Cut-price airline RyanAir has flown into a storm of contempt on social media after announcing that it had "reduced" its fees for carrying sporting equipment, while actually adding €10 to the cost of flying with a bike.
In an announcement on its website this morning, the budget carrier said:
Ryanair, Europe’s favourite airline, today (28 April) enhanced its sport equipment carriage service and reduced its fees from a €50 flat rate into 5 different categories; bike, large sport, skis, golf bag and small sport, making it even easier for customers to travel with their sporting equipment on Europe’s lowest fares.
Ryanair customers can now book the following options:
Bike – €60 each way
Large sport (including but not limited to surfboard, canoe, kayak etc.) – €60 each way
Skis – €40 each way (reduced from €50)
Golf bag – €30 each way (reduced from €50)
Small sport (fishing rod, bowling ball, racquet, hockey stick etc.) – €30 each way (reduced from €50)
Ryanair describes this change to its sporting goods pricing structure as part of its “Always Getting Better” programme, but the announcement was swiftly dissected by the Twitter cycling community's arithmetical experts.
@roadccdave @Ryanair have "reduced" the fee for a bike from €50 to €60 ? Did I read that right?
— Chris Gerhard (@chrisgerhard) April 28, 2015
@Ryanair reduced bike fee from 50 to 60 euro each way is that an error? Still cheaper on Easyjet. Also, what if i put my bike in a golf bag?
— marksuttonbike (@marksuttonbike) April 28, 2015
.@Ryanair Charging more for bikes isn't improved is it? “Always Getting Better” my arse. How do you justify €120 for bike on RTN flight?
— Dave Smith (@ffflow) April 28, 2015
Others wanted to know just what you get for your money. Our own Big Dave is waiting to be told whether paying the fee now actually guarantees your bike will fly with you.
.@Ryanair does the new policy guarantee the sports equipment on the flight when booked?
— Dave Atkinson (@roadccdave) April 28, 2015
But maybe there are some new benefits? (It appears not.)
@ffflow @Ryanair €120?! Does that at least include full and immediate refund for a damaged bike?
— Mrs Honeycakehorse (@DorianSalome) April 28, 2015
@DorianSalome @Ryanair I'd want a massage from a unicorn for that much.
— Dave Smith (@ffflow) April 28, 2015
36 thoughts on “Ryanair “reduces” bike fee from €50 to €60, flies into cloud of Twitter derision”
I’d sooner swim where I have
I’d sooner swim where I have to go with the bike on my back than trust that shower of s**t with it.
Actually, I’d rather swim where I’m going than travel with that shower of s**t, period.
Euro 60 return for a hockey
Euro 60 return for a hockey stick or bowling ball?
You can buy several brand new ones for that…
You’d be lucky to get half a
You’d be lucky to get half a hockey stick for that. I know a few of my team have £200 plus sticks.
Yet another reason not to fly
Yet another reason not to fly Ryanair. You pay for what you get. Easy Jet is cheap, Ryanair is cheap and nasty.
OldRidgeback wrote:Yet
Don’t those last two sentences contradict each other?
But yes. While Easy Jet might not make travelling “pleasurable”, they can generally be counted on to do what you paid them to do.
nuclear coffee wrote:
While
I don’t know. My suitcase was smashed in on an EasyJet flight and it took them about two months to send me a claim form, which they then completely ignored.
I think budget airlines only do anything if the value is high enough for you to pursue them through the small claims court.
You bunch of snobs – Ryanair
You bunch of snobs – Ryanair are absolutely fine and better now the mad rush for the gate has been nullified.
mtm_01 wrote:You bunch of
Well I’ve had enough crap experiences on Ryanair flights not to want to use that airline unless I absolutely have no other option. Even the staff are unfriendly and unhelpful. EasyJet isn’t that great, but it isn’t that bad either.
The real irony is that it is
The real irony is that it is weight that impacts the operating costs the most. Most bikes are lighter than a set of golf clubs. Taking it to the extreme a typical darts player would be impacting the operating costs more than a typical cyclist plus bike.
paulrbarnard wrote:The real
Well said. I’d absolutely love it if airlines started charging fares ‘per kilo’ for person + luggage. A much fairer system but can you imagine the outcry…
I recall flying to Majorca in
I recall flying to Majorca in the early 90s; ride to the airport, let tyres down a touch*, hand bike over, get bike back at the destination airport, pump up tyres, ride away down the seafront.
Bicycling is big business now, and flying with a bike should reflect that. The first company to actually make it as easy as it used to be will get my custom.
*…which wasn’t necessary then, and shouldn’t be now…
EasyJet were very nice when I
EasyJet were very nice when I went to the bag drop and discovered that I had booked regular luggage than a bike box. The check-in clerk was very helpful, and all it took was a payment of £45 return to change it.
Contrast that to being bounced from a Ryanair flight because the name on my self-printed boarding card had my name with initials rather than my full name (even tho the name with initials was on the CC I used to purchase the flight). And you checked in for your return, sir? So yes, it also applies to that flight.
Never forget: all Ryanair promises is a cheap flight. You pay for cheap in other ways!
If Ryan Air were operating
If Ryan Air were operating the last flight out hell i’d think twice about it & probably opt to walk!
They also give you 2kg less
They also give you 2kg less than the others as well… as i found out at east midlands airport a couple of weeks ago
To answer Dave’s question
To answer Dave’s question about booking in advance: it makes bugger all difference. I booked my bike for the 2010 Etape in November 2009 and come July they refused to confirm that it would travel on the flight as wheelchair passengers took precedence and they would take off bikes at random regardless of when they were booked in. I ended up sending the bike by lorry. Of course the airline bike fees was non-refundable.
It’s a money making scam booking a bike on flights from the UK. When BMI Baby were around you had just 18kgs before charges at £10 per kg kicked in. Needless to say my scales were always more generous than the airline but on my various returns from all parts of Spain and France I have never had the bag weighed or been charged anything extra. It’s just the UK that fleeces you.
May that smug crook Michael O’Leary burn in Hell’s fire.
Well I just returned from
Well I just returned from South of France flying RyanAir both ways and they were fine. Flight cost £52 return from Stansted. Can’t beat that. There’s a lot of whingers here.
At €60 it’s a “go away”
At €60 it’s a “go away” price. I’d try BA – bike counts as an item of checked luggage, I recall.
If you want to avoid the bike
If you want to avoid the bike charge most airlines impose, there is the Aerus Biospeed Bike case which travels as normal luggage. Its been discontinued a few times but is a great case.
https://www.youtube.com/watch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPyl2tOaKxM
Scicon to the rescue! A
Scicon to the rescue! A useful airline bike fee comparision: http://news.sciconbags.com/want-to-avoid-excess-baggage-charges-look-no-further/
Travelled with jet 2 recently
Travelled with jet 2 recently to Majorca. Quite a pleasant experience. £30 e/w for the bike. Staff actually welcoming and helpful on arrival at both airports actually walking with you to the outsize baggage.
Gasman Jim wrote:If Ryan Air
Don’t you mean ride? Seriously though, I’d never fly in Ryanair planes. Too many horror stories
How on earth can they justify
How on earth can they justify €30 for a racquet? WTAF?
20 years ago now but I flew
20 years ago now but I flew back from Italy with BA after a year in Austria with my bike, a snowboard and 2 suitcases setting the scales at 60kg, I didn’t have to pay a penny!
Surely for peace of mind, when possible, isn’t it better to fly with a major airline rather than a budget especially as the carriage charge goes a good step towards paying the extra.
Ermmm !! Maybe reverse
Ermmm !! Maybe reverse mathmatics…. :W
Was going to be 75 Euro !!!!
You get what you deserve if
You get what you deserve if you choose to fly with an airline whose CEO is as openly contemptuous of his customers as the Ruin Air CEO is.
I decided a long time ago
I decided a long time ago that I would never fly Ryanair again, after a weekend away in Frankfurt turned into a 2 hour flight and a 4 hour coach journey each way complete with lost luggage and delays.
So far I have never had to compromise any travel plans due to this decision, which shows that if you really don’t like Ryanair, you don’t have use them.
Just as a counterpoint to the
Just as a counterpoint to the general tenor: I go to Germany regularly, coincidentally close to Frankfurt Hahn (it’s not close to Frankfurt, but it is close to my destination ;).
The Ryanair flight is usually cheaper than the train fare to STN; if you can get away with carry on luggage and don’t expect more comfort than on a coach they’re fine. If you expect any customer service, or courtesy, you’ll be disappointed, though… I’ve had my share of experiences with them as well.
But it’s still the most convenient (and, by quite a margin) the cheapest way to make that journey.
I think Ryanair’s attitude to
I think Ryanair’s attitude to passengers is still despicable. Take the case of my sister, travelling recently with her two young children. Her flight from Gatwick, with a different airline was cancelled while she was waiting at the airport and no other was available. She got a full refund from that airline and, from the hastily arranged hotel, booked on the only available alternative flight, with Ryanair from Stansted. With no realistic possibility of returning home before that flight, she had to try printing out her boarding passes on a hotel computer, which wouldn’t print them. So Ryanair charged her 210 pounds just to print those 3 boarding passes and refused to refund on appeal – shamelessly ripping her off, IMO, as they do to so many other people. It’s no wonder so many people loath them.
Don’t fly to Pescara in Italy
Don’t fly to Pescara in Italy then, Ruin Air are the only operator that fly there from the UK, and that’s where my mother and step father live. We could fly to Rome but there is a 2.5 hour drive and tolls to add if we do. Got us by the short and curlies, saying that, I’ve never had an issue. There I’ve gone and done it now…..
Ryanair’s, Micheal O’Leary,
Ryanair’s, Micheal O’Leary, arrives in a hotel in Dublin, he goes to the bar and asks for a pint of draught Guinness. The barman nodded and said, “That will be one Euro please, Mr. O’Leary.”
Somewhat taken aback, O’Leary replied, “That’s very cheap,” and handed over his money.
“Well, we try to stay ahead of the competition,” said the barman, “and we are serving free pints every Wednesday evening from 6 until 8 p.m. We have the cheapest beer in Ireland.”
“That is a remarkable value,” comments Michael.
“I see you don’t seem to have a glass, so you’ll probably need one of ours. That will be 3 euros please.”
O’Leary scowled, but paid up. He took his drink and walked towards a seat.
“Ah, you want to sit down?” said the barman. “That’ll be an extra 2 euros. You could have pre-booked the seat, and it would have only cost you a Euro.”
“I think you may to be too big for the seat sir, can I ask you to sit in this frame please?”
Michael attempts to sit down but the frame is too small and when he can’t squeeze in he complains, “Nobody would fit in that little frame”.
“I’m afraid if you can’t fit in the frame you’ll have to pay an extra surcharge of 4 euros for your seat sir.”
O’Leary swore to himself, but paid up. “I see that you have brought your laptop with you,” added the barman. “Since that wasn’t pre-booked either, that will be another 3 euros.”
O’Leary was so annoyed that he walked back to the bar, slammed his drink on the counter, and yelled, “This is ridiculous, I want to speak to the manager”.
“Ah, I see you want to use the counter,” says the barman, “that will be 2 euro please.”
O’Leary’s face was red with rage. “Do you know who I am?”
“Of course I do Mr. O’Leary.”
“I’ve had enough, What sort of bar is this? I come in for a quiet drink and you treat me like this. I insist on speaking to a manager!”
“Here is his E-mail address, or if you wish, you can contact him between 9 and 9.10 every morning, Monday to Tuesday by dialing this free phone number. Calls are free, until they are answered, then there is a talking charge of only 10 cents per second.”
“I will never use this bar again!”
“OK sir, but remember, we are the only hotel in Ireland selling pints for one Euro.”
I’ve always found them to be
I’ve always found them to be fair enough – if you keep within their (admittedly very restrictive) rules, they are dirt cheap. I haven’t however ever taken my bike abroad with them. Just watching the way all airport workers handle baggage worries me!!
On another note though, I wish airlines would just simplify their weight charges. I propose a 100Kg allowance per passenger including the passenger and all luggage / hand/ checked in/ baby buggies / bikes / skis / instruments, anything!
I’ve always found them to be
I’ve always found them to be fair enough – if you keep within their (admittedly very restrictive) rules, they are dirt cheap. I haven’t however ever taken my bike abroad with them. Just watching the way all airport workers handle baggage worries me!!
On another note though, I wish airlines would just simplify their weight charges. I propose a 100Kg allowance per passenger including the passenger and all luggage / hand/ checked in/ baby buggies / bikes / skis / instruments, anything!
Yeah I’m sure all the
Yeah I’m sure all the whingers on here would be happy if O’Leary had not started Ryanair and not been successful and also Stellios hadn’t started Easyjet as a rival ……. Had this not happened you would all still be paying hundreds and hundreds of pounds to fly to European destinations albeit fewer of them and only the main hubs with national carrier scheduled airlines. Bear this in mind before you start tearing strips off Ryanair. The customer service I have had on Ryanair flights has always been fine. But then again I don’t expect to be pampered like some on here and prefer cheaper flights instead.
If you are taking a bike you could always take a Brompton or go by train or drive down if you are so precious about your bike. Getting lots of bikes on board a plane, a small metal tube flying at approx 500 miles an hour with 300 people on board with all their luggage is always going to be a challenge.
http://theulsterfry.com/busin
http://theulsterfry.com/business/ryanair-begin-charging-customers-to-look-out-the-window/
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Ryanair is fine if you
Ryanair is fine if you understand and play by the rules, it’s great up to 2 hours, 2 -3hours are bearable any more and it’s like being on a megabus.