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Ryanair can't handle the "blog sphere"
In the airline Public Relations (PR) world, lowly bloggers like those at Gadling get various degrees of attention. Younger, edgier airlines who realize the influence and flexibility of travel blogs are close with us. Legacy carriers who are rooted in their old ways of anti-technology don't give two shakes about us, which is fine. But Ryanair? They don't tolerate the blog world too well at all.A recent posting by web developer Jason Roe shows just this. Roe posted an interesting article that suggested that he had found a way to book $0 fares on the Ryanair website. He was incorrect, in fact -- the fare couldn't actually be purchased and he had just found a loophole, but at the time it generated a lot of reaction. And among the commenters was who turned out to be a Ryanair staffer, whose many tirades include "jason! you're an idiot and a liar!!"
Jason responded coldly, saying that a bug still existed, and so the spat began. Eventually, the official hand of Ryanair came in with a statement only slightly classier than the original staffer's words, saying:
It is Ryanair policy not to waste time and energy corresponding with idiot bloggers and Ryanair can confirm that it won't be happening again.
Lunatic bloggers can have the blog sphere all to themselves as our people are far too busy driving down the cost of air travel.
Clearly, the airline isn't worried about offending anyone in the "blog sphere." Perhaps after all of their negative campaigns and bad press they think that we're already lost?
[Via The Register]
Filed under: Business, Airlines, Transportation, News
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
DJ Feb 26th 2009 8:55AM
Pretty typical of the whole Ryanair experience. There are other low cost carriers in Europe. Ryanair isn't the only option, and I urge people to explore the others.
You may pay a little more, but it's money well spent.
jbrun85 Feb 26th 2009 11:36AM
I could care less. People always bash ryanair, and they do do stupid stuff.
but cmon, in my experience, I am ALWAYS able to fly much lower cost with ryanair than anyone else (including other budget airlines).
I know I get what I pay for. I pay for a seat from one destination to another. Thats it. Thats all I want. It's not like im flying to Australia. Ryanair flights tend not to be very long. i'll suck it up for practically free international travel.
johnmc Feb 26th 2009 1:10PM
It's "couldn't care less" - as in you care so little that it's not possible to care less. At any rate, I'm with you on that one. Probably the first thing we do when planning a side trip when we go back to Ireland to see my parents is see where Ryanair fly and if it's close to anywhere we want to go. Ryanair are lapping up this publicity. Coach air travel is pretty bad these days no matter who you fly with. Bring an iPod and a sandwich and you're golden.
jbrun85 Feb 26th 2009 3:12PM
johnmc, glad you agree with me. but i could care less about using proper grammar in the gadling comments section. ;) Lets face it, i started a new paragraph which shouldnt have been there and began it with but.
to be honest, i dont even know what compelled me to post in the first place. or reply to you.
signing off.
dandiddlyan Mar 5th 2009 5:00AM
what intrigues me about ryanair is the mantra, repeated at every opportunity about driving down the cost of air travel, employees must spend weeks chanting this mantra to be fully indoctrinated, although it now looks like ryanair are about to driv up the average cost of using the loo acroos europe, if they go ahead with their toilet charge. What's left after that, rent a seatbelt anyone?
john j marley Mar 22nd 2009 6:40PM
Sent them this recently .
Dear Mr O’Leary
My wife Gloria and I, I’m her husband were recently on one of your flights. We had gone to visit Gloria’s uncle in France to help celebrate the launch of his new eau de cologne for dogs called ‘Chienel’. He even gave us a bottle for our dog Rambo ll but Rambo is more an au naturalle dog so no doubt Gloria will end up using it herself. Anyway I digress. On the return journey the steward asked the person in the seat in front of us would they mind covering up their tie as they found it particularly offensive. There was no real justification for this as it only displayed a cartoon of our Lord being crucified by a plague of locusts. An image we all hold dear. Anyway the gentleman concerned turn round to us and said ‘…and I paid to be humiliated like this’. This got me thinking. What if you had to pay not to be humiliated?
In these cash strapped days I think I have come up with an ingenious little idea that could generate considerable revenue for your airline. What if, when they were booking, the customer was offered the chance to pay a ‘non humiliation tax’? What would happen when they are booking is that they can opt to pay £10.00 per person per flight for the guarantee not to be humiliated and ridiculed on the flight. What would happen then would be, at the half way point on the flight the flight attendant would select a seat number at random from the travellers who have failed to purchase an exemption. They would then be pulled out, possibly by the hair, into the aisle and then remorselessly verbally and physically abused and humiliated. I would say that it wouldn’t take too much staff training to get this plan ‘off the ground’ if you pardon that expression.
Your staff could criticise their dress sense, point out disfigurements or funny facial features, question their parentage, that sort of thing. They could particularly single out people wearing wigs. Apart from the obvious ‘herpes’ jokes they could pull the toupee off and fling it up and down the aircraft. The owner could be forced to do forfeits to win their hair back. The same could be done with the visually challenged. They could have their glasses whipped off and stamped on, then the staff member could a little dance and mock them for wearing spectacles. The possibilities are endless. In addition to the revenue it would generate it would also provide some unrivalled in flight entertainment.
Yours sincerely
John J Marley