Title – Now Ryanair is charging a fiver to check in onlineSource – The Sunday Times
Date – 17th May 2009
Ryanair are at it again, tinkering with the pricing and presenting it as if it was a benefit to passengers; this despite the EU leaving no one in any doubt that they have been ‘misleading’ customers through the ‘unfair practices’ on their website.
Only recently Ryanair made the ‘dramatic’ announcement that they would be abolishing their check-in counters stating that the majority of their customers were checking-in on-line and 99% of the rest had the ability to do so… clearly having the added benefit of cutting Ryanair’s costs.
This week they are suggesting that the £5 charge for checking-in online is a balance between the old £10 fee for checking-in at the airport and the free on-line service. Anyone with any business sense can tell that if the vast majority of customers were already checking-in on-line then this new £5 charge will actually generate significant new income.
The thing which bothers me most about this though is that if everyone has to check in online now anyway, how can they make this an ‘additional charge’? It’s not like you have any other choice, you have to check-in so why is that not now included on the ticket? It would be like buying a theatre ticket and paying a supplement to be allowed to sit in your seat.
I know the whole point of their marketing strategy is to advertise the lowest possible ‘basic price’ they can and I don’t begrudge them the opportunity to run a profitable business, success should be rewarded; but it does not need to be so underhanded.
Low-cost carriers have opened up whole new horizons for many people, but be careful when booking that you know the actual costs involved; they are rarely those advertised. It is remarkable how expensive that simple word ‘from’ is in this context (flights ‘from’ £1).
Also remember to clear the ‘cookies’ on your computer before you book, otherwise they will catch you out on a whole different level.
At
Beyond The Blue (Safe Gap Year) our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness Workshop (GYITSA) considers issues of Transport Options alongside sessions on Ethical and Responsible Travel, Travel Health, Travel Equipment, Travel Insurance, Destination Advice, Travel Safety, Documentation, Travel Money and Insurance and more.Date – 17th May 2009
Ryanair are at it again, tinkering with the pricing and presenting it as if it was a benefit to passengers; this despite the EU leaving no one in any doubt that they have been ‘misleading’ customers through the ‘unfair practices’ on their website.
Only recently Ryanair made the ‘dramatic’ announcement that they would be abolishing their check-in counters stating that the majority of their customers were checking-in on-line and 99% of the rest had the ability to do so… clearly having the added benefit of cutting Ryanair’s costs.
This week they are suggesting that the £5 charge for checking-in online is a balance between the old £10 fee for checking-in at the airport and the free on-line service. Anyone with any business sense can tell that if the vast majority of customers were already checking-in on-line then this new £5 charge will actually generate significant new income.
The thing which bothers me most about this though is that if everyone has to check in online now anyway, how can they make this an ‘additional charge’? It’s not like you have any other choice, you have to check-in so why is that not now included on the ticket? It would be like buying a theatre ticket and paying a supplement to be allowed to sit in your seat.
I know the whole point of their marketing strategy is to advertise the lowest possible ‘basic price’ they can and I don’t begrudge them the opportunity to run a profitable business, success should be rewarded; but it does not need to be so underhanded.
Low-cost carriers have opened up whole new horizons for many people, but be careful when booking that you know the actual costs involved; they are rarely those advertised. It is remarkable how expensive that simple word ‘from’ is in this context (flights ‘from’ £1).
Also remember to clear the ‘cookies’ on your computer before you book, otherwise they will catch you out on a whole different level.
At
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