Dear Ryanair: What’s going on?
What you need to know when flying with this airline.
The busiest month in history. Spanish fines. An investigation. A musician refused to fly. Is it all too much for Ryanair?
What you don’t want to see in the news is the airline you are flying with. Especially if you’re planning your first trip with friends, there is a lot to organize and remember, and you can’t rely on your parents to handle the documents and timings.
If this is the case, we are in the same boat as I am heading to Madrid, Spain this August. Alone, prone to paranoia and travel sickness. Though still very excited. I have reviewed the news and conducted a scary deep dive for you.
Remember to breathe.
The Ryanair 737 Boeing investigation
On 24th December 2023 a flight from Austria, the destination London. The aircraft was forced to make a second landing attempt, which could be due to weather, ill-timing, or a fault with the landing crew.
The pilots performed a go-around procedure. Similar to looking for a parking space and it’s too busy so you go around again, except with a plane you must head for the sky before rotating. The 737 continues with the procedure but suddenly descends at extreme speeds. The plane plunges at speeds of 321 mph from heights of 4,425 ft to 2,300 in just seventeen seconds.
This could have been catastrophic, thankfully there were no victims or injuries as the flight gained control and landed.
The ‘why’ is still unknown and an investigation has been launched to find exactly that. The Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) is on the case as the incident may not have been a fluke because the 737 aircraft had not been flying for two days.
December is a busy month for flights with people trying to be with their families for Christmas, it seems unusual not to have all functioning aircraft in the air. Ryanair pledges to cooperate with the investigation fully and a conclusion will be issued soon.
This leaves us wondering how Ryanair will be affected.
Spain vs Ryanair
Last month Spain fired fines at Ryanair, Easy-Jet, and other airlines for their ‘abusive’ cabin luggage fees. The Spanish government claims that the famously low-cost airlines have breached customer rights by providing cheap seat prices to then over-charge on cabin luggage, printing boarding passes, reserving specific seats, and then only providing card payments at desks.
The Ministry began its investigation in 2023, but consumer rights groups have been campaigning for six years against these charges. The coupon moms are fighting the good fight. Their hard work paid off as the Spanish Ministry placed fines of up to 150 million euros ($163 million).
You may be thinking that fine wouldn’t even touch airlines like Ryanair and EasyJet. You’re right, Ryanair has a current worth of $20.55 billion. However, Spain believes that other European countries will follow in their footsteps to protect customer rights.
Spain’s stand may have Ryanair shaken as they recently introduced a 48-hour flash sale with seat prices of 20%. Only in European countries like the UK, France, Italy and Spain. Is it just a coincidence or are they trying to save face?
You can’t stop the music.
A victim of Ryanair baggage fees is musician Sharon Corr from the Irish folk band ‘The Corrs’. Corr jumped to social media after the embarrassing back and forth with Ryanair. Resulting in ‘refused’ entry on the aircraft because of her violin.
The musician, aggravated by the rules and prices for luggage and not being able to attend the flight while trying to fly from Madrid to Dublin, Ireland for band rehearsals. Quickly showed her dismay and targeted the Ryanair director.
The airline’s policy does allow instruments onboard if they fit in the cabin baggage, guitars and violins may not fit this requirement. Therefore, you would have to buy another seat for the instrument. Ryanair spokesperson said Corr’s violin exceeded cabin luggage limits, and she had to pay a normal gate luggage fee to put it on the hold.
“This passenger refused to pay the standard fee and instead chose not to travel on this flight.”
Ryanair Spokesperson
Is Sharon Corr a regular difficult customer? Are Ryanair’s twisted policies to blame? The musician hit back again after news broke, appalled by the airline’s statement. This is her side of the story:
Link to Sharon Corr’s post — revealing that during the incident she was very amenable.
Not an obtuse customer, a compromising one. Ryanair has not commented on the musician’s Facebook post.
The busiest month in history
Despite the Spanish June fines, the 737-flight investigation Ryanair has flown the most passengers in their history. Last month they flew over 19.3 million passengers adding to their total flown in the past year to 188.8 million.
An extraordinary number of passengers, while dealing with grueling delays. 27th June when 3,500 flights were delayed, and sixteen aircrafts missed their landing times.
Nothing is stopping the airline from being the preferred ‘low-cost airline’. The media attention has not touched them nor the Spanish fines with these profits soaring.
The Ryanair Checklist
Of course, this is overwhelming, but it is good to stay updated when choosing your airline and what to do when traveling abroad without parental guidance.
This sounds very serious, but don’t forget the amazing experiences you will have with your friends, or on your own. Learning about different cultures, sampling new foods, and making memories that will always stay with you. This article will hopefully make you aware and guide you through your journey.
Let’s remember:
- Thoroughly read the itinerary and airline policies.
- Constantly check news apps, changing story preferences to ‘Travel’ and in your area so you are aware of possible delays.
- You’re more likely to be bitten by a shark than be in a plane crash — Have your parents told you that to calm your nerves? Both are unsettling.
- Bring your water bottle, do not trust airplane water.
- Finally, stay calm, be alert, and enjoy your holiday!
