How to better manage budget airlines
Apr 4th, 2004, 12:13 AM
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How to better manage budget airlines
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/...378960756.html
The above article mainly consists of one woman whining about her Ryanair flight. Almost all of the problems she had were due to her poor preparation. She did all of the following:
* Did not determine where her departure airport was in advance.
* Did not figure out an efficient, cost-effective method to get to that airport.
* Did not get in the check-in queue early.
* Did not figure out the most efficient, cost-effective method to get back from Stansted.
* Did not calculate how long everything would take and the total price of all transportation.
Mostly I think she was lucky everything went as well as it did, considering her poor preparation.
If you are taking a budget airline, just do everything the opposite of what this woman did (or actually did not) do.
The above article mainly consists of one woman whining about her Ryanair flight. Almost all of the problems she had were due to her poor preparation. She did all of the following:
* Did not determine where her departure airport was in advance.
* Did not figure out an efficient, cost-effective method to get to that airport.
* Did not get in the check-in queue early.
* Did not figure out the most efficient, cost-effective method to get back from Stansted.
* Did not calculate how long everything would take and the total price of all transportation.
Mostly I think she was lucky everything went as well as it did, considering her poor preparation.
If you are taking a budget airline, just do everything the opposite of what this woman did (or actually did not) do.
Apr 4th, 2004, 01:21 AM
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I read this with some amazement, but I'm sure this has happened (or will happen) to lots of people.
I've never used Ryanair, mainly because Stansted is the least convenient London aiport for me and the fact you need to do plenty of homework to determine where you will end up (eg Barcelona in Ryanair-speak is not Barcelona in everyone else'e minds).
I've never used Ryanair, mainly because Stansted is the least convenient London aiport for me and the fact you need to do plenty of homework to determine where you will end up (eg Barcelona in Ryanair-speak is not Barcelona in everyone else'e minds).
Apr 4th, 2004, 04:40 AM
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Yikes, WillTravel, thanks for sharing a story that will make the rest of us feel better about our worst travel-planning fiascos. You overlooked:
* Did not check the baggage allowance, AND travelled with wet laundry that yielded a luggage supplement that was greater than the original airfare, thus partly explaining just HOW these airlines pull off those low fares.
* Lawrie is a GUY. He's an Australian journalist and film critic.
* Did not check the baggage allowance, AND travelled with wet laundry that yielded a luggage supplement that was greater than the original airfare, thus partly explaining just HOW these airlines pull off those low fares.
* Lawrie is a GUY. He's an Australian journalist and film critic.
Apr 4th, 2004, 06:27 AM
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Too funny!
When he mentioned Cambridge it reminded me that a couple of years ago I chose 2 nights there to end my England adventure. I picked it for the sole reason it's a 30 minute express rail ride from Cambridge to Stanstead airport.
When he mentioned Cambridge it reminded me that a couple of years ago I chose 2 nights there to end my England adventure. I picked it for the sole reason it's a 30 minute express rail ride from Cambridge to Stanstead airport.
Apr 4th, 2004, 06:29 AM
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Today's NYTimes article about Europe's budget airlines: http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/04/tr...l?pagewanted=1
Apr 4th, 2004, 08:47 AM
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Well... let's at least use this post to provide a public service to all who:
1. visit this forum and read this post
and
2. are contemplating the use of Ryanair (or other similar low-cost intra-Europe airlines)
and
3. are not aware that...
... the Ryanair website provides <b>extensive</b> information on <b>all</b> of their destination airports, including bus, train and taxi info where applicable. If you don't know to look for it there (and from numerous posts here on this forum, it's clear that many people do <b>not</b
- - then it is not featured in any prominent way. But it is there.
Transport to/from a Ryanair-served airport has never been a deterrent for me or the family members of ours who have flown them (19 pax/flights to date) or other low-cost carriers (56 pax/flights to/from Stansted, Beauvais, Orly or Strasbourg).
Make it a part of your air travel plans.
Best wishes,
Rex
1. visit this forum and read this post
and
2. are contemplating the use of Ryanair (or other similar low-cost intra-Europe airlines)
and
3. are not aware that...
... the Ryanair website provides <b>extensive</b> information on <b>all</b> of their destination airports, including bus, train and taxi info where applicable. If you don't know to look for it there (and from numerous posts here on this forum, it's clear that many people do <b>not</b
- - then it is not featured in any prominent way. But it is there.Transport to/from a Ryanair-served airport has never been a deterrent for me or the family members of ours who have flown them (19 pax/flights to date) or other low-cost carriers (56 pax/flights to/from Stansted, Beauvais, Orly or Strasbourg).
Make it a part of your air travel plans.
Best wishes,
Rex
Aug 21st, 2004, 12:11 PM
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There seem to be an inexhaustible supply of people who make incredibly stupid choices regarding budget flights and then write articles about it:
http://tinyurl.com/45fgg
I guess it's terribly boring to read about someone who weighs and measures their luggage ahead of time, arrives at the airport 2.5 hours early, researches airport transportation, brings drinks and snacks, and most importantly, starts by comparing total costs across the board.
http://tinyurl.com/45fgg
I guess it's terribly boring to read about someone who weighs and measures their luggage ahead of time, arrives at the airport 2.5 hours early, researches airport transportation, brings drinks and snacks, and most importantly, starts by comparing total costs across the board.
.
Aug 22nd, 2004, 04:01 AM
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Aside from demonstrating their respective authors' appalling lack of preparation and basic knowledge of European geography, these stories actually demonstrate how the low-fare airlines have revolutionized travel here.
Getting from Glasgow to Munich is indeed still an expensive ordeal, due to the fact that no low-fare carrier serves this route (yet).
BTW, I still cannot believe that the Australian guy claimed it would have been faster to take the train all the way from Karlovy Vary to London rather than to fly there from Altenb<b>U</b>rg (he didn't even get the name of the town/airport right)! ;-)
Andre
Getting from Glasgow to Munich is indeed still an expensive ordeal, due to the fact that no low-fare carrier serves this route (yet).
BTW, I still cannot believe that the Australian guy claimed it would have been faster to take the train all the way from Karlovy Vary to London rather than to fly there from Altenb<b>U</b>rg (he didn't even get the name of the town/airport right)! ;-)
Andre
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