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Questions to Ryanair

My Questions to Ryanair and their Responses

By , About.com Guide

Ryanair questions

Ryanair

Image: Damian Corrigan
Below are the questions I put to Stephen McNamara, Head of Communications at Ryanair with the responses I received in an email on Friday May 29, 2009 (plus my reactions to them).

Update I'm afraid Stephen McNamara will no longer be answering my questions. I seem to have offended him. See how I hurt his feelings in this article, featuring the last comments I got from him before he went off in a sulk: Ryanair's Priority Boarding Fee

Questions to Ryanair

  1. When Ryanair closed down its site for a few days in February 2008 to step in line with Office of Fair Trading guidelines, you were supposed to publish all taxes and fees in your "advertised price". However, the first price shown on your website still shows the price without fees and taxes. Do you feel that the changes you made have fully - in the spirit and the letter of the ruling - complied with the OFT's request?

    2. Read Ryanair's Response: Ryanair's Advertised Prices.

  2. With no free check-in option available now, paying Ryanair's new web check-in fee constitutes a compulsory charge, which should be included in the advertised fare. Why isn't it?

    3. Read Ryanair's Response: Ryanair's Web Check-in Fee.

  3. Why does Ryanair not provide an email address for your passengers to contact you? This is illegal in the UK according to the Electronic Commerce Regulations.

    4. Read Ryanair's Response: Contacting Ryanair.

  4. Why does Ryanair charge a credit card fee for each journey - adding eight credit card fees to return flights for a family of four - when the fee shows up as a single transaction on one's credit card statement? To charge more than once for a product or service in this way is, according to Consumer Direct, 'probably' illegal (Consumer Direct made this comment to a Ryanair customer enquiring about the legality of Ryanair's fee).

    5. Read Ryanair's Response: Ryanair's Multiple Credit Card Fees.

  5. Do you feel that by labelling Girona and Reus airports as 'Girona (Barcelona)' and 'Reus (Barcelona)' Ryanair is providing its passengers with the clearest information possible? Can you be confident you are not in any way misleading consumers into believing that they are flying to Barcelona when in fact they are not?

    6. Read Ryanair's Response: Ryanair Flights to 'Barcelona'.

  6. Why does your airline have a 15kg weight limit for baggage checked into the hold when most other airlines - using the same aircraft as Ryanair - have 20kg? Can you assure your passengers that this difference is not an attempt to catch out first-time Ryanair flyers who assume the limit is 20kg, thereby forcing them to pay an excess luggage fee?

    7. Read Ryanair's Response: Ryanair's Baggage Allowance

  7. Can you explain the justification for charging 40GBP to reprint a boarding card in terms of cost to Ryanair? Can you assure your customers that this is not an attempt to force them to 'jump through hoops' in the hope that they break your rules, forcing them to pay extra fees?

    8. Read Ryanair's Response: Ryanair's Boarding Card Fee

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