It's no secret that Ryanair has translated their "Customers Suck" philosophy into one quarter of breakout profits after another.

It's also no secret that we kind of loathe them and everything they stand for (excepting low airfare), which makes this particular story, about how the low cost carrier is poised to pass British Airways as the largest airline in the UK, as predictable as it is aggravating. Try to contain your shock when we tell you that they're being obnoxiously smug about the whole thing:]]> Omri 2009-11-05T16:15:14-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/10/15/132514/16

Ryanair is in a very public, very heated, very crazy delicious feud with the BBC. The low cost carrier has taken exception to a BBC Panorama expose unpacking the airline's complex nickle and dime strategy for extracting airline fees. In response, Ryanair's the-customer-is-always-wrong CEO Michael O'Leary has blasted the program and unveiled a 1.1 million seat giveaway.

We were surprised Ryanair reacted so negatively to a discussion of their opaque fees. Usually they're so much more confident. Just a few weeks ago they were blustering about how their customers were free to explore other options if they had problems with the airline.

This is a company that's made a business model of brazenly abusing passengers, the implicit justification being that any alienated customers could always be replaced by other bargain seekers. "You'll take our abuse because you value your wallet more than your self-esteem" is practically the company's sneering motto.]]> Omri 2009-10-15T14:08:37-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/10/2/143449/207

EasyJet and Air Berlin tracked down reporters this morning to announce that, in sharp contrast to Ryanair, they will not be removing their check-in desks from the airports they service. The airlines, in a bit of a throwback, cited the concept of "service" as the basis for their decision. How quaint:

'To have somebody in the airport you can ask questions to, and to take baggage for free, is a crucial part of our service,' said Alexandra Mueller, a spokeswomen for Air Berlin, Europe’s third-largest low-fare carrier... EasyJet, Europe’s No. 2 discount carrier, has 'no plans to go down the Ryanair route,' said Samantha Day, a company spokeswoman. The Luton, England-based airline may introduce free online check-in for all passengers this winter, she said. Now, only customers traveling with hand baggage can check in online.

]]> Omri 2009-10-02T15:57:25-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/10/1/134654/708

Ryanair has finally taken the plunge and formally scrapped their airport check-in desks. This move was largely symbolic since the airline had already banned airport check-ins for tickets purchased after May. And yet, in what will come as a surprise to no one, they're still managing to alienate watchdog groups, anger customers, and come off as general asses.

The watchdog concerns have their roots in Ryanair's older policy of charging passengers for online check-in, a penalty that the airline inexplicably levies on people who make things more efficient and cost effective. Up until now travelers could still avoid the £5-£10 fee by checking in at the airport. Now they can't and that has some people upset.

But that's not our concern. Our concern is this guy:]]> Omri 2009-10-01T14:11:43-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/9/24/134217/113

Well, we didn't have to wait very long for Ryanair to think up another crazy and controversial money-making scheme. Want to know what it is this time, now that they've already talked up paying to pee? Wait for it...wait for it...it's smoking on the plane!

That's right, one of the top behavioral rules of modern day air travel is being turned on its head by Ryanair, who are piloting the idea with their own brand of "Smokeless Cigarettes." What kind of crap are they trying to pull, exactly? Well, it seems that Ryanair took a survey of their passengers, according to USA Today, and found that some 24,000 professed an interest in smoking during flights. It did not however specify how many passengers were surveyed; 24,000 could be like a very low percentage, we have no idea. ]]> JetSetCD 2009-09-24T14:10:07-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/9/8/7548/78936

Depending on your opinion of Ryanair, their newest move could either be awesome or a total disaster. The cheap, no frills airline is looking to buy their Irish pals at Aer Lingus. They’ve tried on and off since 2006 to take over the airline, but the Irish government and the European Union keep putting the kibosh on the deal.

Most recently, Ryanair head honcho Michael O’Leary stated that his airline would ultimately succeed in buying their rival. Aer Lingus doesn’t seem as opposed to the idea as they once were, and they might not have a choice since they’ve announced that they have a little problem with burning through their cash too quickly. ]]> kjb 2009-09-08T08:59:48-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/9/3/64436/34001

Even in the short run, SkyEurope's sudden bankruptcy and full-scale flight cancelation will impact more than the passengers whom the airline left stranded all over Europe. The now-defunct airline was routinely ranked as Eastern Europe's #1 low-cost carrier, somewhat because of its services but also because it crowded a lot of its competition out of the region. Now Ryanair and EasyJet, Europe's top two LCC's, are looking to swoop into the airports and routes that SkyEurope used to dominate.

Ryanair and EasyJet have long had sparse-to-no presence in Central Europe. Aside from the occasional WizzAir route, SkyEurope had a firm grip on Slovakia, Vienna, and Prague, taking up gates and undercutting other airlines' prices. Not any more: ]]> Omri 2009-09-03T08:59:45-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/