Michael O Leary holding government to ransom - Thank feck :)

Dannyboy83

O'Leary confirms Ryanair's intent to charge flyers for use of toilets


RYANAIR SAYS it is serious about plans to charge passengers for using the toilet on its aircraft.
“It’s going to happen,” chief executive Michael O’Leary told journalists yesterday about the proposal, which garnered huge publicity worldwide when he threw it out as a vague possibility last week.
Mr O’Leary said aircraft manufacturers had told him there were technical and safety issues about using a coin-operated system on toilet doors, so the proposal now was that passengers would swipe a credit card to gain entry.
He said that if the airline was prevented from charging passengers on the way in to the toilet, it would impose the charge when they were on the way out. It would also impose soiling charges where appropriate.:pac:
Announcing Ryanair’s “rescue plan” for Irish tourism, Mr O’Leary said recently announced cuts in service at Dublin and Shannon airports would be reversed if the Government agreed to scrap the €10 travel tax due to come into force at the end of the month.
The airline says scrapping the tax would win back the two million lost passengers expected as a result of its cuts and stem the decline in passenger numbers through Irish airports.
It has also promised to increase passenger numbers at Dublin airport by a further two million if the Government orders the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) to reduce passenger charges by 30 per cent.
The proposals are made in a “rescue plan” for Irish tourism presented by Mr O’Leary to a meeting of the Government-appointed Tourism Renewal Group in Dublin Castle yesterday.
Speaking to journalists afterwards, he dismissed the group as “the same old failed civil servants and hangers-on” who would not be able to come up with the solution the country needed.:D:D
“Instead of wasting scarce Government resources on more consultants’ reports, talking shops, strategy review groups or any of the other failed bureaucratic initiatives so beloved by the Government and the Civil Service, they should implement our measures, which would enable traffic and tourism numbers in Ireland to grow by 20 per cent over the next two years,” said Mr O’Leary.
Ryanair says the Government could save €125 million by scrapping public service obligation subsidies on air routes, closing the “useless” aviation regulator’s office and lopping €100 million off Government spending on tourism.
It says the “white elephant” airport metro in Dublin should be scrapped, giving an annual saving of €250 million. It also wants competing airports and terminals to be allowed to incentivise low-cost traffic growth rather than focusing on new route schemes.
Mr O’Leary said Government policy was killing the tourism industry.
“The €10 travel tax is without doubt the most stupid initiative of many stupid initiatives taken by this Government in recent months. You cannot stimulate tourism by taxing tourists. These travel taxes have already caused UK and Dutch air traffic to collapse. The will have a similar effect on Irish traffic, particularly to the regions.”:D
He pointed out that Ryanair’s average air fare from Shannon was less than €10 including taxes and charges, so the tax would effectively double fares.
The Government last week tweaked the proposed tax by exempting provincial airports in Donegal and Sligo from the charge, but Mr O’Leary said these airports were inconsequential.
“Tourism is in crisis, traffic is in freefall, but this is immediately reversible by scrapping the tax.”
According to the Ryanair boss, the airline is growing in every other European country except “high-cost” Ireland.
Mr O’Leary also revealed that 8,000 passengers had called or texted on their mobile phones in the first week of service of the airline’s on-board mobile connection.

I have to say, I'm not a fan of Ryanair and I was shocked to read the headline, but on reading futher through the article, I totally understand Michael O Leary's point and to be honest, I actually approve of his methods, this time at least.


He is making a serious gesture to the government that if they don't stop strangling the tourisim industry and his company, he will make them the laughing stock of every Ryanair serviced destination in the world.
I can see it on Bloomberg and CNN right now, imagine the shame for Ireland
If Ryanair weren't Irish, they'd probably be folding up operations here already.



I hope the government will back off and realise their stupidity in taxes which further suffocate an already decimated economy.
Taxes, while a necessary evil, ought to be sensibly planned at the minimum so that the economy can still be 'stimulated'.



This is just another area where they've failed to deliever.
If Michael O'Leary can turn them around, there may be hope for other people.

ednwireland

i fly ryanair as the airline of last resort i can normally find airlines at the same price or slightly more expensive. this just makes me avoid them more, i refused to fly with them after spending 3 years going back and forth to london in the late 90's nearly every week and i cant forgive them for the way they tretaed passengers regularly on a friday night cancelled flights no explantion and i was still paying 200 quid return
mol waste of space i can see ryanair falling through the floor they aren making profits any more so whats left they cant put prices up so they are in a corner with nowhere else to go business wise

jimmmy

Good old Ryanair. I often flew with them, eg for 25 quid return to England, and thank God for them. They brought fares down so much since the days 25 and 30 years ago when it cost literally a month or twos wages to fly then with Air Lingus. If Michael O'Leary was running the country it would not be in the mess its in.

kraggy

Is that tax not just on departures though? So how would it affect tourism into the country?

therecklessone

If UK air traffic collapsed because of their introduction of a £5 tax, how is Ryanair growing in that market?

Ryanair have a sweet deal in Shannon for landing fees, didn't stop them pulling aircraft from the base when it suited.

john west

if they let him or that smart ass george lee run things it would all be laa d daaa. perfect like a fairytale ahha! its funny these guys are on the news everyday talkin about what we should do!
i cant understand if they are so good economists why they arent bloody runnin the country!!! and gettin us away from these useless govt we have!!! who would know how to draw up basic P/L accounts! 18 billion we owe at the moment! thats a disgrace!!!!!
i think oleary could turn things around if they put him in charge of ireland!!!
in the end he may want to make moneey but he knows how to make ireland profitable and marketable for tourists! so hes worth his weight in gold!!!

jimmmy

kraggy wrote: »

Is that tax not just on departures though? So how would it affect tourism into the country?

Part of the cost of holidaying in Ireland.

therecklessone

jimmmy wrote: »

Part of the cost of holidaying in Ireland.

As is the cost of a couple of night's hotel accommodation, and a taxi or two, and a night on the beer, bit of dinner...that €10 looks pretty minuscule now, doesn't it?

Why are Ryanair refusing to absorb the €10 tax in Ireland (in their current €7 one-way promotion) when they absorb the £5 tax in the UK? Could it be because they face more competition in the UK?

old boy

this country is just too damm expensive, i had christmas dinner no drinks or wine in one of the better resturants in n.y.c. total $ 23 + a $5 tip, 1 person to take my coat on arrival, then seat me, a different person to explain the menu and take my order, a third person to serve me, also the bar was open with 3 behind it if one was so inclined.

jimmmy

therecklessone wrote: »

As is the cost of a couple of night's hotel accommodation, and a taxi or two, and a night on the beer, bit of dinner...that €10 looks pretty minuscule now, doesn't it?

If you have a family of 5 its still not nice being asked to fork out 50 euro, especially when you see how the govt squander it on themselves and their employees.

Dannyboy83

therecklessone wrote: »

If UK air traffic collapsed because of their introduction of a £5 tax, how is Ryanair growing in that market?

Ryanair have a sweet deal in Shannon for landing fees, didn't stop them pulling aircraft from the base when it suited.

I'm really don't know much about Ryanair to be honest, so possibly I'm well wide of the mark, but this was the bit that struck me:

He pointed out that Ryanair’s average air fare from Shannon was less than €10 including taxes and charges, so the tax would effectively double fares.

I guess on a once off, it wouldn't hurt much.
But if you're a regular user, you might start to feel it.

I guess Shannon is knackered anyway with the evacuation of Dell, apparently it was called the "Dell bus".

wylo

I wish people would stop saying O leary should be running the country, I like the man and he made flying cheaper than a train ticket in Ireland.
The man may be able to run a business, and he may have great marketing skills, but his model is based on major cost cutting at every level in the company, down to staff bringing in their own tea bags. But a country isn't a business, not everything in a country is ran for profit.

bmaxi

We had a similar tax in the 80's and I don't think it had a huge effect, the thing that really suffered was the booze cruises to Holyhead. O'Leary is against any increase in travel charges except the ones he imposes himself, e.g. multiple credit card charges for single bookings.

Zynks

A few years back I was on a visit to Brazil and on departure I had to pay a similar tax, but it had to be paid in US Dollars, cash or in the local currency - I know it is not likely to be the case here. I wasn't aware of it before getting to the airport and just didn't have the cash in either of the currencies. The feeling I got was like "so, you want me to pay to leave? Why? Didn't I spend enough here? What if i don't want to or just can't pay? Will you hold me back?"
Truth is that it does leave a bitter taste in the mouth.

Gruffalo

I dont always agree with O'Leary but on this one I think he has it right. We should not be adding an extra tax on tourists. If we can get more tourists in, they will pay more than 10Euro in VAT.

The nature of holidays has changed and many people now prefer to go for a few weekends away in addition to or instead of the 1 or 2 week holiday. There is also a rather large backpacker market in Europe. In both of these cases people are often on a limited budget and will choose to go to the cheaper destinations. We should be doing all we can to attract visitors into our country. The more tax they contribute, the less the burden on the country.

At the same time I think the country should be doing more to attract more low cost carriers into the country. Give competition to Ryanair and it might shut Mick up for a while.

wylo

wylo wrote: »

I wish people would stop saying O leary should be running the country

He'd be far better than Brain and his muppets, like really, he couldn't be any worse.

sovtek

hellboy99 wrote: »

He'd be far better than Brain and his muppets, like really, he couldn't be any worse.

Actually he could. He runs his company with a Napoleon complex. Think what he'd do to the country.
Incidentally Mick was shown how to run an airline on the cheap by the head of Southwest Airlines in DFW. He's no genius himself. The only difference is with Ruin Air they treat the passengers like **** and find evermore ways to stick it to them whilst Southwest are known for their customer service and a good place to work (possibly because it's employee owned). It's takes an Irish guy to take a good idea and make himself rich whilst punishing his customers.

Schuhart

Gruffalo wrote: »

I dont always agree with O'Leary but on this one I think he has it right. We should not be adding an extra tax on tourists. If we can get more tourists in, they will pay more than 10Euro in VAT.

+1

I think the Government truly has its head up its ass on this one.

That said, hotels and other tourist services would similarly want to respond and drop prices. We're trying to attract tourists from other European countries, which aren't exactly flush with cash either.