# Review of Panorama programme on Ryanair



## RMCF (12 Oct 2009)

Just watched it and it was as I expected. The show wanted to have a good old rant about Ryanair and it did, but it failed to highlight some things too.

It did try to say  a couple of nice things about the airline just so it could say it was impartial.

But it was the same old rubbish about having loads of complaining customers, landing miles from the city, crappy seats, etc etc.

It failed to say why, if so many hate it, it will carry 3 times more than the beloved British Airways this year. Why so many people are happy to land miles from the city, how without it many would never have seen so many places.

The world is full of whingers these days. If anyone expects to pay £5 for a flight and get Emirates or Qantas service then they need to catch themselves on and grow up. RA fly us on very short flights cheaply. OK they have hidden charges and may lose customers because of these, but their figures are astounding for any business, so they are doing something right.

If I have a 2hr flight to Europe I couldn't care less if the sandwiches are £4 (I know they are similarly priced with EVERY airline), if the seats are yellow, have no loose laminated safety cardrolleyes, have no pouch in front of me etc IF they can get me to Spain for £30 return, which they have on many occasions.

I would say over the last decade I have travelled maybe 20 return flights with RA, and only once did I miss the plane. IT was my own fault. I have NEVER been late in all the other flights.

So for me, they are a great airline.


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## BeanPole (12 Oct 2009)

*Re: Ryanair - Hatchet job by Panorama.*

I actually think the non-reclining seats are a bonus. As someone who is 6 ft 3, the last thing I need is some ones seat shoving into me knees !!

Good to hear there was no surprises - just the usual whines. Its a pity they couldn't come up with something less predictable.

I really do think Panorama has gone a bit SIndo-like since it moved from its late night spot. It used to do a lot of in-depth analysis of meaty political issues, but now it seems to be getting very tabloidy in its reporting.


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## Locke (13 Oct 2009)

*Re: Ryanair - Hatchet job by Panorama.*

Terrible programme.

Have to say, whatever you think of Michael O'Leary, he's entertaining to say the least,.

Echo what people are saying. Travelling away is a big thing. If you don't do a little bit of research into where you are going I've no sympathy for you. Airports being miles away? It's not like they've been moved there after you book your flight? No free coffee? It's not the end of the world. Checking in online? Make sure you have a printer. If not, go with someone else.

Ryanair provide a service. If peoiple don't want to use it. Don't.


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## demoivre (13 Oct 2009)

*Re: Ryanair - Hatchet job by Panorama.*

The only hatchet job that was done in this programme was O'Leary making an ass of the reporter outside the AGM which wasn't difficult, because as an investigative journalist, this guy left an awful lot to be desired. I thought the whole thing was rubbish from start to finish and there was nothing on this programme about Ryanair that I wasn't aware of ie O Leary drives a hard bargain and watch out for the charges.


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## RMCF (13 Oct 2009)

*Re: Ryanair - Hatchet job by Panorama.*

Gotta laugh at these people/reporters who highlight a £40 charge if you lose your checkin printout as a major problem.

Here's an idea - DON'T LOSE IT !!!!

99.9% of travellers are able to remember it. If this typical family of 4 they always give as an example, who would be charged £160 if they lose them, are so stupid not to keep an eye on it or even take it with them to the airport then they get all they deserve.

Btw, couldn't agree more about Panorama going all tabloid. The BBC is just marginally better than the likes of ITV and C5, but its running them close in recent years. Appeal to the masses, eh?


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## Sunny (13 Oct 2009)

*Re: Ryanair - Hatchet job by Panorama.*



demoivre said:


> The only hatchet job that was done in this programme was O'Leary making an ass of the reporter outside the AGM which wasn't difficult, because as an investigative journalist, this guy left an awful lot to be desired. I thought the whole thing was rubbish from start to finish and there was nothing on this programme about Ryanair that I wasn't aware of ie O Leary drives a hard bargain and watch out for the charges.


 
Totally agree. Were they really trying to criticise him for playing Airbus against Boeing to get the best deal for his planes? Ryanair get a lot of justified criticism but there was none in this programme. Even the guy who missed his flight got a refund.


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## woodbine (13 Oct 2009)

At the very end when the journalist (Vivian?) was trying in vain to get a word in, I thought he might go so far as to carry michael O'Leary's bag to the waiting car..

and O'Leary's comment about how many people will travel Ryanair compared to how many people watch Panorama was hilarious. 

hatchet job? well maybe a rubber mallet.


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## dereko1969 (13 Oct 2009)

Agree with everything said here, it was total rubbish.

No-one was forcing the numpty reporter to buy a sandwich or coffee, you'd have to be a moron to purchase the insurance unintentionally and to give grief over striking a good deal? They're a business for fecks sake.

And the inside scoop from the pilot? He has to pay for his own bottle of water and maybe do a bit of work on the way to his job, quick call the cops!

I wouldn't normally complain to the programme makers but i was fuming last night so I'll try and make a comment on their website.


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## Firefly (13 Oct 2009)

30 minutes of uninterupted, free advertising for Ryanair on a station that doesn't show ads - MOL must be thrilled! All we kept seeing were flashes of Ryanair planes taking off and landing. Being told how efficient, cheap, safe and punctual they were too into the bargain. A couple of people with bad experiences but the continuous references to 67m passeengers etc. Great stuff for MOL & Ryanair!


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## serotoninsid (13 Oct 2009)

Have to agree with most here.  It was poor.  Whatever might be said about them, most of the stuff raised was already known.  Landing in secondary airports - its hardly a surprise to the majority of their customers - and they forgot to mention that there are often advantages in landing in secondary airports.
They then approached things from the angle of Ryanair being ultra aggressive.  Sure, they are aggressive but is this not symptomatic of the business environment in general?  A company using its market power to negotiate deals with manufacturers and airports down to the bone? Its the world we live in is it not?
Usually make a point of checking whats going to be on Panorama - but this programme makes me wonder whether their investigations are really accurate or just sensationalist..


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## Purple (13 Oct 2009)

The Brits are annoyed that a few Paddies are wiping the floor with BA and that Ryan Air upset the musty world of European aviation. I agree; there was nothing new about Ryan Air. It was a half hour moan about nothing.


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## runner (13 Oct 2009)

Briliant marketing by MOL!
He had us to expect a hatchet job, twice as many people watched it because of his rant yesterday, and it turned into a 30mins promo for RA instead.
Basically 'does what it says on the tin' better than anyone else. Ive travelled with RA from the first flights into Luton for 79IR when the AL fare was220IR and ive never had a bad experience.
And I bring my own sambo's!
R


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## MANTO (13 Oct 2009)

You have to give it to O'Leary, another great slot of free advertising. And who cares how much a Sandwich costs, nearly everybody carrries hand luggage with RA so pack a Sambo in the Airport.

Oh and the Reporter - AWFUL! Though he couldnt hold in his own smile outside the AGM when O'Leary was having his go


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## Caveat (13 Oct 2009)

RMCF said:


> But it was the same old rubbish about having loads of complaining customers,


 
Didn't see it - what were the complaints generally? 

Cos if this was one of them:




> ...landing miles from the city,


 

Then they are too stupid to be allowed to fly unaccompanied as far as I can see.


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## spursman (13 Oct 2009)

personally i try and avoid flying ryanair if i can but i must admit there is a big market for the service they provide. i just dont like it


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## TLC (13 Oct 2009)

Panorama was poor, Michael O'Leary - what ever anyone thinks of him - broke the monopoly of  Aer Lingus & British Airways & we all here in Ireland have him to thank for that.  I just worry that with all the extras & perhaps even more on the way they could be shooting themselves in the foot.  I sincerely hope that doesn't happen as they provide a great alternative & made the (previous) big boys change their way of doing business for ever.  I'd love to know Michael O'Learys comments on the bankers & senior civil servant (fas execs etc.) performance & the "golden handshakes" given to them on leaving office.  All the best for the future Michael!!!!


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## Jada (13 Oct 2009)

I also thought the documentary was very poor and MOL came out of the documentary looking like a businessman just wanting to make a profit.

Also interesting was the exchange of letters between MOL and Panorama
[broken link removed]


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## MANTO (13 Oct 2009)

Also they Interviewed that Student who said he couldnt have gone to all the places he had without RA's cheap flights, they then went to show his holiday pics, i wanted to book a flight there and then


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## batty (13 Oct 2009)

I thought it was great investigative journalism e.g if you forget your printed boarding pass RA will charge you €40...that's €160 for a family of 4.  I would never have worked that out if they hadn't pointed it out to me!


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## Complainer (13 Oct 2009)

Jada said:


> I also thought the documentary was very poor and MOL came out of the documentary looking like a businessman just wanting to make a profit.
> 
> Also interesting was the exchange of letters between MOL and Panorama
> [broken link removed]


Vivian doesn't come out well from the correspondance.


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## oldnick (13 Oct 2009)

As an interesting side note about ryanair .
 There are a lot of people who fly but once or twice a year and never/rarely book anything on the computer. These are the ones who make "mistakes" -I.E. book insurance they don't need, sometimes double-click payment, click the wrong dates/flights -and are ,frankly scared aboyut making a mistake.

You guys who like me are happy to book anything on the computer may not realise that still the vast majority of people (and yes the numbers of such people will decrease as everyone becomes more net-savvy) don't like booking flights on computers.
They have all heard about "hidden charges" -which you and I know are not that hidden, and how strict Ryanair are if they haven't done everything correctly - luggage, I.D. rules etc.

The result of all this ?

They are actually coming to travel agents and asking us to do it for them !
I'm not complaining.


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## jhegarty (13 Oct 2009)

MOL would have paid millions to get advertising like that.


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## jhegarty (13 Oct 2009)

oldnick said:


> As an interesting side note about ryanair .
> There are a lot of people who fly but once or twice a year and never/rarely book anything on the computer. These are the ones who make "mistakes" -I.E. book insurance they don't need, sometimes double-click payment, click the wrong dates/flights -and are ,frankly scared aboyut making a mistake.
> 
> You guys who like me are happy to book anything on the computer may not realise that still the vast majority of people (and yes the numbers of such people will decrease as everyone becomes more net-savvy) don't like booking flights on computers.
> ...



There is a very clear link on the booking page that lists every "hidden" charge.


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## Brendan Burgess (13 Oct 2009)

Interesting coverge on the Times Online Agrees with Askaboutmoney users



> A Times Online Travel poll at the  start of the show found that 88 per cent of respondents were on the hate  spectrum of the love/hate Ryanair relationship (although 63 per cent of  people fly with the carrier anyway), while only 12 per cent attested to  'loving' the airline.
> A second poll at the end of the show  found Ryanair's fortunes had reversed, with the BBC considered the "baddie".
> Only 20 per cent of respondents thought the Panorama programme was "fair  and unbiased". The remainder were split equally over the other two  responses, that the show was "One sided Ryanair-bashing" and "I  learnt nothing new".



and



> There was more than a snide grin on the face of whichever of the airline's PR  wrote this statement in this morning's press release: "Panorama claimed  that 'O’Leary is a bully' – this is clearly false when the whole world knows  that O’Leary is a kind and gentle, caring and thoughtful, sensitive and  saintly human being widely beloved by all Ryanair’s 6,500 people and its 66m  passengers.


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## Brendan Burgess (13 Oct 2009)

Ryanair will be giving away 100,000 free seats with no taxes or charges to counteract the damage done by the programme! 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/t...seat-giveaway-to-counter-Panorama-expose.html

Makes me proud to be a Ryanair shareholder.


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## Caveat (13 Oct 2009)

> A Times Online Travel poll at the start of the show found that 88 per cent of respondents were on the hate spectrum of the love/hate Ryanair relationship (although 63 per cent of people fly with the carrier anyway), while only 12 per cent attested to 'loving' the airline.
> A second poll at the end of the show found Ryanair's fortunes had reversed, with the BBC considered the "baddie".
> Only 20 per cent of respondents thought the Panorama programme was "fair and unbiased". The remainder were split equally over the other two responses, that the show was "One sided Ryanair-bashing" and "I learnt nothing new".


 
Glad to hear it Brendan. Job done Mick.


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## mathepac (13 Oct 2009)

I suppose like others I have to congratulate the BBC's Panorama team for broadcasting a content-free programme, if that is, the purpose of their investigative journalism was to reveal the horrific inside story of Mick's business dealings and how his customers and staff hate him.

The  emails published on the Ryanair site and the door-stepping interview with Mick outside the AGM on the BBC site gave the tenor of the programme and it was just a fill-in the empty spaces with inane interviews (although I enjoyed the young fellah whose ambition is to be a Ryanair pilot and the woman who thinks Mick should be running the country).

Why did White have to fly to / from Dublin, fly to / from Stockholm and rent a car to produce what I viewed as a PR bonanza for Mick and for Ireland (count the number of tri-colours and Irish aircraft registrations that fly across the screen as transition shots).

As someone mentioned already Mick couldn't buy a better PR half-hour using  his entire advertising budget. Which I guess begs the question, what was the programme makers' motivation in broadcasting a non-programme?

I now hand you over to the Monty Python team for their superior brand of investigative reporting (substitute the word "Panorama" for "parrot") http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npjOSLCR2hE


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## Bronte (13 Oct 2009)

oldnick said:


> As an interesting side note about ryanair .
> There are a lot of people who fly but once or twice a year and never/rarely book anything on the computer. These are the ones who make "mistakes" -I.E. book insurance they don't need, sometimes double-click payment, click the wrong dates/flights -and are ,frankly scared aboyut making a mistake.
> 
> .


 
I agree with you on this. I'm well up on the website tricks but that's because I'm young and computer savvy. When I book for my relations they do not understand anything, some don't have credit cards or laser cards or bank cards or computers or printers. Recently I booked a flight for a parent and sent the confirmation number to my brother to print out the boarding card. He managed to print out the confirmation  but said parent was so early at the airport and went to the girls at the help desk to double check (wise parent) who kindly printed it out for - at no cost - but it was the last time they said . That's an old fashioned idea called customer service. Thank you Ryanair girls


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## terrontress (13 Oct 2009)

Let's be honest. It is not as if the airports that any of the "full service" airlines fly from are particularly pleasant. Flying with BMI might get you a sandwich and a reclining seat but when you are cooped up in a departures area in Heathrow that resembles a large pipe. When you are forced to queue for ages, take off your shoes and then let a security person hoke through your knickers. When a soft drink or a bit of food costs 50% more than high street prices.

It's hardly like Ryanair is the one part of a chain that is low service. The whole air travel experience is fairly crummy from beginning to end!


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## soy (13 Oct 2009)

Would have made a better programme to investigate Ryanairs polices for dealing with customers when things go wrong such as cancelled flights etc.


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## Arabella (13 Oct 2009)

AFAIK all charges are printed, so no HIDDEN charges. Have been using Ryanair for over 17 years and think the service is OK. In the 90s they had a kind of sweetheart deal with Air UK. Great value when flying to Europe, even with a Stanstead stop. I remember paying about £65 (early 70s) for London/Shannon/London in the 'good old days' of Aer Fungus monopoly. That was a weeks wages then. So if you gross it up to todays average wage, you'll get what would be the going rate sans Blessed Michael O'Leary.


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## Slash (13 Oct 2009)

I certainly learned nothing new from the programme. There are many things about Ryanair that irritate me, but I know about them already, and Panorama told me nothing I did not already know.

Panorama were thrying to do a "scoop" type programme, but failed miserably.

There are many right-wing, Tory-voting, middle-aged people in Britain who hate Ryanair, and firmly believe that O'Leary is an upstart who has no right to be successful and to show their precious BA how to run an airline profitably. God knows what they think about an Irishman as CEO of BA! I thought Vivian was from that group of people.


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## BeanPole (13 Oct 2009)

Slash said:


> God knows what they think about an Irishman as CEO of BA! I thought Vivian was from that group of people.


 
That is actually deeply offensive. I think most British people have moved on beyond these racist views. If you can point to any evidence of racial slurs against any of the Irish run airlines, please do.

I, for one, cannot recall one.

We have no need to keep on feeling this inferiority complex against the English. I thought we had outgrown that


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## Bronte (14 Oct 2009)

Purple said:


> The Brits are annoyed that a few Paddies are wiping the floor with BA and that Ryan Air upset the musty world of European aviation.


  You are normally right on these things and a few people have mentioned it.  Do you really think the English still think that way about us?  Nearly everyone I know in England has an Irish grandparent or somesuch.  Would Panorama have such an agenda?  I'd have thought there was a hatred from Aer Lingus and those of the old establishment here against O'Leary?


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## johnd (14 Oct 2009)

The attitude of some posters that its 'cos the Brits are jealous of our Irish running their airlines' might have some truth if were not for the fact that large numbers of Irish people also criticise Ryanair. Actually I think Michael O'Leary himself is the problem rather than the airline. He is just very objectionable, sneering, jeering at anyone who dares to question him or criticise Ryanair. Other budget airlines have their problems but their owners do not court publicity like O'Leary does.

People should really get over this anti-Brits bias and move on..


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## Gervan (14 Oct 2009)

I missed the programme, having been away, yes, on a Ryanair flight, and was looking forward to watching the tape, but am now going to be disappointed I gather. It annoys me that RA refer to themselves as the "favourite" airline. Many people fly RA only because it's the only way to reach a certain city. I had reached the point of using ferries again, hating the RA staff, but this last flight found they were not so incredibly rude and rough. 
Maybe he's realised by making the experience so unpleasant custom is going elsewhere? The flights were far from full.


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## mathepac (14 Oct 2009)

Gervan said:


> ... Many people fly RA only because it's the only way to reach a certain city...


An interesting observation that escaped me (and the programme makers).

Did Mick's presence make these destinations suddenly popular or were the Ryanair planners prescient? Could you give a few examples?


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## Arabella (14 Oct 2009)

If you want to see the whole shenannigans, go to the Ryanair site ....... they have O'leary being accosted by the reporter. O'leary wiped them off the board. I've booked my free flights Shannon/Paris/Shannon first week in December . If so many people hate/won't use Ryan Air - how come they shift the most seats world wide?


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## Gervan (14 Oct 2009)

For family reasons I had to fly Cork to Liverpool. Only RA do that route. Another colleague has a place in the south of France, used to take a roundabout way of getting there and was delighted when RA opened up a nearby destination at Perpignan. I don't think I personally would fly somewhere just because RA did, but I prefer not to use that airline if there is any alternative. Some people might?


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