Ryanair has been told by a court in Barcelona that it cannot oblige passengers to print out their boarding passes at home or charge travellers 40 € if they do not.
Mercantile Court 1 in Barcelona considers, in what is pioneering sentence in Spain, that the obligation of ‘issuing’ the ticket lies with the airline and not the passenger. The court ruled that being a low-cost business did not justify this type of measure, declaring it to be ‘abusive’ and the clause ‘null’.
Ryanair had argued in court that because it was a ‘low-cost’ company it was necessary for it to adopt such policies, and that it had issued the ticket by supplying the passenger with a PDF file to print. The airline says that the passengers are told of the conditions when they book, and also noted that passengers can print the boarding card in any of the airport terminals if they bring the PDF file. The judge considered that point had not been demonstrated.
However because the airline can appeal, which it is expected to do, it can continue with the policy for the time being. The matter could end up in the EU High Court of Justice.
Read more: http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/article_28728.shtml#ixzz1B6DK9D6N
By: MSR777 - 20th January 2011 at 17:50
These Ryanair bashing threads make me laugh. All this sanctimonious rubbish about their business practices and prices they charge! :rolleyes:
Just check out the business practices of any of the major flag carriers, they certainly aren’t whiter than white!
Sanctimonious rubbish??????????????
Presumably you mean other peoples opinions on the matter:rolleyes:.
No, the business practices of the flag carriers are not whiter than white, nothing in the business world is, sadly. However, I like the fare I see to be the one I pay, no silly ‘add ons’ for a cushion on my seat, a cup for my drink or whatever. As I said in my earlier post and for the reasons stated therein, I don’t like ’em, I don’t like their business ethos and therefore I don’t use ’em, and never have, and that choice is open to everyone, as it should be. So if my attitude to this topic is sanctimonious,
then I’m guilty as charged……….and proud of it:diablo:
By: Bmused55 - 20th January 2011 at 17:39
……All this sanctimonious rubbish ….
Much like your contribution then
By: bloodnok - 20th January 2011 at 17:02
These Ryanair bashing threads make me laugh. All this sanctimonious rubbish about their business practices and prices they charge! :rolleyes:
Just check out the business practices of any of the major flag carriers, they certainly aren’t whiter than white!
By: symon - 19th January 2011 at 05:30
I’m with you 100% Paul. I have chosen to fly with Ryanair before and I would again if I had to/chose to. As I have said time and time again, Ryanair get a passenger from A to B for a reasonable cost where no other carrier can. What are you supposed to do in that instance if you should be boycotting Ryanair because of their practices?! Spend perhaps at least double the cost and time getting to your destination by car/train/another airport, when you actually really need to be at your destination relatively urgently e.g. a sickly family member.
I don’t deny that Ryanair’s business practices may be dubious, but would you tar the other LCC’s with the same brush, that choose to copy them? What are easyJet, VirginBlue, JetStar, AirAsia etc all like?!
By: PMN - 18th January 2011 at 20:16
Sounds Ryanair-ish to me.
Oh come on, how does that sound Ryanair-ish? Ryanair would keep 100% of it, not just a mere 70%! 😀 :diablo:
By: T5 - 18th January 2011 at 20:13
Except TCX put you up in a hotel if there is a long enough delay to your flight, they feed you and don’t charge you for everything under the sun. With their tickets, what you see is what you get! They’re more than willing to refund you if it comes to it and don’t charge you a £59 refund administration fee for a £60 ticket (personal experience).
I really do not see how you can tar TCX with the same brush as Ryanair. My experience with TCX puts them miles ahead of Ryanair!Please qualify your remark.
But the company is expecting holidaymakers to head off on holidays to Tunisia, despite the Foreign Office advising against travel there. And for anybody wanting to cancel, 70% of the cost of the trip will be retained by Thomas Cook.
Sounds Ryanair-ish to me.
By: PMN - 18th January 2011 at 20:12
I know you said it wasn’t for sympathy but nonetheless I’m very sorry to hear that. I’ve often wondered how I’d react if some kind of incident meant I could no longer be involved with music and I can’t even contemplate it, so I have great respect for anyone who can just get on with life and find a way through these things. Enjoy your trip away, and hopefully the tickets weren’t with Ryanair! 😀 :diablo:
By: MSR777 - 18th January 2011 at 20:05
I understand, and also just to be crystal clear it wasn’t you I was referring to in any way in any reply I’ve made in this thread. As I say, maybe we/I confused things somewhere along the line. 🙂
It happens, and isn’t that what spirited debating is all about?
The next few lines are not intended to be attention seeking or looking for sympathy, but I would like to let you guys, my fellow forum friends, know of a very recent negative event in my life. On Dec 23rd last, after some scary medical happenings, my 29 yr career in aviation came to an end following a sudden partial loss of sight and the consequential withdrawal of my driving license. This meant that my employer could no longer keep me as I had no way of getting to the ops. office. I had a fantastic leaving ‘do’ and a pair of plane tickets and a model Falcon jet to boot. I shall miss the industry and my good friends and colleagues very much. Now that means that I’m going to have to rely on you guys and Airliner World to keep me up to speed on things, and I know you will! To anyone who reads this forum contemplating an aviation career…just do it, you won,t be sorry. Right, thats it, and I thank you for indulging me. I guess that now I’ll go back to the armchair and start picking a destination for myself and my partner courtesy of those tickets.
By: PMN - 18th January 2011 at 19:33
I understand, and also just to be crystal clear it wasn’t you I was referring to in any way in any reply I’ve made in this thread. As I say, maybe we/I confused things somewhere along the line. 🙂
By: MSR777 - 18th January 2011 at 19:23
We’re going to disagree here. I find it extremely frustrating that certain individuals take such a dim view of others choices of who to fly with. Again, it’s an individual choice that has absolutely nothing to do with anyone else.
And I totally understand what you’re saying, and it is your right to say it.
Just to be crystal clear, I do not have any problem whatsoever with anyone using these airlines, and no one has to justify themselves to me. What I will say however, is that I, and I’m sure many others, got to see the negative effects that these airlines and their deleterious business practices caused, close up. It was the policies and objectives of these operators that led to the loss of my own job, after 10 yrs of clawing my way up to a senior grade within my company. I could be called bitter, and therefore of having a distorted view of this situation, but I have no problem with that. My experience is what it is and I’m shaped by it, as I guess we all are.
By: Bmused55 - 18th January 2011 at 19:09
Except TCX put you up in a hotel if there is a long enough delay to your flight, they feed you and don’t charge you for everything under the sun. With their tickets, what you see is what you get! They’re more than willing to refund you if it comes to it and don’t charge you a £59 refund administration fee for a £60 ticket (personal experience).
I really do not see how you can tar TCX with the same brush as Ryanair. My experience with TCX puts them miles ahead of Ryanair!
Please qualify your remark.
By: tommyinyork - 18th January 2011 at 18:35
Ryanair are no worst than Thomas Cook.
By: PMN - 18th January 2011 at 18:29
Okay, maybe we’re (or I’m) perhaps getting issues slightly confused here somewhere. Of course we all have a right to an opinion and I understand those of both you, Andy, and Interflug62M. I just sometimes feel there’s a definite impression given that people have the opinion flying with carriers like Ryanair is ‘wrong’ in some way, and almost something to be criticised. Perhaps I’m just reading too much into it and my apologies if that’s the case. Maybe we should agree to disagree?
Ultimately I very much agree Ryanair’s practices are less than ethical at times (in fact most of the time). I only choose to fly with them through convenience, but you’ll certainly never hear me say they’re the dog’s nads of an airline!
By: Skymonster - 18th January 2011 at 18:24
I understand and accept your point of view, Andy, and I know full well Ryanair are less than perfect, but it won’t stop me flying with them should it be convenient to do so. As for “whatever the consequences”, if you choose to be the aviation equivalent of a conscientious objector then feel free but don’t expect others to go along with it. I don’t need to justify my reasons for flying with Ryanair to you or anyone else.
I’m not a conscientious objector, nor do I expect you to justify your flying with Ryanair. But in an open forum I’m entitled to put across a point of view – and that point of view includes what I think of Ryanair and some other low-cos (please note that I’m not against all low-cos and I personally find a lot of what Southwest do to be entirely acceptable), and what I see as the issues with them.
But as Interflu62M says, the proletariat won’t consider the issues or look elsewhere than Ryanair and their likes for air travel unless the regulators force some of the issues – which neatly brings us back to my approval for the decision recently taken in Spain and my hope that the same decision will ultimately be applied throughout the EU. It’s a first step in the right direction, in my opinion.
Andy
By: PMN - 18th January 2011 at 18:22
We’re going to disagree here. I find it extremely frustrating that certain individuals take such a dim view of others choices of who to fly with. Again, it’s an individual choice that has absolutely nothing to do with anyone else.
By: MSR777 - 18th January 2011 at 18:01
As for “whatever the consequences”, if you choose to be the aviation equivalent of a conscientious objector then feel free but don’t expect others to go along with it. I don’t need to justify my reasons for flying with Ryanair to you or anyone else.
No, I’m sorry mate but I just can’t let that comment pass without a response. I’m dismayed that you should label people that think along the same lines as I do in respect of RYR and its ilk, as ‘aviation conscientious objectors. I come back to what I said in my original post, and that is that there are, and always have been, consequences for using these carriers, and one does not have to be an airline executive to see this, although outsiders will not recognise them. I am not advocating a boycott of these carriers, as in todays world cheapness seems to justify most things, that is not a realistic option. Therefore it must be down to regulators, and if that fails, courts, to keep a very watchful eye on these ‘enterprises and their sharp practices. IMO its those bodies that will ensure the long term future of our industry, not the ‘quick buck’ merchants.
By: cloud_9 - 18th January 2011 at 16:39
So whilst I do not directly looking down on people who fly with Ryanair, I do believe that they should be aware of the consequences of their choice of travel provider. If they still want to travel with Ryanair – and sadly it won’t surprise me that most will – then I accept that but don’t necessarily respect them for making that choice.
Thank you Andy, this is the point that I was trying to get across, but you clearly have a better way of phrasing it than what do.:)
By: PMN - 18th January 2011 at 16:20
I understand and accept your point of view, Andy, and I know full well Ryanair are less than perfect, but it won’t stop me flying with them should it be convenient to do so.
As for “whatever the consequences”, if you choose to be the aviation equivalent of a conscientious objector then feel free but don’t expect others to go along with it. I don’t need to justify my reasons for flying with Ryanair to you or anyone else.
By: Skymonster - 18th January 2011 at 16:19
Frankly if I can fly somewhere so cheaply then I will do
Yeah, whatever the consequences! 😡 Again, that’s a part of the problem.
By: Skymonster - 18th January 2011 at 16:17
but it’s the attitude some people have of almost looking down on those who choose to fly with a certain airline that bugs me a bit
Just as the large supermarkets have used their power to impose very difficult conditions on their suppliers that make it hard for their suppliers to run the business profitably, so to has Ryanair done the same with airports, handling agents, caterers. And in both cases it’s the staff that get the crap and the low wages.
So whilst I do not directly looking down on people who fly with Ryanair, I do believe that they should be aware of the consequences of their choice of travel provider. If they still want to travel with Ryanair – and sadly it won’t surprise me that most will – then I accept that but don’t necessarily respect them for making that choice.
The sooner Ryanair and the likes are FORCED to adopt business practices that provide the passenger with a service at a price that in a meaningful way goes some way to reflecting the cost of provision (again, I accept that occasionally sales and loss-leaders can be offered), and at the same time their operating practices are fair and reflect the true cost of provision (credit card charges, check-in fees) and what they pay for services provided to them is also fair – then that’ll be the day the airline industry becomes a much much better industry for everyone.
Andy
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January 15, 2011 at 10:41 am