Ryanair are Scum

Using Ireland as a base for travelling on to the UK or Europe? Looking to visit Ireland from these short-hop locations? Here's a tip:

Do Not Fly Ryanair!

Yep, they'll try to lure your business by advertising too-good-to-be-true prices. Think, "Suspicious stranger offering candy to vulnerable children." Ryanair will trap you in some isolated place, far from home, make frightening demands, then force themselves on you. SCUM. The bastards get away with it because most people, if they finally make it home alive, are too ashamed to admit what happened.

I used to recommend their airline here on DFA Guide, before I'd been done over enough times to realize these ass-rapings were intentional and systematic, not one-off events. A few examples:

• Returning from Brussels, our party of four arrived at the airport in one car. The Ryanair rep checked in our first two, then switched off his computer and walked away. "Hey! What's the story?" Story was- and very rudely explained- that he'd decided at that moment to close the flight. The supervisor explained that it was at that point- half an hour later, when she finally appeared- too late to put anyone on the plane. The plane itself did not depart for another forty-five minutes. "Give me two hundred Euro and I'll change your ticket- to a flight that leaves in eight hours!" Ryanair's Brussels airport is actually thirty miles away from Brussels, stranding us in the middle of nowhere, with no choice or escape. SCUM.

• In the aftermath of the tragic 20004 Tsunami, millions of companies and individuals rushed to aid the victims in Southeast Asia. Ryanair stuck true to form. One Irish family, the Murtaghs, survived the devastation and were flown (free) out of the disaster area, as far as London. Ryanair saw its opportunity and charged €1100 for their flight from London to Dublin. Grateful to be alive, the Murtaghs announced that if Ryanair mended their error and refunded this money, they would donate twice that amount to the Tsunami relief charities so that some good could result from the terrible incident. So far: NOTHING.

• As part of a promotion, years ago, Ryanair awarded their millionth customer free flights for life. The winner enjoyed an average of four trips per year for the first few years. Ryanair, then without explanation, cut her off. Pleas for explanation were stonewalled. Eventually, the matter went to the courts. To paraphrase: "Free flights for life seems pretty clear, doesn't it? And, it's not like I had abused the prize." Smooth lawyers worked their slimy magic for a long time, but could not defend Ryanair's case when a recording was made public of the company's Managing Director, Michael O'Leary abusing his millionth customer on the phone. Paraphrasing again: "You stupid piece of shit." The courts awarded her a five-figure sum. She vowed never to fly Ryanair again.

• In December 2004, Ryanair lost a landmark discrimination case, ruling that henceforth they must provide for wheelchair-bound passengers.

• Travelling to Paris, with tickets purchased months in advance, we had to change a detail at the last minute. Finally getting through to a representative on the phone, I was appalled to hear that the fee for changes amounted to five times the cost of the tickets! Unbelievably, the rep on the phone began to taunt, straight out of a schoolyard, "Oo, well guess who should have thought of that months ago when they bought the ticket?" What was saddest is that that employee probably did not start out as a witch whose voice should be dripping with hate and hurt. I later learned that Ryanair employees work in a terrible environment where they are victimized until there is no joy in them except the occasions where they feel vindicated in turning that abuse on someone else.

I've found a report that Ryanair staff have to pay for their own uniforms. O'Leary has even encouraged the theft of pens from hotels to keep costs as low as possible.

Here's a few quotes from the man at the top of that bullying chain, multi-millionaire Managing Director Michael O'Leary. These are unaltered. Though they sound like they've come from the worst of English soccer thugs, I've verified them legit, word for word:

• "What part of no refund don't you understand? You are not getting a refund so fuck off."

• "We have written back to say fuck off." (The Financial Times asked what O'Leary was doing about the Belgian authorities' demands for the return of €3.5m in subsidies inappropriately received by Ryanair.)

• "Screw the travel agent. Take the fuckers out and shoot them."

My Mom's a travel agent. For Burger King wages, she helps people out eleven hours a day, cleaning up after airlines' broken promises. So the DFA Guide rules: This is a dishonorable man leading a company that honors no promises.

I'm boycotting Ryanair. I don't care if it appears twice as expensive to fly with a reputable carrier. They will never get the chance to arbitrarily jack me up again.

For more information, please visit:

http://www.netsoc.tcd.ie/news/2003/01/30/

http://www.michn.dk/ryanairsucks/index.htm

http://stefzucconi.blogspot.com/2004/12/ryanair-licks-donkey-bottom-pt1.html

http://www.airlinequality.com/Forum/ryan.htm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/2203519.stm

http://www.clik2complaints.co.uk/DPs/ryanair.html

http://news.independent.co.uk/low_res/story.jsp?story=595388&host=3&dir=60

- Added to the DFA Guide, January 2005.

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