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Channel 4's documentary about said company was somewhat worrying, but not surprising. Anyone watch it, and, having done so, immediately go on the 'net to book their next flight?
 
Recorded it and just finished watching it, scary stuff and doesn't surprise me. Don't think I'll be booking with them again.
 
dam missed it. what were the issues?
 
I have to fly with them!
Work book all my flights and only book the cheapest!
We be even more worried than usual when I next get on!
 
So what was the program saying, not got tv on hols at mo.
 
Allegedly (!!) they carry the minimum amount of fuel in reserve, so diverting or being stacked can be a bit unnerving. If they don't alter their operating procedures, one heavy son of a bitch glider (sorry passenger aircraft) is potentially going to run out of fuel, whilst still being airborne!
 
Just watched the other behind the scenes docu on them last week - where they sent in air stewardesses with hidden cameras. Seems such an unpleasant, tiring and uncaring place to work for. The latest Doc' just confirms for me what i already knew about them and their lack of concern for safety. Amazing what they get away with. And how they treat their staff! even the pilots - disgraceful.
 
Not seen it but guessing it was about them putting JUST enough fuel in to make the trip. Handy way to jump the stacked queue - "M'aidez! RA123 running low on fuel, request immediate landing slot."

Was it them who had to have a whip round on a flight to get enough cash to pay for their fuel since they were on "stop" with the airport fuelers?
 
People always want the cheapest thing without considering the consequences. Budget airlines turn down air conditioning, run pilots for longer and generally skimp wherever they can. It'll be the same with all the others too.

Same is true with cheap clothes. Few stop to think just how you can have a t shirt made ethically for a couple of quid.
 
I see it and for me it doesn't change anything. I've been using them for years for work and holidays and not had any problems at all. In fact I really like them because they are always on time and they don't muck about.

This program just added another to the list of expose's on big companies.

They did one on Primark that was particular moving, but I still see thousands of people down Oxford Street with there Primark bag's sometimes I'm one of them.
 
Perhaps it was coincidental, but the four planes that called mayday were all Ryanair.
SqueezyJet also fly to Madrid, I know, I've used the carrier many times, and none of their aeroplanes were implicated. The Spanish Air Traffic Controller stated the facts as they happened, but no mention for the orange coloured airline.
Why do Ryanair delete the black box recordings, it doesn't sound right after a Mayday call.

I'll be avoiding Ryanair like the plague.
 
run pilots for longer and generally skimp wherever they can
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Not correct. Pilot hours are covered by EU law, and cannot be broken. Overworking? Something like 900 hours a year is the limit....I wish I could work that few!

So your attempt to link to a rag trade that pays very little in our terms in a country where the reality is that is a well paid job fails.

Perhaps it was coincidental, but the four planes that called mayday were all Ryanair
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They weren't. The 4th was a South American Legacy carrier. It happens, you just don't hear about it normally. Why? Because it's a non event. The Irish Aviation Authority seems to be saying all aircraft laded with minimum, or very very close to it. Minimum of course not being zero.

I've flown with Ryanair a few times, nothing wrong with them in the main. On time (unlike a big airline based at West London flying club). Friendly crews (again, unlike West London Airways). And don't rip you off for a coffee. Thats right, try and find out how much Middlesex Airways put onto your ticket for their coffee (You thought it was free? Behave!)
 
Bernie174 said:
Not correct. Pilot hours are covered by EU law, and cannot be broken. Overworking? Something like 900 hours a year is the limit....I wish I could work that few!

So your attempt to link to a rag trade that pays very little in our terms in a country where the reality is that is a well paid job fails.

They weren't. The 4th was a South American Legacy carrier. It happens, you just don't hear about it normally. Why? Because it's a non event. The Irish Aviation Authority seems to be saying all aircraft laded with minimum, or very very close to it. Minimum of course not being zero.

I've flown with Ryanair a few times, nothing wrong with them in the main. On time (unlike a big airline based at West London flying club). Friendly crews (again, unlike West London Airways). And don't rip you off for a coffee. Thats right, try and find out how much Middlesex Airways put onto your ticket for their coffee (You thought it was free? Behave!)
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/avi...ing-asleep-in-cockpit-because-of-fatigue.html.

More about Ryanair 's poor behaviour:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/aviation/10236086/Ryanair-accused-of-intimidating-pilots.html
 
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As far as fuel is concerned, you think the big boys top off their tanks just to be on the (expensive) safe side?
 
I can see the reasoning behind carrying just enough fuel, they don't have to pay for extra and they carry less weight and so use less fuel which saves more money, times are hard for everyone

It does concern me that they wipe black box recordings though, that smacks of having something to hide. Management bullying is nothing new either it happens anywhere there's not a strong union.
 
A friend of mine flies as a Captain for one of the major airlines. He was telling me about an occasion when he was trying to get the flight back on schedule (prior delay of some sort) and during the flight opened the throttles a bit more and 'burned' an extra ton of fuel. So he as captain had ensured he had enough in the tanks, for his reserve and a bit extra that allowed a mid course increase in airspeed.
The name of the game is safety first, safety second and safety last. In the event of a diversion you have to be able to hold in the stack, as demonstrated at Alicante.
 
I've flown with them a few times. And it wasn't much cheaper than other airlines, you only get the real cheap flights if you're willing to travel any time. And when the additional costs stack up, it's no cheaper at all. So all that about "you get what you pay for' doesn't hold. Some may well get the cheapies, but not all. And it shouldn't matter, this doesn't mean you should expect shoddy service and safety issues.

When there are lives at stake, no corners should be cut.

Watch this one here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mo1sG88oQbg


And then tell me other airlines behave in a similar fashion. This one is more shocking than the recent one IMO.
 
Is this where everyone starts trawling the net looking for problems with an airline?

I swear sometimes people enjoy scaring themselves silly.
 
Er, nope, I flew only last week. Just not with Ryanair ;)
 
As a student who studies abroad I use Ryanair very often and I would say they are normally around half price of other major carriers. (If you don't buy luggage, but even if you do it's still a significant saving)

Had I the money to do so I would fly with the major airlines simply because it is more comfortable inside the cabins.

It does seem to me that Ryanair get unfairly abused a lot of the time. Some are angry because they don't read the rules and get stung at the airport, and others argue at the unfair treatment of staff. I agree that the staff should get better treatment too but there is also a reason why they are so cheap, and they are a godsend for students such as myself or any other travellers on a tight budget.

A few of you have mentioned the fuel emergency landings in Spain but you are quoting incomplete stories - If you look it up Easyjet and Lanchile both had emergency landings at the same time but yet Ryanair was the main scapegoat and the other two airlines weren't even mentioned in some news stories.

Despite my seeming support for Ryanair I do worry a little now this is in the news - I notice when I fly with other airlines that they seem to be better at softer smoother landings, and also have heard from a pilot friend that most of the pilots at Ryanair are the ones that didn't get entry into the major airlines, which suggests that perhaps they aren't as good somehow.
 
srichards said:
Budget airlines turn down air conditioning
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I can only assume you never flew domestically in Russia in the days before it was all Airbus and Boeing? Sitting at the back of a 35 year old Tupolev 154 was like sitting in a kiln. I've probably done 70 flights with Ryanair and not a single one of them has been anything like I experienced flying on those old beasts!

In fact I can't say I've ever really noticed Ryanair having reduced air conditioning compared to any other 737NG I've flown on with any other airline.
 
Having watched the YouTube (link posted above) I wish Ryanair the future they deserve.
 
srichards said:
People always want the cheapest thing without considering the consequences. Budget airlines turn down air conditioning, run pilots for longer and generally skimp wherever they can. It'll be the same with all the others too.

Same is true with cheap clothes. Few stop to think just how you can have a t shirt made ethically for a couple of quid.
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If you think more expensive = better then you're deluded (in the politest way possible)

Expensive is normally the same product with better marketing ;)
 
neil_g said:
If you think more expensive = better then you're deluded (in the politest way possible)

Expensive is normally the same product with better marketing ;)
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Depends on the product. A lot of cheap stuff falls to bits. Some branded goods are rubbish now compared to what they were. There's a level of cheap where nothing good can come of it. Its not cut and dried always.

Unbiased reviews are about the best way of spotting what is worth paying more for and what is over priced tat.
 
neil_g said:
If you think more expensive = better then you're deluded (in the politest way possible)

Expensive is normally the same product with better marketing ;)
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I spent a long time flying with budget airlines and this year used BA for the first time, it was quite a lot more expensive and said that it includes food and drink.

Well after starving myself at breakfast before the banquet I was expecting, we each got a single drink and a single half of a sandwich wrap, I was starving!
On the way back it was even worst, we got given a miniature sized bag of crisps which I've never seen before, it was crazy.

So I prefer to have a cheaper flight and pay for food on-board. I usually get a drink, a panini and some crisps for about €10-12 on Ryanair which I think is pretty good. I don't buy any of the other stuff they try to sell you and never forget to print my boarding pass or measure my luggage so I have not lost out. £60rtn flights to Majorca for the past 4yrs, I'm happy.

The only thing I will say is that this airline is obviously not baggage hold friendly, this is why most families hate it, because they somehow believe that after adding a £10 flight to there basket that they will get to take about 75kg of luggage +prams etc. without paying more.
 
I've flown Ryanair a few times and there wasn't anything to complain about, but most of my air travel is long distance and they don't operate on those routes.

Aren't there regulations about the amount of fuel an aircraft has to carry, based on route, distance, load, weather and various other factors? Flight plans have to be filed, and I'm sure there are records of how much fuel is loaded. Surely Ryanair would face the risk of very serious consequences if there's a crash, and the investigation reveals that they flouted them?
 
MartynK said:
I've flown Ryanair a few times and there wasn't anything to complain about, but most of my air travel is long distance and they don't operate on those routes.

Aren't there regulations about the amount of fuel an aircraft has to carry, based on route, distance, load, weather and various other factors? Flight plans have to be filed, and I'm sure there are records of how much fuel is loaded. Surely Ryanair would face the risk of very serious consequences if there's a crash, and the investigation reveals that they flouted them?
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They don't flout the rules just work right up to the very edge of them where others may leave more leeway.

The rules should be tightened to a higher minimum which would force ryanair to a higher standard and make sure the others are doing the same.

More worrying is how long pilots are expected to be awake without sleep. Travelling time needs to be included. HGV drivers aren't allowed such long stints in one go so it beats me why pilots are when they can kill far many more people in one go than an errant HGV.
 
srichards said:
They don't flout the rules just work right up to the very edge of them where others may leave more leeway.

The rules should be tightened to a higher minimum which would force ryanair to a higher standard and make sure the others are doing the same.

More worrying is how long pilots are expected to be awake without sleep. Travelling time needs to be included. HGV drivers aren't allowed such long stints in one go so it beats me why pilots are when they can kill far many more people in one go than an errant HGV.
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OK, I don't have a problem with this at all. Many businesses manage to sail close to the wind without actually breaking the law - usually with the benefit of legal advice - and the recent controversy about various large companies and their tax arrangements illustrates this too. I agree that the solution is to impose stricter regulations rather than grumbling about it.

FWIW, I think it's common cause that there are far more 'events' and 'near miss situations' than the public ever hear about. Perhaps that's just as well!
 
srichards said:
They don't flout the rules just work right up to the very edge of them where others may leave more leeway.

The rules should be tightened to a higher minimum which would force ryanair to a higher standard and make sure the others are doing the same.

More worrying is how long pilots are expected to be awake without sleep. Travelling time needs to be included. HGV drivers aren't allowed such long stints in one go so it beats me why pilots are when they can kill far many more people in one go than an errant HGV.
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My mates a captain and the plane is on auto pilot most of the time.

Ryanair do get a bad press - as others have said they are heavily regulated and work within the law. They changed the industry and made travel more affordable - i have used them a few times and although basic with no fluffy stuff, they work well and would use them again.
 
MartynK said:
FWIW, I think it's common cause that there are far more 'events' and 'near miss situations' than the public ever hear about. Perhaps that's just as well!
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Many many moons ago, when coming in to land at Houston, the plane suddenly throttled up again and banked very sharply to the right.
Low and behold a small business jet then came screeching up from underneath our plane having just taken off from a perpendicular runway.

Oddly, whilst bags, bits and pieces etc. were flying around the cabin....not one person panicked. :lol:
 
cambsno said:
They changed the industry and made travel more affordable -
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Horlicks, they cashed in on others efforts. The guy who should get the credit for changing the way airlines charge is Freddy Laker and his Laker Airways. He got stomped on by the big guys but they were never able to rip folk off in quite the same way after that.
 
Whatever about Ryanair as a whole. Michael O' Leary would make you want to vom the stuff he spews out.
 
I thought there were laws against sacking whistle blowers?
 
I would have imagined so, especially when it comes to safety. Not the case with Ryanair it seems.
 
The PIDA (Public Interest Disclosure Act ) 1998 covers the UK and is sometimes called the Whistleblowers Act.

I believe that Ryanair pilots may be employed by the parent company based in the Republic of Ireland and therefore are not protected against unscruulous employers when employees are sacked as the pilot was. The other trick is for Ryanair to employ staff through agencies so they are not direct employees so can be "blacklisted" or just be removed from the list of acceptable persons sent to Ryanair.
 
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