Ryanair takes top spot in Bristol airport's tracker awards

Ryanair, Europe’s only ultra-low cost carrier (ULCC), today (20 Aug) celebrated receiving an inaugural Bristol Airport Tracker Award, which recognised outstanding flight performance by Ryanair aircraft at Bristol Airport.

European Ultra-Low Cost Carrier (ULCC) Ryanair has won the top spot in Bristol Airport's Tracker Awards. Find the details below.

21st August 2013

Ryanair was the best performing airline at Bristol having achieved a 100% record for correct departure routes on take-offs, minimising the noise disturbance on local residents, while Ryanair was placed first for Continuous Descent Approaches (CDA), a landing procedure which also minimises noise disturbance and reduces emissions.

To celebrate, Ryanair is releasing 100,000 seats across its entire European network at prices starting from just £19.99 for travel on Mon, Tue, Wed & Thur in October and November and these “all in” low fares will be available on over 1,000 of Ryanair’s European routes, including from Bristol to Dublin, Milan or Venice Treviso, but must be booked on www.ryanair.com before midnight (24:00hrs) Thur, 22 August.


Ryanair’s Robin Kiely said:

“Carrying over 81.5m passengers this year, Ryanair knows all about being number one in Europe, with the lowest fares, no fuel charges guaranteed, the most on-time flights, the fewest cancellations and the least mishandled bags, and we are delighted to have been recognised in Bristol Airport’s inaugural Tracker Awards for our outstanding flight performance. Passengers at Bristol Airport can be a winner themselves by choosing one of our 31 low-fare routes to and from Bristol.

To celebrate our award, Ryanair is releasing 100,000 seats on over 1,000 European routes, including Bristol to Dublin, Milan or Venice, at prices starting from just £19.99, for travel in October and November. These seats are only available until midnight (24:00hrs) Thursday (22 Aug) and at these mad prices are sure to be snapped up fast, so we urge passengers to book them on www.ryanair.com before they sell out.”

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Ryanair enhances consumer security on Ryanair.com

Earlier today, European ultra-low cost carrier (ULCC) Ryanair launched a new customer verification system on the Ryanair.com website. Find the details below. 

20th August 2013

Ryanair, Europe’s only ultra-low cost carrier (ULCC), today (20 Aug) launched a new consumer verification security system on the Ryanair.com website, which offers increased security when booking Ryanair’s lowest fares on Ryanair.com.

Delivered through CardinalCommerce’s Centinel® technology platform, the new system has been introduced across all Ryanair markets and provides consumers with enhanced fraud protection during the payment process, delivering increased security for all Ryanair passengers.

Ryanair’s Robin Kiely said:

“Ryanair is continually striving to improve the customer experience of our 81.5m passengers and we have introduced a new consumer verification system on our Ryanair.com website, which will further improve the security of Ryanair.com for our 81.5m passengers – and make booking our ultra-low cost flights even more secure.”

CardinalCommerce’s Alasdair Rambaud said:

“We’re delighted Ryanair recognises the ongoing value of deploying Verified by Visa and MasterCard® SecureCode®, and chose Cardinal because of our years of experience, understanding and knowledge as pioneers of consumer authentication. We look forward to working with Ryanair and providing their consumers with an even better booking experience.”

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Ryanair discontinues legal actions against Belfast Telegraph

Ryanair has dropped legal proceedings against the Belfast Telegraph after the paper issue an apology to the carrier about a number of false claims made in an article posted on the Telegraph website on August 6th. Find the details below.

19th August 2013

RYANAIR WELCOMES BELFAST TELEGRAPH APOLOGY

Ryanair, Europe’s only ultra-low cost carrier (ULCC), today (19 Aug) welcomed an apology issued by the Belfast Telegraph arising from its publication of an article two weeks ago on its website (6 Aug) which made a number of false claims about Ryanair’s fuel policy and safety.

Ryanair initiated legal proceedings against the Belfast Telegraph last Friday (16 Aug), as well as Channel 4 Dispatches, The Daily Mail Online and the Daily Mirror. Within hours of the proceedings being issued, the Belfast Telegraph issued an apology and accepted that Ryanair’s pilots are free to carry as much fuel as they wish to, that Ryanair fully complies with EU fuel regulation, and also the IAA’s confirmation that Ryanair’s safety is “on a par with the safest airlines in Europe”.

In light of this apology, Ryanair will discontinue its legal action against the Belfast Telegraph, but will continue to pursue its defamation cases against Channel 4 Dispatches, The Daily Mail Online and the Daily Mirror.

Ryanair’s Robin Kiely said:

“We welcome the Belfast Telegraph’s apology and its acceptance that Ryanair’s pilots are free to carry as much fuel as they wish, that Ryanair fully complies with EU fuel regulation, and the IAA’s confirmation that Ryanair’s safety is “on a par with the safest airlines in Europe”. In the light of this apology we have instructed our lawyers to drop our legal action against the newspaper. 

Ryanair will not allow any newspaper (or group of non-Ryanair pilots) to defame our industry leading 29-year safety, or to impugn the 9,000 aviation professionals whose commitment to safety here in Ryanair on every flight, every day, is absolute.”

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Travelling with new lower check-in and carry-on hand baggage allowances

by Devesh Agarwal

Last month, I flew more than 50,000 miles across many nations, and airlines, and in the process experienced the carry on hand baggage and check-in baggage rules of different airlines, countries, and airports and to a chance try out new lightweight luggage. [Disclaimer: I have not received any benefit, in any form, from any of the airlines or luggage companies I have referred to in this article.]

Hopefully the tips below will help dealing with the reduction of checked-in baggage allowances in India to 15 kgs and the hand carry on baggage limits of Europe and Asia of 22"size and 7 kgs weight.

1. Check with your airline

Checked baggage weight allowances vary from country to country and airline to airline. In India, some airlines like Jet and Air India have reduced it to 15 kgs, while SpiceJet and GoAir still offer the traditional 20 kgs. Across the world, legacy carriers still offer the standard 20 kgs. To, from and within the US, the piece concept applies and the weight limit is 50 lbs or 23 kgs per bag.

However. you may have a domestic connecting leg on a local carrier in Europe or the US which may have lower baggage allowances than your international carrier. So you can carry one or two pieces free of charge to the US, just to have American, Delta, or United charge you checked bag fees for that leg from New York to Boston. Check with your airline or travel agent about the baggage allowances right till the very end of your trip. Try to get the information in writing. 

2. Carry less

We Indians love to carry stuff. Do you really need to carry so many things? One pair of pants and may be a pair of jeans will last for a whole week. Most hotels in the US and Europe have washing machines, and irons and ironing boards. Carry fewer clothes and use the facilities. Innocuous items like books, paper, food are actually quite heavy. Do you really need to carry the whole business file of the customer?

The airlines have reduced allowance by 25% (from 20kg to 15kg). Reduce what you are packing by the same 25%. Use intelligent packing solutions like Pack-It™ folders which compact your clothes and keep them crease-free.

3. Lightweight luggage

Time to trade in the old war horse but heavy suitcase for the new crop of lightweight bags. Till last month I was using my long trusted TravelPro Platinum series bags which have lasted me at least 500,000 miles. But each bag weighed about 9 kgs when empty. The new lightweight bags weigh as little at 4kgs for a 29 inch four wheel spinner. In India I recommend Samsonite which offers light series like BLight, Lift, and Optimum. American Tourister does not have light enough luggage.

In the US, after trying many a bag, I opted for the TravelPro MaxLite 2 29" spinners. Ultra-light. Strong. Competitively priced. I bought mine from eBags and WayFair. Unfortunately TravelPro is not sold in India.

In the UK, and soon to be launched in India, there is a brand called IT Luggage which deserves a look. The company offers a series of luggage called "world's lightest". I bought a 22" upright which weighs a lean 3.5 lbs (1.58 kgs). Even full, the bag still passed the 7kg test.

And if you are buying a new bag, get away from the traditional black and red. Try getting, blue or charcoal or some other colour that will differentiate your bag.

4. Smaller carry on hand baggage

While some US airlines permit 24" (60 cm) bags, the global standard is now 22" (55 cm) and in the case of no-frill carriers like RyanAir and EasyJet the size is being pushed down to 20" (50 cm).

In India many airlines are opting for small turbo-props like the Q400 or the ATR72, while in Europe and the US, may routes are on RJs (Regional Jets). These aircraft have very small overhead bins and the carry-on bag which fits in an A320 or 737 jet, has no chance in these smaller aircraft.

On long distance flights, carry-on luggage space is getting used for other frills. Like your in-seat video and fancy on-demand in-flight entertainment system? The control box now sits underneath your seat, where your bag used to go.

My camera bag with its big telephoto lenses frequently weighs more than the 7kg limit. I normally do not face a problem as most airlines recognise the fragile nature of the equipment, with the exception of London Heathrow airport.

From extensive personal experience, I advise travellers to avoid London Heathrow airport, which forces all airlines to stringently implement the 7kg hand baggage weight limit, even in business class. I have not experienced any other airport in Europe or North America imposing this.

Based on reports from family members, friends, and personal observation, Emirates airline actively enforces the 7kg hand baggage weight limit on economy class, by weighing hand bags at almost all stations. The airline is especially vigilant on flights to and from the Indian sub-continent. If you are a premium passenger, don't worry, you are forgiven all sins.

5. Expandable carry on hand bags

Fast becoming a no-no. Expansion sections require additional zips and material, and that adds weight. Also, when we expand the bag, it becomes bigger and can no longer be carried on board. You will need to check it in, and wait for it after landing losing the advantage of carry-on "get-up and go" speed.

6. Use the overhead bins properly

One of the things that makes my blood boil is the casual manner in which most Indians, just toss their bag in to the overhead compartment. All to often we find an oversize bag or a small valise in the bin put sideways, eating up the space for two bags. I also loathe those bin hoarders who will put their bag in the overhead bin above your seat and then go and sit few rows back.

Its time to give such inconsiderate cabin mates dirty looks, if needed a talking to, and for you to stand-up for your rights. But then, we must practice what we preach.

7. Get Status

Become an elite customer of the airline. Either by flying with them, or getting a co-branded airline platinum credit card. Elite customers are given additional baggage allowances and priority boarding which allows you to get to that precious overhead bin space ahead of the others.

Photo courtesy of Jaktogo

8. Wear your luggage

If you are flying the ultra-cheapo RyanAir or Spirit Air who charge for carry on baggage, consider the new fad of ‘wearable luggage’ or ‘luggage jackets’. These allow you to pack almost the equivalent of a carry on bag worth of stuff. In fact in some cases, the jacket turns in to a bag and vice-versa. Check in wearing the jacket, board and convert it to a bag and put it in the overhead bin.

Yes who may look odd wearing this huge jacket, but who cares. With the money you save on baggage fees, go have a party, or buy a new outfit. Relish the fact that you, the customer, had the last laugh, not the airline.

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RyanAir places order on Boeing for up to 200 737s

Photo: Adrian Pingstone. Courtesy Wikimedia. Rights reserved.

The Irish Independent is reporting that low cost carrier RyanAir has placed an $18bn (€14bn) order with Boeing to buy up to 200 aircraft. It is unclear whether the order includes any 737 MAX.

Apparently the order will be confirmed by US President Barack Obama and Taoiseach (Prime Minister of Ireland) Enda Kenny at the White House next week.

This order also implies that RyanAir has essentially abandoned its seven year old efforts to buy Irish national carrier Aer Lingus and will use this order to expand its fleet and services.

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VIDEO: Making the sexy 2012 RyanAir charity calendar

The ‘making of’ video shows 13 of Ryanair’s hottest cabin crew on location during the calendar photo-shoot in Lanzarote last September for its 2012 Ryanair Cabin Crew Charity Calendar. The video has been made in a 1940's theme with sepia effects.

Ryanair has succeeded in selling 9,000 of targeted 10,000 copies of the calendar, which are available online at www.ryanair.com and onboard its aircraft, for €10.



RyanAir is known to milk adult tastes to further its causes, profit as well as charity. Last month RyanAir chief O'Leary said the airline is planning to show XXX porn on board its flights using portable media devices.

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RyanAir planning to show XXX on-board? Another Erin Andrews incident in the making?

Erin Andrews for Reebok. Photo courtesy Reebok.

Passengers of RyanAir may encounter sex scenes similar to the one alleged to Keith Clinkscales and Erin Andrews, or the famous sexual romp on-board Kingfisher Airlines, if Michael O'Leary, the irrepressible chief of the low cost carrier has his way.

Mr. O'Leary says the airline is planning to show porn on board its flights using portable media devices.

On almost the same day the world was already abuzz with media stories that Mr. Keith Clinkscales, a former senior vice president at ESPN, allegedly masturbated underneath an Apple iPad while seated next to the sexy ESPN correspondent Erin Andrews, onboard a flight.

The Big News Network quoting The Sun reports

Airline chief Michael O'Leary said they are looking at launching an in-flight web offer that is similar to hotel room pay-TV services. It would allow passengers to log into a Ryanair app and then would pay to gamble, watch a movie and even see sex scenes.

'I'm not talking about having it on screens on the back of seats for everyone to see. It would be on handheld devices,' The Sun quoted O'Leary as saying.

In April 2009, model Sarah Hannon and two others were arrested for acts of sex and fighting on-board a Kingfisher Airlines flight from Bangalore to London.

What are your views? Do you think RyanAir is one to something? Or given the fact the airline wants to charge for use of the toilet can one expect drooling, grunting, shaking neighbours on our next RyanAir flight?

Post your thoughts on this story via a comment.

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Video and Pics: RyanAir launches its sexy "Ryanair Cabin Crew Charity Calendar"

Lisa, RyanAir, Madrid

Irish low cost carrier RyanAir launched the 2012 edition of the Ryanair Cabin Crew Charity Calendar, the fourth year running.

The calendar is a swimsuit edition featuring some of the most sexy RyanAir cabin crew (in India they are still called air hostesses).

Every year the airline donates the proceeds raised from the sale of this calendar to a charity.

This year, the airline intends to raise 100,000€ for DebRA, a U.K.-based charity. Till date, RyanAir has raised almost 400,000€ via these calendars.

Participation in the calendar is voluntary. The selection committee received 400 applications from cabin crew. 382 female, 18 male. After a rigorous selection process 12 ladies were selected.

10,000 copies of the calendar are printed. About 6,500 are expected to be sold on the internet and another 3,500 on-board RyanAir flights and DebRA outlets.

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Can RyanAir survive without public subsidies -- analysis by @Airobserver and @WhichBudget

RyanAir has often been credited with being virtually unstoppable thanks to a highly efficient operation.

However, as the WhichBudget website explains

While Ryanair declared €663m of ancillary revenues in its last annual report in 2009, Ryanair earned more than €664m in subsidies the same year. It means that subsidies are at least as important as ancillary revenues and represent around 22% of Ryanair’s revenues.

The story is based on an extensive analysis by Roman the AirObserver. We strongly recommend a reading of the analysis.

Do also take the time to visit the AirObserver site.

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Video: Making of the 2010 Ryanair cabin babes charity calendar

The uber-cheap Ryanair has some great assets -- it's sexy sexy cabin crew. Over 800 of the airline's 4000 cabin crew volunteered to strip off their uniforms and bare for the 2010 Ryanair Cabin Crew Charity Calendar.

The airline launched its Charity Calendar which it hopes will raise €110,000 for the UK charity “KIDS” which provides support to disabled children all over the UK.

Ryanair’s CEO Michael O’Leary bought the first 100 copies of the 2010 calendar and sent one to anti-fun Labour MEP Mary Honeyball who last year wrongly accused Ryanair of “forcing” cabin crew to take part in the calendar.

The proceeds of the 2010 calendar will bring the total raised by Ryanair’s sexy cabin crew to almost €300,000 since the first calendar was published in 2008. The 2010 edition, which was shot at Ryanair’s Alicante base in September, will raise €110,000 through the sale of 11,000 calendars onboard Ryanair flights and from www.ryanair.com for just €10.

Now if we can just convince IndiGo to do a repeat of this calendar in India. Having flown with some great looking ladies last week, the airline sure does have the assets for just such a calendar.

Here is a behind the scenes video of the Ryanair 2010 calendar photo-shoot. Have a great weekend.

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New age low fare carriers – great value for money and a far cry from RyanAir

About two weeks ago, Air India announced it was going to extend its low cost operation Air India Express in to the domestic market. Across Twitter, Facebook and other social networking sites I detected a snigger from many fellow aviation bloggers and enthusiasts – Air India, a national carrier going low cost ? How low can Air India fall ?

It got me thinking, what is the benchmark of a low cost carrier?

Surely this poor view must have come from impressions of RyanAir - an organisation so cheap that it will even sell lavatory facilities or standing room tickets given the chance.

Where do carriers like Southwest Airlines or JetBlue or Virgin America stand? How do these “low fare” carriers compare to the US legacy carriers like American, Continental, Delta, United, and US Air, especially in light of the latter's service cutbacks and “ala carte” pricing?

How do Indian “low fare” carriers IndiGo, SpiceJet, JetLite, Jet Airways Konnect compare to other airlines in the US, or European or Asian low cost/low fare counterparts?

I search of answers I embarked on a two week quest. The answers in my comparison study revealed some very interesting results.

Southwest Airlines, JetBlue, Virgin America, EasyJet and most Indian “low fare” carriers like SpiceJet and IndiGo compare favourably to their “full service” counterparts.

What did surprise me, is despite it's "charge for everything" approach, RyanAir does not offer a significantly lower fare than it's other low fare competitors. Is the RyanAir myth just a creation?

Airline	Seat Pitch	Seat Width	Food	Beverage	Water	Baggage	Airport Check-in	One-way fare
SpiceJet	32”	17”	Buy	Buy	Free	20kg / 44 lbs	Free	$65.90
IndiGo	30”	17.7”	Buy	Buy No hot bev	Free cups. Bottle $0.60	20kg / 44 lbs	Free	$65.90
Kingfisher Red	31”	17.8”	Free	Free	Free	25kg / 55 lbs	Free	$67.94
JetLite	31”	17”	Buy	Buy	1 Bottle Free	25kg / 55 lbs	Free	$67.94
Jet Airways Konnect	30”	17”	Buy	Buy	1 Bottle Free	25kg / 55 lbs	Free	$67.94
Southwest	33”	17”	NA	Free	Free	2 pc	Free	$285.70
JetBlue	34”	17.8”	Free Snacks	Free	Free	1 pc	$2	$209.60
Virgin US	32”	17.7”	Buy	Free	Free	$15 / pc	Free	$225.60
EasyJet	29”	18”	Buy	Buy	Buy	20kg / 44 lbs	Free	$137.75
RyanAir	30”	17”	Buy	Buy	Buy	Pay	Pay	$157.35
Legacy (AA CO DL UA US)	31”	18” Airbus or 17” Boeing	Buy	Free	Free	Per Bag 1st$20 2nd$30 3rd$125	Free	$333.60
Air Asia	30”	17”	Buy	Buy	Buy	Kg. Slab 15$1.50 20$16.50 25$31.44	Free	$56.00

• One way fare was checked for a flight of approximately 2 hours flying time with a six day advance purchase.
• RyanAir does not provide details. However their Boeing 737-800 aircraft configuration is the same 189 all economy seats as most other low fare carriers.
• Indian carriers are prohibited from serving alcohol on domestic flights so beverage comparison is limited to non alcoholic drinks only. Most US and European carriers charge for alcoholic beverages.
• EasyJet charges for baggage check-in and these fees are included in the fare.

Compared to most of the full service legacy carriers across the world, these value carriers offer a fantastic product in terms of value for money. When compared to legacy carriers in the United States in most cases value carriers offer superior services right from the booking to on-board the flight, newer aircraft, and many more included services like baggage allowance and airport check-in, for free in their bouquet.

With the cutbacks in service levels, the introduction of a-la carte pricing coupled with reasonably high fares, should the legacy carriers in the United States be even considered “full service” any more? The answer is a resounding no.

In Europe too, some legacy airlines like British Airways are beginning to experiment the US in service level cutbacks, and will soon feel the pinch of the value carrier even harder.

The expectations from a value carrier is in many ways dictated by the service levels of a full service carrier. In most Asian countries, two factors come in to play.

First is the lack secondary airports, thereby making the airport cost structure the same for the value carrier when compared to the full service carrier. Value carriers have narrower options to obtain better efficiencies than their full service counterparts, which they achieve by :

• turning around their planes faster. 30 minutes compared to 40~45 minutes
• using a lean staff structure. Typically only one gate agent compared to four or five

and other techniques common to value carriers across the world like common aircraft type, single class cabin, less food, less waste, higher aircraft usage etc.

Second, the higher service levels of the legacy carriers in Asia forces the value carriers to offer a superior service and more "freebies". Indian value carriers do not charge for over-sized luggage, unaccompanied minors service, and when connecting to international flights, offer their passengers a two piece baggage instead of the traditional 20 kg allowance.

In India, the only difference I could find between the full service carriers Air India, Jet Airways and Kingfisher was the availability of reading material, a hot meal on flights greater than one hour and free flow of beverages and water on board. The service levels of Kingfisher Red are almost the same as the regular Kingfisher with free hot snacks, mileage accrual, reading material, in flight entertainment system, right down to a valet service, but then Kingfisher is the exception not the norm.

The value carriers like IndiGo and SpiceJet even have a "frequent flier" program for corporate travellers. Both airlines reserve their first five rows which have extra legroom, while SpiceJet adds a hot continental breakfast. GoAir too has introduced a concept of a "Business class" for an additional $20 where the legroom is increased to 34", meals are complimentary, the middle seat is left vacant, free baggage allowance of 35kgs/77lbs, and rebooking fees are waived.

Traditional Indian hospitality, and the concept of Atithee (guest is greater than me) ensure smiling faces, helpful attitudes, and attentive service, regardless of airline.

I was rather surprised at the fares. Indian carriers have surprisingly low fares, despite facing fuel costs which are almost double that of the international rates, and infrastructure and equipment costs in line with international norms. It will be great to hear from some informed readers on the possible reasons other than sheer competition since both SpiceJet and IndiGo both appear to be making profit.

What is an airline? Is it a transport business? or is it a hospitality business?

For RyanAir and most US legacy carriers, it appears to be the former. For the luxurious Emirates and Singapore Airlines it is probably the latter, but the sweet spot appears to be somewhere in between, but regardless it always boils down to Quality, Cost, Delivery, Service i.e. offering your customer the maximum value for their money.

It will be great to hear from Bangalore Aviation readers on what differences you perceive between the "value" and the "full service" carriers.

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Airbus to Ryanair: We are not interested in your business

At the start of this month, Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair announced it has invited proposals from both its sole vendor till date, Boeing, and competitor Airbus for 200 to 300 new single-aisle aircraft in the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 category, for delivery between 2012 and 2017.

I had a chance to interact with senior Airbus executives during the recently concluded Aero India show in Bangalore, about the RFP from Ryanair. I was told that Airbus had an "unpleasant history" with the carrier, and that they were least interested in pursuing any deal.

The angst of Airbus can be felt in the words of Airbus chief commercial officer John Leahy, “We don’t plan a sales campaign with Ryanair, which would be very expensive and very time consuming,”.

This despite production cutbacks recently announced at the European plane maker.

Ryanair has a known history of ordering extensive capacity at discount prices and then re-negotiating outstanding orders for even lower prices than originally agreed upon.

Going by statistic compiled by Aviation International News, since 1998, if we count the order announcements between Boeing and Ryanair it adds up to almost 540, whereas in reality, Ryanair has placed firm orders for 338 airplanes.

Its now over to Boeing.

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