Review of Panorama programme on Ryanair

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.
 
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.
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.
Click to expand...

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

Glad to hear it Brendan. Job done Mick. :)
 
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
 
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.

.
Click to expand...

I agree with you on this. I'm well up on the website tricks but that's because I'm young and computer savvy:confused:. 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 :eek: 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 :D- but it was the last time they said :(. That's an old fashioned idea called customer service. Thank you Ryanair girls :)
 
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!
 
Would have made a better programme to investigate Ryanairs polices for dealing with customers when things go wrong such as cancelled flights etc.
 
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.
 
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.
 
Slash said:
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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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
 
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.
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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?
 
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..
 
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.
 
Gervan said:
... Many people fly RA only because it's the only way to reach a certain city...
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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?
 
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?
 
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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