And for a few more euros, Ryanair put in his place

In Ryanair, imagination is in power. Especially when it comes to earning a few more euros.
Since last June, the European Parliament has been investigating to try to understand the complaint of a Spanish mother who claims to have been forced to pay an extra 4 euros so that her 3-year-old daughter can sit next to her on a Ryanair flight.

Maybe it was the drop that broke the camel’s back. Following a survey of more than 4,000 people, many passengers travelling on Ryanair reported that they had been separated from their boarding companions.

From there, to say that the Irish carrier was using an algorithm to separate families was only one step that was quickly taken.

Ryanair’s defense is always open to doubt. The company specifies that any person who does not pay the supplement to book his seat is randomly assigned his cabin seat by computer.

Even if the reservation is made at the same time and by the same person. So it’s the computer that’s guilty!

In any case, if the words change, the purpose remains the same.

The figures confirm this presumption. Statistically, passengers separated from their companions on Ryanair routes are twice as many as other carriers.

The study found that roughly 18% of passengers on low-cost flights pay such a supplement to be able to travel with their travelling companion. On Ryanair flights, the percentage rises to 35%. Six out of ten are convinced that they would be separated if they did not pay the overload.

All means are good: provocation, manipulation. Over time, Ryanair has become a specialist in the art of grabbing the slightest euro to supplement its income. But it’s worth it.

During the financial year from 1 April 2017 to 31 March 2018, Ryanair’s turnover increased by 8 % and its net profit by 10 %. Earning 1,450 million euros in the process.

But that’s probably not enough, is it? It was indeed its president Michael O’ Leary who was seriously considering making his passengers travel standing up to optimize the filling of his planes. Or to charge for the use of the toilets. All that remains is to set up a supplement for the use of seat belts?

But he’s not the only one with an imagination. I read the comment of an Internet user who said that he would rather be trapped in Daesh’s dungeons during an Ebola outbreak during a 10 magnitude earthquake than be evacuated on a Ryanair flight.

I admit he’s exaggerating a little bit there!

François Teyssier