[FONT=Arial, Verdana, Arial]From the Irish Independent this morning....[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, Arial]How low can Ryanair go?[/FONT]
http://as1.falkag.de/sel?cmd=lnk&&dat=149436&opt=0
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Michael O'Leary's madness has some semblance of method to it[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]It's free and easy as web surfers discover 'glitch' in flights offer[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]HOW low can even a low-fares carrier get when it comes to cheap flights? [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]The answer came yesterday when a glitch on Ryanair's website let passengers book free flights without paying any taxes or extras. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]Earlier this week, web surfers found what they thought was a gremlin in the website. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]This was to allow those who had already paid for a flight to get an extra flight without any fare, taxes, fees or charges as part of a 'buy-one-get-one-free' offer. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]The free flights page was supposed to be only accessible to those with a six-digit code, which they would have obtained from booking their original flight. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]However, web surfers realised that anyone could get access by using a code that was as easy as 123 . . . well '123456' to be precise. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]That allowed passengers to book flights departing before February 8 for the nominal fee of one cent each way. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]The news quickly spread. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]Friends were advised to "book quickly before Ryanair catches on". [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]There was a rush to fully exploit the apparent misfortune of one of the nation's most unapologetically profitable companies. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]Ryanair, however, seems to be having the last laugh. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]A spokesman told the Irish Independent that the company was well aware of the glitch and had no plans to do anything to pull the plug on the flights frenzy. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]"Anyone can book on that page, we know that now and that's fine," he said. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]Ryanair's stance is all the more ironic, given the airline's usual defence of taxes, charges and fees. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]In 2003, chief executive Michael O'Leary faced down an Oireachtas Committee on the topic of Ryanair's "extras" which are often several multiples of Ryanair's average fares. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]At the time, Mr O'Leary told the committee that there was no question of Ryanair ever refunding taxes, fees and charges taken from no-show passengers, even though Ryanair only has to pay taxes, fees and charges for passengers that actually turn up. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]Laura Noonan[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]Latest offer shows method to O'Leary's madness[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]HURTLING us through the air free of charge and paying for the privilege of doing it may seem like a nonsensical move, writes Laura Noonan. But, as usual, Michael O'Leary's madness has some semblance of method to it. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]Assume, for example, you book return flights to Stansted at a cost of just 2c return, as many of us have this week. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]The regular charges and fees on that flight would come in at about €50, so at face value it looks as if Ryanair will be paying charges of €50 from the pleasure of flying you. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]However, the reality is actually very different - rather than handing over our fees and charges to a third party, a good portion of this money actually goes directly to the airline. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]Take the €5.54 wheelchair levy, for example, which goes straight to Ryanair's coffers. Or the fact that Ryanair attaches a 'Passenger Service Contribution' of €12.49 for flights landing in Dublin, even though airport charges there actually come in at less than €8.50. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]Once you whittle it down, Ryanair are paying to fly us, but our round trip is costing them closer to €20 than €50. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]And that €20 is money they'll quickly manage to recoup from us. First up will be baggage charges, which will set you back €4.50 each way, assuming you're travelling light with just one bag. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]Then, perhaps, a sandwich and a drink on the plane, which will set you back another tenner. And maybe a scratch card or two, or some inflight goodies to further bolster Ryanair's lucrative stream of non-flight revenue. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]The big prize, as with all of Ryanair's stunts, is oodles of free publicity. Emails outlining the 'top secret' code have been winging their way through Ireland's cyber space, and thousands have answered the call of ryanair.com. Some would call it an example of that modern phenomenon known as viral marketing. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]Michael O'Leary's logic is simple - why pay for advertising when stunts like this attract publicity? [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]The basic message? Paying for us to fly for free will cost Ryanair a little in the short term. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]But remember: in the long term Mr O'Leary's airline will find a way to get the better of us. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]How to get your free flight . . .[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]Step 1: Log on to http://www.ryanair.com/member/freeflights.html [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]Step 2: Enter 123456 as your six-digit confirmation[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]Step 3: Select "Book now" [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]Step 4: Book free flights, with no taxes or charges, to destinations throughout Europe. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]The only clause is that travel must be before February 8. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, Arial]How low can Ryanair go?[/FONT]
http://as1.falkag.de/sel?cmd=lnk&&dat=149436&opt=0
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Michael O'Leary's madness has some semblance of method to it[/FONT] [FONT=Verdana, Arial]It's free and easy as web surfers discover 'glitch' in flights offer[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]HOW low can even a low-fares carrier get when it comes to cheap flights? [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]The answer came yesterday when a glitch on Ryanair's website let passengers book free flights without paying any taxes or extras. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]Earlier this week, web surfers found what they thought was a gremlin in the website. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]This was to allow those who had already paid for a flight to get an extra flight without any fare, taxes, fees or charges as part of a 'buy-one-get-one-free' offer. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]The free flights page was supposed to be only accessible to those with a six-digit code, which they would have obtained from booking their original flight. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]However, web surfers realised that anyone could get access by using a code that was as easy as 123 . . . well '123456' to be precise. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]That allowed passengers to book flights departing before February 8 for the nominal fee of one cent each way. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]The news quickly spread. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]Friends were advised to "book quickly before Ryanair catches on". [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]There was a rush to fully exploit the apparent misfortune of one of the nation's most unapologetically profitable companies. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]Ryanair, however, seems to be having the last laugh. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]A spokesman told the Irish Independent that the company was well aware of the glitch and had no plans to do anything to pull the plug on the flights frenzy. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]"Anyone can book on that page, we know that now and that's fine," he said. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]Ryanair's stance is all the more ironic, given the airline's usual defence of taxes, charges and fees. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]In 2003, chief executive Michael O'Leary faced down an Oireachtas Committee on the topic of Ryanair's "extras" which are often several multiples of Ryanair's average fares. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]At the time, Mr O'Leary told the committee that there was no question of Ryanair ever refunding taxes, fees and charges taken from no-show passengers, even though Ryanair only has to pay taxes, fees and charges for passengers that actually turn up. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]Laura Noonan[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]Latest offer shows method to O'Leary's madness[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]HURTLING us through the air free of charge and paying for the privilege of doing it may seem like a nonsensical move, writes Laura Noonan. But, as usual, Michael O'Leary's madness has some semblance of method to it. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]Assume, for example, you book return flights to Stansted at a cost of just 2c return, as many of us have this week. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]The regular charges and fees on that flight would come in at about €50, so at face value it looks as if Ryanair will be paying charges of €50 from the pleasure of flying you. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]However, the reality is actually very different - rather than handing over our fees and charges to a third party, a good portion of this money actually goes directly to the airline. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]Take the €5.54 wheelchair levy, for example, which goes straight to Ryanair's coffers. Or the fact that Ryanair attaches a 'Passenger Service Contribution' of €12.49 for flights landing in Dublin, even though airport charges there actually come in at less than €8.50. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]Once you whittle it down, Ryanair are paying to fly us, but our round trip is costing them closer to €20 than €50. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]And that €20 is money they'll quickly manage to recoup from us. First up will be baggage charges, which will set you back €4.50 each way, assuming you're travelling light with just one bag. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]Then, perhaps, a sandwich and a drink on the plane, which will set you back another tenner. And maybe a scratch card or two, or some inflight goodies to further bolster Ryanair's lucrative stream of non-flight revenue. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]The big prize, as with all of Ryanair's stunts, is oodles of free publicity. Emails outlining the 'top secret' code have been winging their way through Ireland's cyber space, and thousands have answered the call of ryanair.com. Some would call it an example of that modern phenomenon known as viral marketing. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]Michael O'Leary's logic is simple - why pay for advertising when stunts like this attract publicity? [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]The basic message? Paying for us to fly for free will cost Ryanair a little in the short term. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]But remember: in the long term Mr O'Leary's airline will find a way to get the better of us. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]How to get your free flight . . .[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]Step 1: Log on to http://www.ryanair.com/member/freeflights.html [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]Step 2: Enter 123456 as your six-digit confirmation[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]Step 3: Select "Book now" [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]Step 4: Book free flights, with no taxes or charges, to destinations throughout Europe. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]The only clause is that travel must be before February 8. [/FONT]
