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Ryanair Condemns Hungarian Govt’s Idiotic ‘Excess Profits’ Tax

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Re: Ryanair Condemns Hungarian Govt’s Idiotic ‘Excess Profits’ Tax

#71

Post by tiborsaas »

switch007 wrote: post #45
arcticbull wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ryanair is actually a totally solid airline. They're among the most timely in Europe, if you pay them a few bucks you get an exit row and a meal. Honestly they're among the best of the low-costs (and every domestic flight in Europe counts as low-cost).

They’re really not, unless all you care about is punctuality: - mediocre app with plenty of bugs - almost always buses/walks instead of jetbridges - furthest and uncomfortable gates - inexperienced and unprofessional cabin crew - non existent customer service - hostile web design, dark UX patterns - baggage fees which seem to go up €10 each year - inexperienced pilots and bumpy landings - force you to stand in hot ha…

Don't use their apps then, learn to navigate the dark patterns on the web, not that bad.

Horrible, they make you walk or they transport you with a bus? OMG, savages.

Just sleep or listen to music on that 1-3hr flight, why deal with the crew?

Sorry, but you made me laugh at bumpy landings :)

You might have been unlucky with specific airports.

I have no stake in defending them, but I expect the same as a crappy train/bus ride for the price which is about the same.

Re: Ryanair Condemns Hungarian Govt’s Idiotic ‘Excess Profits’ Tax

#72

Post by disgruntledphd2 »

doliveira wrote: post #30
YPPH wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The CEO is notoriously outspoken, it doesn't surprise me at all. It's kind of refreshing to see something that hasn't passed through a public relations filter. For some colourful viewing, here's the CEO proposing a "standing cabin" on planes, and asserting that "the customer is nearly always wrong": https://youtu.be/xmGRGv2jEkg

At some level, being constrained and pretending is part of being civilized. People admiring "unhingedness", specially coming from people in positions of power, just sound immature, at best.

This is Michael O'Leary's brand, tbh. The man would do literally anything to get airtime, which has historically been a really good strategy for Ryanair.

That being said, he's a total asshole. When I worked for them some years back he screamed at a head of function for about 30 minutes because results weren't up to par. It was at that point I decided that the company wouldn't work for me.

Re: Ryanair Condemns Hungarian Govt’s Idiotic ‘Excess Profits’ Tax

#73

Post by switch007 »

chpatrick wrote: post #62
switch007 wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They’re really not, unless all you care about is punctuality: - mediocre app with plenty of bugs - almost always buses/walks instead of jetbridges - furthest and uncomfortable gates - inexperienced and unprofessional cabin crew - non existent customer service - hostile web design, dark UX patterns - baggage fees which seem to go up €10 each year - inexperienced pilots and bumpy landings - force you to stand in hot ha…

Well, that's what you get for those prices right? If you want fancier service many airlines are happy to take your money, usually many times more.

Everyone pretends every flight is €40 return

A fair few people pay €100-400 with all the addons/last minute.

If I’m paying €200+ I have higher expectations than the things I listed

Re: Ryanair Condemns Hungarian Govt’s Idiotic ‘Excess Profits’ Tax

#74

Post by samatman »

petertodd wrote: post #46
ceejayoz wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The CEO has a history of being a bullshitter. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_O%27Leary_(businessman... > In 2007, O'Leary was forced to retract a claim that Ryanair had cut emissions of carbon dioxide by half over the previous five years because the claim should have been that emissions "per passenger" had been cut by half. He has been reported to have impersonated a journalist in an attempt to find informatio…

> In 2007, O'Leary was forced to retract a claim that Ryanair had cut emissions of carbon dioxide by half over the previous five years because the claim should have been that emissions "per passenger" had been cut by half. That's still an impressive accomplishment. So I'd be inclined to believe that was just an honest mistake.

Emissions per passenger is a fake number, because it folds in flight distance, which has no business in the calculation.

Absolute emissions and emissions per passenger kilometer are real numbers.

Re: Ryanair Condemns Hungarian Govt’s Idiotic ‘Excess Profits’ Tax

#75

Post by switch007 »

arcticbull wrote: post #66
switch007 wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They’re really not, unless all you care about is punctuality: - mediocre app with plenty of bugs - almost always buses/walks instead of jetbridges - furthest and uncomfortable gates - inexperienced and unprofessional cabin crew - non existent customer service - hostile web design, dark UX patterns - baggage fees which seem to go up €10 each year - inexperienced pilots and bumpy landings - force you to stand in hot ha…

I guess my response would be: most airline apps are garbage. Any airline risks ending up at a remote stand (just had 3 legs on Lufthansa at Frankfurt on A320s that all ended up at or departed from remote stands). Yes, the gates are far away and unpleasant, but I mean, some airline would get them no matter what - Ryanair is just passing on the savings of doing so. Most airlines have huge baggage fees that are basicall…

> If you compare a given flight, and add up the fees, you'll pay a lot more to a full-service carrier and get basically the exact same - but less timely.

Not necessarily true. Actually quite often not true

Re: Ryanair Condemns Hungarian Govt’s Idiotic ‘Excess Profits’ Tax

#76

Post by haspok »

FWIW, nobody can define what "excess profit" is exactly.

Let me correct myself, the government can define it, in any way, shape or form they want to.

For example, casinos do not have "excess profits". Companies owned by the family members and friends/relatives of government officials do not have "excess profits".

No, this is not a joke, this is Hungary (an EU member state!) in 2022...

Ryanair is a religious charity non-profit organization in comparison.

Re: Ryanair Condemns Hungarian Govt’s Idiotic ‘Excess Profits’ Tax

#77

Post by ntoskrnl »

mthoms wrote: post #70
ntoskrnl wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He doesn't seem unhinged to me. He seems like he has a singular goal: lowest ticket prices, and he's willing to entertain crazy ideas in pursuit of that goal that nobody else would. It's a refreshingly honest take on their corporate strategy. What's wrong with that? And to state the obvious, if as a traveler you don't share that goal of getting the absolute cheapest ticket at all costs, you shouldn't fly Ryanair. But…

>He seems like he has a singular goal: lowest ticket prices That's just a means to an end for his real singular goal: higher profits I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that, but his real singular goal is not "lowest ticket prices".

While true, that's a bit reductionist. All companies want higher profits. What's interesting is how companies differ from each other while chasing that goal.

Re: Ryanair Condemns Hungarian Govt’s Idiotic ‘Excess Profits’ Tax

#78

Post by haspok »

fy20 wrote: post #67
kmlx wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

what's more shocking to me is the quality of flying Ryanair vs how outspoken their CEO is. if you only read his comments, you would think this company is so solid that the CEO has complete free rein. and then you fly Ryanair and you realise it's just shock advertising.

Ryanair is really no different to any other short haul flight where you are flying economy in Europe. You'll get the same service (i.e. being expected to pay for any extras: a specific seat, baggage above the bare minimum, food & drinks) with British Airways or Lufthansa on short haul flights too. One of the advantages people often miss about Ryanair is they connect so many airports, that you can often find a direct…

Not only that, but sometimes it is only Ryanair / Wizzair / etc. that fly in a reasonable time of day, and not too early / too late. Last time we traveled to Porto, it was the ONLY choice that was arriving / departing at a time that was not midnight or 6 AM. It was even cheaper than the rest. Oh, and it was pretty much the only direct flight from Vienna... So we bought all the priority / luggage / optional extras we could, and the price was on pair with the rest. No delays, no problems, no complaints.

Re: Ryanair Condemns Hungarian Govt’s Idiotic ‘Excess Profits’ Tax

#79

Post by doliveira »

ntoskrnl wrote: post #55
doliveira wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At some level, being constrained and pretending is part of being civilized. People admiring "unhingedness", specially coming from people in positions of power, just sound immature, at best.

He doesn't seem unhinged to me. He seems like he has a singular goal: lowest ticket prices, and he's willing to entertain crazy ideas in pursuit of that goal that nobody else would. It's a refreshingly honest take on their corporate strategy. What's wrong with that? And to state the obvious, if as a traveler you don't share that goal of getting the absolute cheapest ticket at all costs, you shouldn't fly Ryanair. But…

I want people in positions of power to be bland and boring, thank you very much.

This whole thing of appealing to popularity amongst a particular subset of the population by being "unorthodox", "refreshingly sincere" and "blunt" is really just a ruse to amass a little bit of unchecked power.

Re: Ryanair Condemns Hungarian Govt’s Idiotic ‘Excess Profits’ Tax

#80

Post by newaccount74 »

robonerd wrote: post #47
newaccount74 wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

RyanAir advertisements are often misleading (tickets often end up costing a multiple of the advertised price), so I'm not going to believe anything they say.

> (tickets often end up costing a multiple of the advertised price), Are you adding a lot of optional extras to your purchase?

I haven't bought a RyanAir ticket in a long time, so details are fuzzy, but as far as I recall they make you pay not just for checked luggage but even for hand luggage (who flies without any bag at all??) and if I remember correctly they even charge extra if you want to sit next to your family members. It's ridiculous.
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