Well the much awaited Ryanair documentary on Channel 4's Dispatches programme in the UK aired last night and contained pretty much what Ryanair had cleverly already told the world it would contain. Smart move.
It was fairly unimpressive stuff - a decent 5 minute news bulletin stretched into a creaky 1 hour documentary after 5 months of covert filming. But it will hurt Ryanair.
Incidentally, Dispatches producer Steve Boulton yesterday suddenly started calling on a recent Flight International opinion piece on low-cost airlines in support of his programme. What we concluded in that piece was: "Now the Irish Aviation Authority should lead the world by commissioning an academic study of the human factors of low-cost operations." For the record, we don't share Mr Boulton's view of Ryanair and our view isn't based on the lightweight material his programme came up with.
Dispatches didn't make any safety charges about Ryanair stick, but it did highlight weaknesses in the aviation system that won't have come as news to anyone who works in it. Although the UK CAA may have told Ryanair it didn't plan any further action before the programme, I sincerely hope both the CAA and the IAA are planning on visiting the school that trains Ryanair's flight attendants after seeing the attitudes on display there. What we saw was evidence of a cavalier attitude to examinations and some weirdly inane remarks from an instructor in respect of passenger safety. I'd be having a very firm word in the ears of the individuals concerned.
The other serious issue is the checking of passports at the gate. But as everyone knows the idea is pretty nonsensical. Gate agents are not trained to recognise fake passports and are never going to be. It's nothing more than a final deterrent to the bad guys - but frankly if they've got that far then they're not likely to be caught at the gate. And it's a regulatory issue - not a Ryanair one.
The rest of the programme was a hatchet job on Ryanair's service product, supported by secret filming of staff members being rude about their employers. Well it's hard to have much affection for Ryanair's service model - but everyone, including me, flies with them at least occasionally. I don't look forward to it, but I do look forward to my week in the sun and I like the idea of giving my (fairly) hard-earned cash to Spanish and Irish seafront restaurants rather than the airline. Let's face it, in the UK you'd have to be a cave-dweller not to know what Ryanair's product is like - if you don't like it, don't buy it.
Like you, both myself and my wife have flown Ryanair on many occasions. Like you I find them to be very bad on several service aspects (at least with regard to what we as passengers are allowed to see - I cannot vouch for safety and regulatory issues). But like yourself we take the risk because we want a free or in this case a cheap ride.
Last year our eldest child, together with about 50 schhol mates,went on a school, trip to Germany - they flew Ryanair. I was uneasy at the time, but decided to let it go.
This year both my daughter and son and about 100 school kids will be using Ryanair for their respective school trips to Europe.
As a parent, and after watching the dispatches programme which somehow confirmed some of our deepest and deep-rooted intuitive concerns, what do you suggest we do? Take the extra gamble and risk which any flight involves but which Ryanair seems to exarcibate?
Kaiser Sousa
I'd let your kids (or mine) fly on Ryanair anytime it suits your pocket. There is an army of Ryanair-haters out there, with various motivations, all desperate to get safety-related dirt on the airline. So far they've never found any. Like him or loathe him, Michael O'Leary knows that one major slip-up, let alone a crash, related to Ryanair's operating practices would be catastrophic for the business. He's not planning on letting that happen.
Kieran Daly
Whilst you say Micheal O'Leary is not about to let an accident happen, I also don't think he's taking enough proactive steps to ensure such.
There have been several recently fairly high-profile incidents which could've ended far worse than the actual outcome, but more by luck than solid safety barriers and working practices.
Safety should be an integral part of the culture, and not just stop at regulatory compliance. Having said that, the program itself wasn't very revealing. Items like pushing the 900hr duty time limit to the max and stretching the letter of the law were not fully presented, which in my opinion are some of the major potential safety issues here.
Al Turnbull
The problem is that Ryanair is taking parts of the market from the serious airlines that give their employees good working conditions.
TT
In my opinion Ryanair is as bad/good as any other airline.
Some minor points of difference among almost airlines worldwide.
But I really find a huge difference among Ryanair passengers.
Those are clearly low-fare passengers, as we call them. Rude, drinkers and they expect vip treatment for nothing. Unbelievable!
bullit
Having travelled between Luton and Dublin recently, I can say my experience was satisfactory. Modern aircraft and a proficient crew gave confidence.
The following flight to LA with our national carrier in an ageing aircraft and crew, who failed to check the cabin before landing did little to balance the difference between the 'low price carriers' and the main stream carriers.
mike allen