We got a freebie for our crew of four people from Aer Lingus"?


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## Caveat (8 Mar 2010)

Either way, It seems to me that few (if any) people like to do Ryanair any favours.  I mean has anyone got a good word to say about them, ever, except Mick himself?


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## Daddy (8 Mar 2010)

Had a slot last week on Carcassonne and not a mention of ryanair flying from Dublin and Cork
there.  Just mentioned Aer Lingus.


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## jhegarty (8 Mar 2010)

Padraigb said:


> or do they have to say "We got a freebie for our crew of four people from Aer Lingus"?



As the show is been funded by the taxpayer I would expect a cetrain amount for transparency.


TV3/SKY can shill all they want , I am not mandated by law to fund them.


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## dereko1969 (8 Mar 2010)

Exactly. And the point about Carcassone just shows how blatant it is.


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## Padraigb (8 Mar 2010)

jhegarty said:


> As the show is been funded by the taxpayer I would expect a cetrain amount for transparency.



The show is not made by RTE. They buy it in from Frontier Films.


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## Brendan Burgess (8 Mar 2010)

Is it not still funded by the taxpayer?


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## Padraigb (8 Mar 2010)

Brendan said:


> Is it not still funded by the taxpayer?



By a combination of licence-payers and advertisers (and I accept that the licence is a form of tax).

But RTE do not make the programme, and have, I believe, a somewhat lower editorial responsibility than if they made it themselves. I would not argue that they have no responsibility at all, but it would be unreasonable for them to micro-manage all the firms from whom they purchase programmes. Can you imagine them having an officer in Hollywood advising on content and editorial values in all the programmes they buy from there? [Mind you, it might make Charlie Bird's life more interesting.]


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## BOXtheFOX (9 Mar 2010)

Padraigb said:


> How obvious? It's a while since I last watched the programme, so I am not conversant with how they express things. Is it okay if they say something like "We flew with Aer Lingus to Bordeaux and got a train from there to La Rochelle." or do they have to say "We got a freebie for our crew of four people from Aer Lingus"?


 
If I were planning a holiday to La Rochelle and there was a holiday programme being screened about La Rochelle for Irish viewers I would expect the programme to at least mention the fact that there is an airport in La Rochelle with an Irish airline flying in to it. Why mention Bordeaux airport at all?


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## Padraigb (9 Mar 2010)

BOXtheFOX said:


> If I were planning a holiday to La Rochelle and there was a holiday programme being screened about La Rochelle for Irish viewers I would expect the programme to at least mention the fact that there is an airport in La Rochelle with an Irish airline flying in to it. Why mention Bordeaux airport at all?



I wouldn't, because I am broadly aware of how such things work.

If I became interested in a destination because of a travel programme or a piece in a newspaper or magazine, I would do my own research into travel options.


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## csirl (9 Mar 2010)

Padraigb said:


> The show is not made by RTE. They buy it in from Frontier Films.


 

Would it be more correct to say that RTE commissioned the programme from Frontier Films? Its not as if TV3 or any other TV station has an equal right to purchase the show from Frontier Films. As the commissioning agent, RTE are responsible for the content.


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## Padraigb (9 Mar 2010)

csirl said:


> Would it be more correct to say that RTE commissioned the programme from Frontier Films? Its not as if TV3 or any other TV station has an equal right to purchase the show from Frontier Films.



Fair point. Agreed.



> As the commissioning agent, RTE are responsible for the content.



It's a question of where lines are drawn, and I think it's not an easy one. RTE has some responsibility for the content, just as they have some responsibility for the content of everything they broadcast. But I think they have a bit less responsibility than if they made the programme themselves.

This discussion is really a subset of a bigger question, that of "product placement". Firms work to get their product in the public eye whatever way they can -- for example, beer bottles on a bar in a popular soap opera. The money or the free goods or services that the firms provide for this benefit is part of the budget for making the programme.


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## Capt. Beaky (9 Mar 2010)

A word very often used on AAM is BALANCE. Didn't see the programme but on reading this it looks like a plug for Aer Fungus. About two weeks ago you could book La Rochelle return for less than €60 on Ryanair. I know because I had looked at going to Ile de Yeu for a few days but dates didn't work out. Like the labelled whiskey bottle, labelled cigarette pack, labelled sunglasses etc in films, one would imagine a kick back of some nature for a mention.


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## Slash (9 Mar 2010)

Brendan said:


> Is it not still funded by the taxpayer?



No. It is funded by the TV licence payer. RTE gets no money from central government.


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## jhegarty (9 Mar 2010)

Slash said:


> No. It is funded by the TV licence payer. RTE gets no money from central government.




The  TV licence is a tax.


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## ajapale (9 Mar 2010)

Is No Frontiers a kind of sponsored show with product placements helping to pay for the so called "entertainment".

If so then Im sure Mick O'Leary is in a good position to buy some placement on the show if he wishes just like his other airline in which RA has a significant holding.


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## redchariot (9 Mar 2010)

Another thing that I have noticed is that they give prices out for flights direct from London for example and then state you can get an Aer Lingus flight to London for €xx. No mention of connecting flights; usually cheaper and your bags are checked the whole way through to your final destination. For example they said you can fly to Australia with British Airways from Heathrow and then buy separate flights Dublin to Heathrow with Aer Lingus. There is a code-share agreement between these airlines so why not give the connecting flight price.

I priced flights Dublin to Sydney connecting via LHR in May on the BA website €1018
I then priced separate flights on BA and Aer Lingus websites: £834 (€920) + €86 (cheapest possible flights DUB-LHR) + €24 baggage (I am sure you wouldn't be flying to Australia with just hand luggage) = €1030

I know that €12 is not really a big deal when spending over €1000 on a flight but you also don't have to worry about picking up your bag at Heathrow, checking in again at the BA desk (and the queues can be long, I have been there but not in the new T5 yet so I can't comment on that).


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## Deas (15 Mar 2010)

Looks like this thread got noticed!  This very issue was featured in the Irish Mail on Sunday yesterday.


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## Chocks away (15 Mar 2010)

Deas said:


> Looks like this thread got noticed! This very issue was featured in the Irish Mail on Sunday yesterday.


Jeez! That's a blow to AAM's credibility


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## Pee (15 Mar 2010)

The website certainly has no issue about listing Ryanair.

A few examples here:

[broken link removed]

[broken link removed]

[broken link removed]


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## MANTO (15 Mar 2010)

Have they been updated since or have they always been there, I couldnt see those when i searched after the opening of this post?


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## BOXtheFOX (16 Mar 2010)

Deas said:


> Looks like this thread got noticed! This very issue was featured in the Irish Mail on Sunday yesterday.


 
I have also noticed questions that are asked on AAM about travel often turn up in the Irish Independent's Saturday travel supplement a few weeks later with just a slight twist. Strange.


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## Padraigb (16 Mar 2010)

BOXtheFOX said:


> I have also noticed questions that are asked on AAM about travel often turn up in the Irish Independent's Saturday travel supplement a few weeks later with just a slight twist. Strange.



I don't think of myself as an old cynic, but again I enter this thread to ask people to look at the world as it really is. Where do journalists get their stories? One of their resources is the internet, and some journalists do a tour of websites every day as "research". It's not unreasonable, provided they use such sources in a sensible way.


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## ClickityClic (16 Mar 2010)

In reply to Caveat, I love Ryanair and use them whenever possible. Yes I've heard the horror stories, but I've never experienced anything untoward with them.  I've been using them since the time that the planes seemed to be held together with coats of paint - over 15 years, and in all that time, there was only once that I couldn't travel, and that was for safety reasons, high winds.  The sooner they take over Aer Lingus the better.


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## Milly (16 Mar 2010)

It will be interesting to see what they come up with on No Frontiers next Sunday when they feature Sardinia. Afaik, Ryanair flies to Sardinia from Dublin but Aer Fungus does not.


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## GarBow (21 Mar 2010)

Milly said:


> It will be interesting to see what they come up with on No Frontiers next Sunday when they feature Sardinia. Afaik, Ryanair flies to Sardinia from Dublin but Aer Fungus does not.


 
"We flew to Sardinia complimetary with.. wait for it... ryanair!" This whole thread is flawed


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## Yeager (21 Mar 2010)

I noticed the use of 'complimentary' and 'courtesy' this evening is this new on this show?


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## Capt. Beaky (21 Mar 2010)

Nothing, if they are the sole carriers going in


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## girasole (21 Mar 2010)

I agree. Everything was "courtesy of" and "complimentary" on No Frontiers tonight. And Ryanair even got a mention! I thought they might suggest flying with Aer Lingus to Rome and getting the ferry over to Sardinia 

I'm sure it's all just a coincidence though


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## becky (21 Mar 2010)

Chocks away said:


> Jeez! That's a blow to AAM's credibility


 
My thoughts exactly.


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## SoylentGreen (22 Mar 2010)

Yeager said:


> I noticed the use of 'complimentary' and 'courtesy' this evening is this new on this show?


 
Definitely new.  I wonder why they are now stating that their flights were complimentary or courtesy of?  Why was this bit always hidden?


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## kee31 (22 Mar 2010)

I too have noticed that with their bias towards Aer Lingus.  
I had to laugh when 2 weeks ago the feature on Co Clare was advising to fly from Dublin to Shannon and hire a car from there.  Its an Irish show, aired on RTE, most people would drive their own car if visiting Co Clare, and what about people who don't live in Dublin, are they going to drive to Dublin and then fly to Clare!! don't think so!


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## babaduck (22 Mar 2010)

SoylentGreen said:


> Definitely new. I wonder why they are now stating that their flights were complimentary or courtesy of? Why was this bit always hidden?


 
I don't think it was ever hidden - most travel programmes pay for half/get freebies for the rest and the relevant companies are credited appropriately.


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## IsleOfMan (23 Mar 2010)

babaduck said:


> I don't think it was ever hidden -


 
It was.  They never mentioned it at the end of the programme until this thread started.

I thought that the piece on Sardinia was poor. They showed two of the same street scenes twice during the programme. Why travel all the way there and not take enough film of the area.


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## PaddyBloggit (30 Jun 2010)

Latest here:

[broken link removed]


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## BOXtheFOX (1 Jul 2010)

Still no offer of a free flight for bringing it to their attention though!  Maybe today?


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## Shawady (13 Jul 2010)

BOXtheFOX said:


> I was watching the No Frontiers holiday programme on RTE last night, they were doing a piece on La Rochelle. At the end of the piece they said that to get there you could fly to Bordeaux with Aer Lingus for circa €99.
> 
> No mention was made of the fact that Ryanair fly direct in to La Rochelle airport, a short bus ride from the town, and very cheaply!
> 
> I have noticed this for other destinations that they feature. Have they something against Ryanair or is Aer Lingus paying a fee to be mentioned?


 
This was mentoned in one of the weekend papers.
Ryanair had made a complaint against RTE and they were found guilty of bias towards Aer Lingus.
It mentioned the exact example you gave that they failed to mention that Ryanair fly directly into La Rochelle.


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## jhegarty (13 Jul 2010)

[broken link removed]


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