By Patrick Griffin.
I have really tried hard to like Ryanair. Honestly I have.
For months now I have been trying hard to think nice thoughts about them, think of all the good they have done for aviation and embrace their ethos.
I have even flown with them as part of this bonding process between man and low-cost carrier.
But despite my best intentions I simply cannot bring myself to like this bold, brash, bossy, belligerent, boisterous, beastly outfit.
I have never known an airline order its passengers about so much:
- queue up here to get your visa checked
- stand in this line 20 minutes bef0re your flight has even landed
- stand for even longer in this ‘priority’ line if you pay us some more money
- you must read all our terms and conditions before you fly
- fail to comply with our terms and we will make you pay
- we make the rules – you follow them – and don’t even try to complain.
Passengers are treated with utter contempt…and still they keep coming back for more.
Only this week we learn that three musicians were forced to pay £1,340 to take their violins on board because they were slightly bigger than the maximum dimensions the carrier allows for hand luggage.
It didn’t matter that the violins could easily have fitted in the overhead luggage compartments.
All that mattered – and all that ever matters when a passenger is in a dispute with Ryanair – is what the airline’s terms and conditions say.
And in this case the terms and conditions said the passengers could either check the items into the hold or had to buy extra seats to take them into the cabin.
No discretion allowed. Pay up. Do exactly as we say or don’t fly. No exceptions.
It did not matter that the musicians could not risk their fragile 18th century violins – worth up to £800,000 each – getting damaged in the hold, and so understandably didn’t want to leave them to the mercy of the baggage handlers’ gentle touch.
Neither, it seems, did it matter that the trio had allegedly been told by the airline that their precious instruments would be exempt from the hand luggage limit when the tickets were booked a month ago.
What harm would it do to allow these passengers to bring their violins on board and place them in the overhead luggage lockers?
What possible harm could this do?
What is – at least in my opinion – even more annoying is the response of the Dublin-based carrier when asked by the Daily Mail to justify their actions.
This – according to the Daily Mail – is what a Ryanair spokesman told them: ‘The policy has been the same for two years and the terms and conditions clearly explain that musical instruments need to have a second seat.
‘It is the responsibility of individual passengers to research the conditions before they book their flights.
‘There can be no allowances made for anyone, whether its the next superstar in cricket, tennis or music. The terms and conditions are the same for everyone.’
Isn’t the last line of their comment just that little bit unnecessarily nasty, contemptuous and sneering?
PG
