RYANAIR EXPOSED - 13th Feb ITV

Looking for information on a place in Andalucia or simply asking for advice on somewhere to visit? Post here and someone out there may know the answer.
Bongtrees
Andalucia Guru
Posts: 2341
Joined: Wed Dec 15, 2004 4:51 pm
Location: Valencia

RYANAIR EXPOSED - 13th Feb ITV

Postby Bongtrees » Sat Feb 11, 2006 1:04 pm

Undercover investigation into Ryanairs dodgy and dangerous practices to be aired Monday 8 pm (GMT) on ITV.

Flying with them once was enough for me. I will never use them again.

I also read elsewhere that Swedish and Dannish government are issuing Writs against them.

Mike

User avatar
Nige
Andalucia.com Amigo
Posts: 164
Joined: Fri Jun 11, 2004 8:06 pm
Location: sometimes in Cadiz province

Postby Nige » Sat Feb 11, 2006 2:24 pm

Oh Bongo Bongo those drums are bonging again :lol:
I am not particularly a Michael O'Leary fan club member more a Michael Flatley fan, however, on this week when Freddie Laker died and when we remember all the great things (apart from so called climate change) that has happened since cheap airlines literally took off, I do think you are a bit Bongo Bongo.
Any journalist would love to do a 'warts and all' story highlighting the worst features of a successful industry.
But this TV programme could be all hype and no substance especially if you read the full details of the correspondence between Ryanair and the TV company who produced it, which is on the Ryanair website:
http://www.ryanair.com/site/EN/inpage.p ... DISPATCHES

And as for Sweden and Denmark suing. have you read why they are suing ? Was it that serious? Doesn't everybody sue everybody else these days in the airline industry.

Don't you recall Freddie Laker and all his writs ?

Bongtrees
Andalucia Guru
Posts: 2341
Joined: Wed Dec 15, 2004 4:51 pm
Location: Valencia

Postby Bongtrees » Sat Feb 11, 2006 3:02 pm

Nige

Methinks you protest tooooo much when it comes to things Ryanair. Your perogative of course but dont patronise.

I actually knew Freddy in his hey day when he had his offices in Purley....there is no comparison between him and the Irish Pirate.

Mike

User avatar
Nige
Andalucia.com Amigo
Posts: 164
Joined: Fri Jun 11, 2004 8:06 pm
Location: sometimes in Cadiz province

Postby Nige » Sat Feb 11, 2006 3:07 pm

Oh it's me that's protesting about Ryanair ? :wink:

curatokid
Resident
Posts: 334
Joined: Mon Jun 06, 2005 10:47 pm

Postby curatokid » Sun Feb 12, 2006 11:54 am

Ive taken the time to read all of the correspondence on the Ryanair web site and consider this to be another bit of so called "sensation TV" why is it that people in England love to knock someone down just because they are succesful, havnt we seen it time and time again, Ryanair are a cut price airline offering basic flights at extremely good value, like shopping in a supermarket, if you want the frills of flying use a major national airline, its your choice but dont knock the alternatives just because you dont like them...

Bongtrees
Andalucia Guru
Posts: 2341
Joined: Wed Dec 15, 2004 4:51 pm
Location: Valencia

Postby Bongtrees » Sun Feb 12, 2006 11:59 am

curatokid wrote:Ive taken the time to read all of the correspondence on the Ryanair web site and consider this to be another bit of so called "sensation TV" why is it that people in England love to knock someone down just because they are succesful, havnt we seen it time and time again, Ryanair are a cut price airline offering basic flights at extremely good value, like shopping in a supermarket, if you want the frills of flying use a major national airline, its your choice but dont knock the alternatives just because you dont like them...
It says the programme deals with issues of safety not baggage rip- offs or lack of frills which I am sure you will agree affects us all, not just those flying but those on the ground.

Lets wait and watch the programme and then decide.

Mike

spanish hopes

Postby spanish hopes » Sun Feb 12, 2006 1:59 pm

Lets wait and watch the programme and then decide.

Mike
That's what you should have done mike, instead of going off half co*ked on your crusade, and starting this thread.

Bongtrees
Andalucia Guru
Posts: 2341
Joined: Wed Dec 15, 2004 4:51 pm
Location: Valencia

Postby Bongtrees » Sun Feb 12, 2006 2:21 pm

spanish hopes wrote:
Lets wait and watch the programme and then decide.

Mike
That's what you should have done mike, instead of going off half co*ked on your crusade, and starting this thread.

Grow up.......the issue here is safety.

spanish hopes

Postby spanish hopes » Sun Feb 12, 2006 2:36 pm

No Mike , the issue is you spouting off about one of your pet hates and expecting everyone else to accept what you say as being Gospel. I think that it is you who should grow up and accept that not everyone shares your views.

El Cid
Andalucia Guru
Posts: 16058
Joined: Sun Oct 24, 2004 10:42 pm
Location: La Herradura, Costa Tropical, Granada

Postby El Cid » Sun Feb 12, 2006 4:36 pm

I have no particular axe to grind over Ryanair - I guess you get what you pay for.

I did read, with interest, the correspondence on the Ryanair site - thanks Nige - and found it very interesting.

It looks like another "media exposure" to attract the largest number of viewers (how unusual!).

Judging from the correspondence, I very much doubt that the program will offer an unbiased view at all and I doubt that we will be any wiser after the event.

I certainly cannot see anything in the correspondence that would give me too many concerns about flying Ryanair from a safety point of view - is Easyjet going to be any different?

I do miss the free G&Ts and food which the "scheduled" carriers used to provide, but I do like being anything up to £500 beter off after the experience!

Sid

Bongtrees
Andalucia Guru
Posts: 2341
Joined: Wed Dec 15, 2004 4:51 pm
Location: Valencia

Postby Bongtrees » Sun Feb 12, 2006 4:46 pm

By SARA NATHAN
TV Editor

RYANAIR cabin crew are allowed to fly without vital security checks — and regularly FORGE references, a shocking TV documentary claims.

Appalling security lapses at the low-cost airline are alleged after two undercover reporters trained there as trolley dollies.

Charlotte Smith and Mary Nash spent five months at Ryanair for Channel 4’s Dispatches series.

Charlotte started her training at Stansted Airport just days before the London bombings on July 7 — but she claims security was NOT tightened up.
The reporters say cabin crew were allowed to fly before their required Home Office criminal checks returned — and wrote references for each other. They also allege staff without security clearance were told the password to get into an aircraft’s cockpit — and passengers were allowed to board flights without proper passport checks.

Karen Edwards, who directed documentary Ryanair: Caught Napping, claimed: “What is worrying is that people you are working with could be anybody.

“Our reporters did their security checks properly but other cabin crew were given temporary passes to fly — and the password to get to the captain. After 9/11 that is a concern.”

“Mary talked to another member of crew about getting clearance. The girl said she had been told to get another crew member to write a fake reference to speed things up.

“She inferred this was with the guidance of bosses.”

Karen went on: “Cabin crew are supposed to check passports with boarding passes. But Charlotte was advised by a co-worker, ‘We’ve only 25 minutes to get the flight off, so don’t look at them, just make sure they have a passport’.”

Channel 4 also secretly filmed cabin crew who they claim were asleep during flights. And they say crew did not check lifejackets between flights.

A stewardess said: “If you pay 1p for your ticket, don’t expect to see a lifejacket underneath your seat.”

The documentary goes out on Monday at 8pm.

User avatar
gretch
Resident
Posts: 433
Joined: Sat May 28, 2005 8:14 pm
Location: Northern Almeria

Postby gretch » Mon Feb 13, 2006 10:18 pm

Just seen the program, no real surprises there then, won’t stop me using Ryanair.

User avatar
Faire d'Income
Resident
Posts: 648
Joined: Wed Aug 11, 2004 4:14 pm

Postby Faire d'Income » Tue Feb 14, 2006 2:35 pm

Unfortunately, the programme either didn't have access to or was too afraid of legal reprisals to examine Ryanair too closely, particularly O'Leary who has to be one of the most disgusting businessmen to walk this planet. Presumably, they decided to tone it down a bit given the he's taken winner of his own competition to court in the past, it's hardly surprising.

The whole issue of pilot fatigue within Ryanair is well known within the industry, particulary the way Ryanair totals pilot's hours under the auspices of the IAA which given it's pathetically small stature cannot hope to provide regulatory sustenance to such a large company. Why do you think that O'Leary uses the fact that they're an Irish airline as justification for the IAA's involvement when the majority of the fleet is based outside Eire? They don't even come close to CAP 371 which is the UK's CAA equivalent. Perhaps those defending RYR could also explain the company's long held reluctance to allow pilots, as member's of BALPA to even form a company union which only happened last year after a threat to take the company to the Court of Human Rights.

The sheer amount of pressure they put their frontline employees under is ridiculous in what should be a safety oriented CRM culture which is probably why there are so many issues with RYR aircraft taxi speeds and falsely declaring fuel status cannot all be stories made up by others, simply to spread misinformation.

The fact that you have to pay to get your CV application in as a pilot, plus pay for your type rating combined with Cabin Crew paying £1500.00 for their training should cast some doubt on the credibility of a company that says it has extremely high standards of safety.

MarkF
Resident
Posts: 375
Joined: Tue Jul 05, 2005 7:47 pm
Location: Yorks & Asturias

Postby MarkF » Tue Feb 14, 2006 6:05 pm

Nothing surprising in it, certainly nothing new, where as the "story", no maintenance isuues which I would have concerned me most. If that was investigative journalism at it's best then they had better hang on to their RA uniforms :D

I haven't noticed Jet2, Easyjet or Flybe staff taking any more notice of my passport than RA's.

Every business should, of course, comply with all H&E directives but then we would be up in arms because business's could not then possibly function like a consumer would wish.

The aircraft were sometimes dirty........big deal.

I think it's a great company, as a customer I think the other 3 carriers I mentioned are great too, I bet the shareholders think it's a great company also. Why denigrate it and it's boss.

The staff are unhappy, so what? Move jobs! Talk to staff at Tesco, B&Q or any other large corporation with lots of unskilled staff on low wages, the story will be just the same.

spanish hopes

Postby spanish hopes » Tue Feb 14, 2006 6:15 pm

I use the budget airlines because they are cheapest. I use Internet Explorer because it came with my computer and I am used to it.
You will always find people who have an axe to grind will try to influence you to change. I don't know why they bother because most of us take little or no notice of them and just accept them as well meaning though bitter cranks.
These programmes with their so called investigative journalism are always a disappointment to the cranks because they rarely prove anything, like the conspiricy theories of that slapper Diana's death. Good fun to follow but never going to change or prove anything.

Alan-LaCala
Resident
Posts: 1103
Joined: Wed Dec 01, 2004 8:36 am
Location: La Cala de Mijas

Postby Alan-LaCala » Tue Feb 14, 2006 8:29 pm

Talk to staff at Tesco, B&Q or any other large corporation with lots of unskilled staff on low wages, the story will be just the same.
I don't think you will find that is true. B&Q put a lot of effort into recruiting the right people, and keeping them happy so that they can retain them.

Both Tesco and B&Q place great store in customer service, which Ryanair clearly does not.

Alan
Remember that everything that Fred Astaire did, Ginger Rogers did too; except she did it backwards and wearing high heels!

spanish hopes

Postby spanish hopes » Tue Feb 14, 2006 8:57 pm

B&Q put a lot of effort into recruiting the right people, and keeping them happy so that they can retain them.
That won't stop some staff from whinging though. It's the nature of the beast.

floydman
Tourist
Posts: 7
Joined: Mon Jan 30, 2006 9:39 pm
Location: Wrington

Postby floydman » Tue Feb 14, 2006 10:55 pm

Didn't see the programme on safety but interested to see the opposing the views of the airline

Ryanair is an example of a typical new breed of "pile em high, sell em cheap" company basically dependent on exploiting consumers overriding obsessional need for cheapness not quality or timeliness or customer service.

Great when things go well and when you are selling millions of tickets then the "odd " problem gets overshadowed by the fact that even more millions are happy with their £10 fares. But what about the guys that have had the problems - who cares about them -the rest of us may not care and thats what these companies rely on.

Ryanair is well known for its abysmal Customer service (see any Weekend English newspaper ) and its don't care attitude of its management because they know they will always have plenty of other passengers who are wiling to pay their low (but not always) fares and the fact that flights are so short so any issues are limited.

Suppose you either have ethical views of companies you deal with or just are interested in cost come what may!

spanish hopes

Postby spanish hopes » Wed Feb 15, 2006 1:26 am

Suppose you either have ethical views of companies you deal with or just are interested in cost come what may!
My guess is that most of the complainers held the same 'cost come what may' views as the majority of us and ethics only came into the equation when they were adversely affected. I for one am not here to fight for other disgruntled consumers and am perfectly happy to say "I'm all right Jack".
I am also not prepared to question the ethics of others just to make my point.

MarkF
Resident
Posts: 375
Joined: Tue Jul 05, 2005 7:47 pm
Location: Yorks & Asturias

Postby MarkF » Wed Feb 15, 2006 1:43 pm

Alan, you may be right about B&Q I have noticed a lot of older staff there, I used B&Q off the top of my head, I could have used Next, PC World, Argos umpteen choices really :)

Floydman, I am not being "exploited"! I want to get from the UK to Spain as cheap as possible, I have 5 seats to pay for, I will happily sit on a mucky seat experiencing shoddy customer service:D Don't you get it?

"Ethical views" and "quality" is a load of bollox, I like nice things, I like good service, I buy quality, but we are talking about a mode of transport not a tangible item. I am not buying a new watch/car/jacket I just want to get from A to B.

I have flown with all the UK to Spain low cost carriers, maybe 50+ flights, I have been lucky, very, everything has gone smoothly, one day I will be unlucky, that is the price I pay, I'll still be happy with the deal.


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 27 guests