I hate Ryaniar…for being so great.

Observing the hustle and bustle at the airport today I have concluded that, generally, the type of people who fly Ryanair do not seem to be so well travelled. For those of us who are well versed in airport procedures this can prove rather frustrating. Take my flight this morning…arriving at check-in, Warsaw Modlin - an airport which is not actually located in Warsaw - where people were amassing in a disorderly mob-style fashion immediately surrounding the sole person Rayanair had employed to check in hundreds of passengers…rendering the tensile barrier system entirely useless. Then there’s the look of disarray on the faces of just about every single person as a member of airport security explains ‘no creams or liquid items above 100ml…and your one litre resealable bag can be purchased for €50 from the vending machines.’

My itinerary will take me from Modlin to Standstead, where I will collect my two little kiddos and head back to Warsaw. Yesterday, despite several attempts, I was unable to check in my two children for what will be my return Ryaniar flight from London, together with them. The only customer service point Ryanair offers is Live Chat which, with a 30+ minute wait time, kept dropping after 15-20 minutes. As the minutes rolled into an hour plus I faced the realisation that this would now be how I spent the rest of my life...constantly held in a queue with the phone strapped to my ear so I decided to tackle the issue face-to-face at Modlin airport. The lady at the ticket desk, who was of course not an employee but a third party representing Ryanair, assisted me with the verve I had anticipated and simply stated, ‘They will be able to help you in London’ as she handed me back a print of my reservation.

What Ryanair has achieved to date is truly incredible. In the space of a couple of decades they have become the largest airline in Europe. Offering flight to the masses, connecting people, uniting families, facilitating face-to-face business…and while it pains me to write this, they fill a huge void and they do it incredibly well.

Having spent over a decade in the airline industry people often ask me how airlines like Ryanair have become such a success. In a nutshell: their cost base is well-managed and relatively low; their ticket prices account for only a portion of their revenue; they achieve very high seat factors -their planes are always full or almost full.

The majority of my aviation career was spent at British Airways. I tended to fly BA, and often in Business Class, so I got used to a certain standard. Consequently, I almost come out in a rash when I utter the words ‘low cost’…which I know as ‘no frills’…a term much better suited. This makes choosing Ryanair a last resort for me. So how come I have flown with them twice is an many months?

Their network and frequencies are a thing to be admired. Evidently these guys know exactly what they are doing…which is more than can be said for most airlines these days. Their air fares remain as competitive as ever and, thanks to plenty of publicity, few of us can now claim Ryanair is duping us out of money…we have learned what to expect from them. We know we can fly for 10 pounds but we also know we should budget 100, that the airport will be miles away from the actual city in which they claim the airport is located, and that we will be sat next to a guy called Barry who will steel the armrest and snore during the entire flight while the teenager behind you plays music on his headphones at full volume.

So, I figure among the mix of passengers onboard today’s flight there will be others who, like me, would rather be on just about any other airline…preferably a full service airline…in Business Class. Most likely the remaining passengers are largely made up of people who know no better and expect no more. Price is the single most important determining factor in their choice of airline and they willingly make sacrifices in order to get the best possible deal.

Ryanair has fed upon the inexperienced traveller for years. Millions have been caught out by the additional extras created by deconstructing airline fares. Paying for a boarding pass, or to check in a bag, the ‘small-print business model’. They are also very clever at tapping into their captive audience during flights with superb in-flight sales techniques. I cannot help but be impressed. I suspect employee training is rigorous…and it would not surprise me if candidates seeking employment pay for training themselves. But today’s customers are much more savvy…so Ryanair is adapting and introducing fare products and services in line with the shifting market dynamic.

The shift, for a no frills airline to take a more traditional approach to air fares and services is what the industry refers to as being a ‘hybrid’ airline or carrier. No other airline in Europe does this better than EasyJet. They seem to have struck the perfect balance between service and price…and for me, offer the best value for money when it comes to air travel. Followed closely by Norwegian Air Shuttle…who have managed to mess up fantastic results by getting greedy.

At the end of the day our choice of airline depends on a range of factors. Factors which can change over time, and even flight to flight. It could be departure time, connection, airport, price, service, aircraft type, among many other considerations. Airlines that do well understand our purchasing behaviour and few airlines do this better than Ryanair.

I shall continue to avoid flying with Ryanair until I start hearing positive things about its product and services…which may never happen. Despite my loathing, I have a sneaking suspicion I may be staring at this yellow and blue cabin interior again sooner than I would like.

Ryanair are not a good airline…but they are great.