Ryanair’s frequent changes in prices are all to do with a procedure called Revenue Management. All airlines will apply revenue mangement to their seats in some way, shape or form. Ryanair are very clever and I too have noticed that the prices don’t just seem to go up – they do go down too. However, has anyone ever noticed that when Ryanair give away 1 Million free seats, that what usually is the case is that these seats are only applicable on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays and at certain times of the day on certain other days? The reason for this is simple – these are the days/times when they carry less passengers. A Wednesday fare, for example, of £9.99 before the free seats sale may well go down to £0.01 but the weekend fares – when people are much more likely to want to travel, have gone up by approx £10.00. So, while they have reduced 1 Million seats to £0.01, they have increased seats at weekends to compensate (probably the same amount of seats as were reduced?).

The point of this? Well, from what I have noticed, when Ryanair advertise 1 Million free seats in the press, it is going to generate a lot of interest. When people search on their website and realise that it is only applicable at certain times of days or on certain days of the week, this doesn’t deter them – some may be looking for a daytrip during the week and get a £0.01 fare on both sectors (like myself! :D) plus taxes, however, most people, I suspect, will be looking to have a (long) weekend away and may well get a £0.01 fare on one of the flights and then a non-reduced fare on the other sector. The non-reduced fare has likely actually INCREASED during the free seats offer – but who is going to know that when the seats are still cheap in comparison to the competition???

That’s the secret!

For people like me who travel during the week on Ryanair, we win – we pay less and can travel often all for a days leave from work. Yesterday, I was in Lübeck in Germany for 13 hours out and back on Ryanair – all for £1 (inc. taxes!) and next Wednesday, we are all off again, to Barcelona Girona for £16. I don’t really care how Ryanair do it – as long as they do it!!

I’ve got to say that, although I agree with you on many points stated above about Ryanair’s boss, I cannot see the low cost bubble simply bursting and disappearing completely.

I think the airline industry would be in a much worse state if the low cost boys were to go now, as the travelling public are now aware that it can be done and will then grudge paying over the odds for air fares and an expensive paid-for-whether-you-use-it-or-not onboard service. People will just stop travelling by air again. If Ryanair and easyJet were to disappear from the UK market, do you think BA and bmi would be keeping their prices so low? Me thinks not!! Gone are the days of mandatory Saturday night stays and rip-off full fare last minute fares.

Like myself, these people have travelled by low cost airline just because they could now afford to pay the fares on offer. In the 4 years that I have worked for Monarch, I have never once travelled stand-by on any airline because it was just as cheap – if not cheaper – to travel with a low cost jobby and living between Luton and Stansted, I was spoilt for choice. By the end of this year, I will have travelled on 20 round trips with low cost airlines since January. I would certainly not have done that at the pre-low-cost-airline fares.

I think low cost will be here to stay as long as airlines themselves are flying – demand is there and plenty of it at that. Well, at least I hope so – I’ve got a few more cities in Europe still to see!!

Ryanair do fly to Murcia though. That’s not a kick in the arse away from Alicante.

Oh yeah!! I didn’t read pages 2-4! Ooopsy!

Dundee next?? 😀

Bugger!!

Stewart (Wingflaps2) and myself are off to Zurich that day, so we can’t make that one either – and right on our doorsteps too!!!

Grrrrrrr!:mad:

I can’t see two airlines both competing successfully on BHX/GOT. I give it six months before one of them withdraws the route.

I think that Scotairways do 9 rotations a day on EDI/LCY but will BA not be using a 146 daily x 3? If so, that will about double (if not more than double) the existing capacity on that particular city pair. Scotairways are going to have to lower their prices now, me thinks.

I feel sorry for them in a way. They don’t have many routes these days and BA are after a slice of the biggest one. Will Scotairways manage to compete? Have they got a good reputation on this route?

Picture 2 – Northwest DC10 or Air Lanka L1011

Picture 3 – Emirates

Wingflaps2