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A kind, more gentle Ryanair

MadsL

Michael O’Leary, the brash and combative chief executive of Ryanair, says he is not a regular on the dinner party circuit. But the public abuse he receives about his airline’s customer service when he eats out at McDonald’s with his children is clearly getting to him.

In an apparent U-turn for Mr O’Leary – who regularly makes headlines for his tirades against competitors, regulators and government ministers – he has pledged to soften Ryanair’s image and overhaul the airline’s customer relations strategy.

“We should try and eliminate things that unnecessarily piss people off,”

So, when are you resigning Michael?

I have flown both Southwest (Ryanair's heroes) and Ryanair. Southwest are head and shoulders better than Ryanair without all the silly stuff.

So, would you be more inclined to fly with them if they fired their Sneaky Tricks team?

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smileyj1987

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdnQLDcDVSc

Cody Pomeray

I don't think the problem is how they treat cutomers. Their customers are getting sun holiday flights for 100 odd quid. They could call most people motherfu*cking c*cksuckers as they board the plane for all most customers care.

Btw, I don't understand see why this story leads in RTE's headlines.

As an aside, there is one serious problem with how Ryanair operates, and that's how they treat their staff, and how they encourage other carriers to treat airline staff generally. Although Ryanair's policy toward their staff is legal, I personally find it irresponsible and exploitative. It's the "rude" staff I feel sorry for.

SEPT 23 1989

I'm just glad Michael chooses to live in Ireland and pay astronomical amounts of tax into the exchequer unlike some of our other Irish business patriots

Peregrine

I never had a problem with their customer service so it doesn't really change anything.

The only problem I have with Ryanair is how they threat their staff.

Fr_Dougal

Oh Michael...master troll...

Nodin

Cody Pomeray wrote: »

As an aside, there is one serious problem with how Ryanair operates, and that's how they treat their staff, and how they encourage other carriers to treat airline staff generally. Although Ryanair's policy toward their staff is legal, I personally find it irresponsible and exploitative. It's the "rude" staff I feel sorry for.

The above.

Conmaicne Mara

Have flown with them, have no problem with them. If their staff don't like their working conditions, who's forcing them to work there?

Ryanair, does what it says on the tin.

Nodin

Conmaicne Mara wrote: »

Have flown with them, have no problem with them. If their staff don't like their working conditions, who's forcing them to work there?

.

...in a country that has about 400,000 unemployed?

ScumLord

Cody Pomeray wrote: »

As an aside, there is one serious problem with how Ryanair operates, and that's how they treat their staff, and how they encourage other carriers to treat airline staff generally. Although Ryanair's policy toward their staff is legal, I personally find it irresponsible and exploitative. It's the "rude" staff I feel sorry for.

It's going to have a knock on effect with passengers too, you can see the staff are at their wits end and take it out on passengers.

What turns me off is their website. It's like it's been purposely made into the internet's worst website just so it can catch you out. It's like they read a book on how to make a user friendly website and did the exact opposite of what it recommends.

I would always buy tickets online so that's the only interaction I have with Ryanair and it's been enough to make me avoid using using them.

[Deleted User]

I absolutely love Ryanair. If I'm flying shorthaul to places like England or Continental Europe, then it's fine - you don't need luxuries when you're only flying around 45 minutes - 4 hours. Have never had problems with staff nor have I had problems with their flights, so they get a constant thumbs up from me. However, if I was flying long-haul, then of course I'd go with another carrier.

BoB_BoT

It looks like the "U-Turn" is a response based on the flack they're getting for the below. The real question is are they trying to improve customer service or is it just lip service to get the press off their backs about the below.

Surgeon Muhammad Taufiq Sattar had to pay nearly £160 to change his regular evening Ryanair flight to the UK to an earlier one moments after he was told it was likely his family were dead.

The 52-year-old flew over to see his family in Leicester almost every week and had his return ticket booked to travel last Friday as usual.

But after being woken and told at 3am last Friday that his family’s house was on fire, he immediately changed his plans deciding he needed to get over to the UK as soon as possible.

Arriving in Dublin Airport at around 5.30am, and just moments after Leicester Police had confirmed by phone that no member of his family had managed to escape the blaze, he approached the Ryanair check-in desk to see if he could change his ticket.

Distraught, and with tears streaming down his face, he explained why he had to change his flight from 9.40pm to East Midlands Airport in Leicester later in the day so he could catch the 6.30am flight to Birmingham instead. But he was told he would have to buy a new ticket.

The stunned neurosurgeon produced his credit card and was promptly charged €187.46 - approximately £158 - for a one-way ticket to Birmingham.

In his first interview since returning to his west Dublin home in Castleknock on Wednesday night, he told the Irish Daily Mail: ‘I don’t want to make a big deal about it but it did shock me. I really did not expect them to charge me.

‘I thought, given the circumstances, they might just let me transfer flights, as I had already paid for a return fare.’

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2426352/Ryanair-forced-distraught-father-pay-160-change-flight-moments-learning-family-died-house-fire.html

I know I've quoted the daily mail, but it's been on the radio etc... today.

Menas

A kinder more gentle Ryan air will smile as they fleece you with their sneaky charges.
Awwww.

Conmaicne Mara

Nodin wrote: »

...in a country that has about 400,000 unemployed?

They can take a Ryanair flight out :rolleyes:

wil

Feckity feckity feckity feckity feckity feckity feck

Savoir.Faire

Cody Pomeray wrote: »

I don't think the problem is how they treat cutomers. Their customers are getting sun holiday flights for 100 odd quid. They could call most people motherfu*cking c*cksuckers as they board the plane for all most customers care.

.

It would be rather funny if the hostess said 'hello you cocksucker, enjoy your flight' as you were boarding. Maybe punch you in the face as well.

bumper234

BoB_BoT wrote: »

It looks like the "U-Turn" is a response based on the flack they're getting for the below. The real question is are they trying to improve customer service or is it just lip service to get the press off their backs about the below.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2426352/Ryanair-forced-distraught-father-pay-160-change-flight-moments-learning-family-died-house-fire.html

I know I've quoted the daily mail, but it's been on the radio etc... today.

It's terrible what happened to that man and his family but to be fair to the Ryanair staff if they crumbled to every sob story they would be sacked.

[Deleted User]

Trigger Happy wrote: »

A kinder more gentle Ryan air will smile as they fleece you with their sneaky charges.
Awwww.

Even with their "sneaky charges", they still work out cheaper than a lot of their competitors.

wil

bumper234 wrote: »

It's terrible what happened to that man and his family but to be fair to the Ryanair staff if they crumbled to every sob story they would be sacked.

There's sob stories, and then there's tragedy.

Even MOL realised how wrong it was got.
Mind you his choice of words left a little to be desired.

Elbaston

Ryanair treats us mean, but we can't leave cause we love them too much, maybe we can change Ryanair if we have a little time, Ryanair doesn't mean to hurt us, its our own fault ... we complain too much, we make Ryanir do it, we deserve it.

bumper234

wil wrote: »

There's sob stories, and then there's tragedy.
Even MOL realised how wrong it was got.
Mind you his choice of words left a little to be desired.

I agree but the news of this had not broken so no one knew his name or what had happened. For all RA staff knew he was just a guy with a story.

Menas

Eh....I wonder if the Ryanair cyberwatch team are reading this....will boards be getting a court order to hand over our email and ip addresses.....will I go to jail for slagging off ryanair?

Menas

Deleted User wrote: »

Even with their "sneaky charges", they still work out cheaper than a lot of their competitors.

I don't disagree. I have not flown with them for about two years now, way too much hassle for little saving.

For a few quid extra I prefer to use an alternative where I can.

I work a lot in eindhoven and I had no choice as only ryan air fly direct to eindhoven. But they pissed me off so much that I now prefer to fly aer lingus to amsterdam and get the train up.

Nodin

Savoir.Faire wrote: »

It would be rather funny if the hostess said 'hello you cocksucker, enjoy your flight' as you were boarding. Maybe punch you in the face as well.

No, no.

"If we die its ALL. YOUR. FAULT!!!!!."

Chinasea

MadsL wrote: »

So, when are you resigning Michael?

I have flown both Southwest (Ryanair's heroes) and Ryanair. Southwest are head and shoulders better than Ryanair without all the silly stuff.

So, would you be more inclined to fly with them if they fired their Sneaky Tricks team?

Southwest weren't blocked at every corner by the crooked cronyism'd government backed Mob\DAA\ cosy Aer Lingus cartel that Ryanair are and continue to be subjected to.

People have very short memories.

kowloon

bumper234 wrote: »

It's terrible what happened to that man and his family but to be fair to the Ryanair staff if they crumbled to every sob story they would be sacked.

I wonder if the same employees might be the scapegoats up for sacrifice when things like this go wrong.

Feathers

He forgot to mention that if you want the nice pleasant staff that'll be a €50 surcharge.

up for anything

Ryanair is the Dublin Bus of the skies. If you want more than to get from A to B the cheapest possible way than pay the fares that other airlines charge and quit complaining.

Back in the 80s travelling by air was the preserve of the very comfortably off - now most people can afford to fly, even just for the weekend or an overnight stay :eek:. I remember costing a return flight (either Aer Lingus or British Midlands at the time) to Dublin over the Christmas holidays back in the late 80s - ST£285 and that was booking it in September. How much would that be in Euro if it was this Christmas I was trying to book it for - far more than most people could afford.

Grandeeod

Less of this sneaky Ryanair crap. Aer Lingus are just as sneaky.

I fly Ryanair regularly when it suits. If it doesn't suit I fly Aer Lingus. Over the years I have found Aer Lingus more flexible when I have to carry extra baggage. For example a few kilos over in your checked in case, no problem. You can carry a man bag on board with your hand luggage. Small differences, but if you try to expand on Aer Lingus generosity, you get screwed. Here's the example.

I decided to fly Aer lingus with one checked in case, hand luggage and man bag. I opted to bring another case with work related equipment and check it in online at 9 yo yos a kilo. I didn't mind paying for it. It was cheaper than Ryanair, until I realised that Aer Lingus only allow you to check in a maximum of 12 kilos excess online. After that you have to pay the difference at the airport and its 15 yo yos per kilo! Even the staff were embarrassed. I paid up but could not get an answer beyond "you are punished" (nice phrase) for doing this.

So while Michael O'Leary may say we don't want your ****ing checked in bags, Aer Lingus are catching up. As for service on the route I regularly fly, feck all difference between both airlines except price. Aer
lingus on my regular route are like a flying old folks home with passengers bemoaning the good oul days and taking every opportunity to berate Ryanair.

Yamanoto

Grandeeod wrote: »

As for service on the route I regularly fly, feck all difference between both airlines except price. Aer
lingus on my regular route are like a flying old folks home with passengers bemoaning the good oul days and taking every opportunity to berate Ryanair.

Hmm....

What route is that?

Grandeeod

Yamanoto wrote: »

Hmm....

What route is that?

What? You don't believe me? I fly 20,000 miles a year on it and I get a Hmm...:D

Tenerife - Dublin.