Whether people choose to travel with them is another story.
Non-essential travel is banned!
Whether people choose to travel with them is another story.
Maybe. However, fact is that Ryanair was "bailed out" by the Irish Government in its early years by virtue of its main rival, Aer Lingus, being ordered by the minister to cease operating to Stansted and some other destinations, thus handing a state-enforced monopoly to Ryanair. This contributed to the financial troubles of Aer Lingus, which then required a cash bailout form the Irish taxpayer. So in a very real sense, the Irish State bailed out Ryanair free gratis and enriched the company and its owners at the taxpayer's expense.
When Government intervenes in a market like that it should, at the very least, take an equity stake.
Aer Lingus, being ordered by the minister to cease operating to Stansted and some other destinations, thus handing a state-enforced monopoly to Ryanair
You misrepresent my argument!That was a terrible thing to do.
Look at the damage that Ryanair has done to the Irish and European economy since then!
It has made low fairs commonplace so that people can take €19 flights to other European capitals. And we have been flooded with tourists in Ireland thanks to their low fairs.
The government should have made sure that Aer Lingus crushed them. Aer Lingus would now have much higher fares and those of us who want to go on holidays could take the boat train as we used to do in the 70s.
We should go back to the way we were where flying was limited to business people and the very wealthy.
Brendan
Ryanair shareholder
far nicer customer service and a more pleasant flying experience.
Trust me Brendan, I like cheap prices! I really do. But I don't think that requires shoddy service and a sneering attitude to customers. What I really like is value for money. (I don't particularly like airline food, free or paid for, that's not an issue. Anyway, Aer Lingus don't do free tea these days!) I am prepared to pay a small premium for Aer Lingus over Ryanair. Just for the feeling of being treated like a wanted customer. And sometimes, Aer Lingus are actually cheaper. Kinda like shopping in Superquinn for the nice stuff back in the day. But I'd still go to Tesco or Lidl for the bulk shopping. Just like I'll fly Ryanair if the cost or flight times make it a value proposition. But it's never going to be my favourite airline and I'll avoid it if there's any decent option to do so. Does that make sense?Ah, I was wondering what your problem was.
The real problem is that you just don't like Ryanair. You don't like airlines which fly on time. You don't like cheap flights. You prefer to pay higher prices and get a cup of tea.
The reality is that Ryanair, motivated by profit, shook up the state monopoly of Aer Lingus and these days, I can fly for a day to London or many other European cities and not worry too much about the price.
Brendan
Ryanair shareholder
am prepared to pay a small premium for Aer Lingus over Ryanair. Just for the feeling of being treated like a wanted customer.
I used to travel a lot, about 100 flights a year. The worst experience, by far, was Aer Lingus Regional. €380 for a return flight to Aberdeen on a noisy turbo-prop and no proper cabin service. After that Ryanair and Aer Lingus were much the same; older Ryanair planes were the worst and the newest Ryanair planes were the best. Customer service from both was rubbish. No frequent flier points with Ryanair and none with Aer Lingus Regional. Nothing makes you feel like a second class customer more than spending more than €12,000 a year with an airline, taking about 60 flights, and not even getting access to their lounge.Have you ever had to try resolve a complaint with AL? They go further than most airlines to make you feel like you don't even exist!