Tag Archives: ryanair

Which? poll reveals best and worst of airlines

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By Phil DaviesWhich? poll reveals best and worst of airlines

Thomas Cook Airlines has landed second-bottom in an annual poll of members of consumer watchdog Which?

British Airways sister carrier Iberia hit the bottom of the table in the survey of 12,000 Which? members’ flying experiences with a 28% customer score, 9% lower than Thomas Cook Airlines.

Ryanair (32%) fared little better, gaining just a one star rating for luggage allowances, boarding process, legroom and the quality of food and drink.

However, the airline has since announced changes including a move to allocated seating and a reduction in baggage fees from January.

Guernsey-based minnow Aurigny Air Services (87%) topped of the short-haul table achieving four stars for elements like boarding process, legroom and punctuality.

Swiss International Air Lines (82%), Norwegian (79%) and Turkish Airlines (75%) completed the top four.

Air New Zealand and Singapore Airlines came joint first (87%) for their long-haul flights with both airlines gaining five stars for in-flight entertainment, food and drink, flight punctuality and value for money.

Which? executive director Richard Lloyd, said: “Our survey reveals the massive variation in the standard of airlines. Once you’ve chosen your destination, it pays to pick the airline that will get you there without any dramas.”

Responding to the survey, Christoph Debus, chief executive of Thomas Cook Airlines UK, said: “The Which? Airline Satisfaction Survey results are in stark contrast to the high levels of satisfaction our customers tell us about.

“From our own survey – which takes the views of over 900 times more of our customers than the Which? report – we have customer satisfaction scores of 87% rating their flight as either excellent or good for their holiday this summer.

“This is set to increase as we improve our fleet further – we’ve very recently taken delivery of the first of many brand new Airbus A321 and a new A330, which are already taking short and long haul customers on holiday, By 2016, we will have replaced 50 per cent of our UK fleet and for the rest the cabins will be completely renewed.

“It’s impossible to see how this survey offers consumers a like-for-like comparison when Which? is comparing airlines with completely different product offerings that appeal to completely different customers – including, for our package holiday customers, where the priority is getting them to their holiday on time.”

Tui Travel to push for widening of package law scope

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Tui Travel to push for widening of package law scope

By Ian Taylor

Tui Travel to push for widening of package law scopeTui Travel will lobby in Europe to have the proposed Package Travel Directive tightened and airline sales of holidays redefined as ‘customised packages’ rather than ‘assisted travel arrangements’.

If successful, Tui’s proposals would extend the liabilities of a package organiser to airlines such as easyJet and Ryanair.

Mike Bowers, Tui Travel UK’s general counsel, said: “We will say click-through sales are competing with our core offering and with dynamic packages, so should be treated as full packages.”

He said: “The EC is seeking, as far as it can, to capture all true holiday arrangements in an expanded definition of a package and has made a pretty good fist of it.

“The directive has been drafted with the intention of bringing in airline click-throughs, which fall within the definition of assisted travel arrangements where there is a transfer of booking data, but not personal data.

“We would like to see the same conditions apply to anything a customer thinks of as a holiday.”

Bowers added: “Anyone who cares about regulatory fairness, and fairness for the customer, should welcome the directive. It’s not perfect, but the European Commission has done a pretty decent job.”

He said: “Holidays need to be protected. You frequently have an intermediary who is not the end supplier, a service provided overseas and holidays purchased in advance.

“The market has changed since the 1990s, but for the customer these considerations are still relevant.”

Ryanair faces call for boycott in Norway

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Ryanair faces call for boycott in Norway

By Ian Taylor

Ryanair faces call for boycott in NorwayRyanair has been accused of employing cabin crew on “slave contracts” in Norway.

The accusation by a Norwegian trade union follows a claim by two former cabin crew members who are suing Ryanair over their dismissal.

Norway’s Parat union described the flight attendants’ terms and conditions as “a contract of slavery”. The crew allege there was a “culture of fear” at the carrier.

Ryanair hit back by accusing its former crew members of making “false claims” and the union of trying to distract attention from its role in negotiating job cuts at SAS Scandinavian Airlines.

The former crew members released details of their contracts, causing a public furore in Norway and leading to calls for a boycott of the airline.

Ryanair leased the crews from agencies which employ the staff on Irish contracts despite them being based at Rygge airport outside Oslo.

Norwegian media reported the contracts included the following provisions:

  • Employees had to pay for training and uniforms
  • Employment could be terminated at any time, with from 0-14 days’ notice.
  • Crew were required to pay a €200 fee to resign in the first 15 months of the contract.
  • Hourly pay was set at the equivalent of $21 an hour in flight, with no extra pay for weekends or holidays.
  • There was no sick pay.
  • Crew were entitled to 20 days holiday, booked well in advance but subject to cancellation if Ryanair required staff to work.
  • Employees were required to take at least four weeks’ unpaid leave a year.
  • Crew were required to be on standby for work without payment and be able to report within an hour.
  • Participation in union action was grounds for immediate dismissal.
  • Contract terms were to remain confidential, with violation grounds for dismissal.

Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary dismissed the claims and described the former flight attendants as “unsuccessful and dismissed”.

He told the Norwegian press: “They just invented these false claims some six months after they were dismissed.” O’Leary argued no one was forced to work for Ryanair.

He said there was a waiting list for jobs and suggested the crew were “supported by labour organisations in the process of agreeing thousands of job cuts and 17% pay cuts in SAS”.

O’Leary added: “We’re an Irish airline operating Irish-regulated aircraft. Our employees are employed under Irish contracts.”

However, following questions in parliament, Norway’s foreign minister Espen Bart Eide was quoted on Friday saying he would not fly on Ryanair until the issues were resolved.

Questioned by MPs, Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg said: “The government fights social dumping, but it’s extra complicated with the airline industry.”