Ryanair plan to woo you
Airline turns on charm with customer service and takes aim at rivals
IT’S the closest you’ll get to first class on Ryanair – the airline is offering customers the chance to avoid queuing, scrambling for a seat and delays at security for €199 a year.
While the option labelled ‘Ryanair Choice’ won’t suit occasional flyers, anyone who takes frequent flights throughout the year may view it as a way to save money.
The new offer will roll out at the end of the summer and includes a free reserved seat (which start at €3 per flight), fast-track through security (which costs from €5.95 to €7.99 at Dublin Airport), and priority boarding, which starts at €6 on Ryanair.
The airline didn’t give a figure yesterday for how many flights a customer would need to take before they would save money with Ryanair Choice compared to booking the extras individually themselves.
‘Ryanair Choice will roll out at the end of the summer and includes a free reserved seat, fasttrack and priority boarding. Full terms and conditions will be made available on ryanair.com,’ it said.
Analysis by the Irish Daily Mail suggests it would be in the region of 14 flights to make it cost effective
The new €199 frequent flyer offer was one of a number of new features announced by the budget airline yesterday, including a new Customer Care Charter based around a promise to resolve requests for compensation for delayed flights within ten days.
The charter also says customers will be put through to 24/7 helplines within two minutes. It pledges to allow customers make changes to flights for free for 48 hours after booking them.
Travel industry expert Eoghan Corry said he believes the changes are an attempt to boost the airline’s fortunes. Ryanair recently announced €20million losses in the last three months of 2018 as air fares fell and fuel prices rose.
‘They’re fighting to get their market share up, to protect what they have,’ Mr Corry said. ‘They’re having a go at their rivals… instead of their own customers for a change.’
Ryanair’s Kenny Jacobs said the airline does not expect strike action this summer as relations with unions improved significantly over the last three months, although it can’t be ruled out.