Ryanair aims to fly high with a nicer approach but will it work?

Is change in the air for Ryanair?

It seems we have a love-hate relationship with Ryanair. On the one hand their prices are some of the cheapest in the market who can argue with mainland Europe and back for less than a hundred quid?

But then there’s the rest of the service you get with the budget airline. Hidden charges, scrums for a seat and hand luggage rules seemingly drawn up by the Gestapo, all add up to a holiday headache.

The low prices kept people coming back until now, that is. Last week it was announced Ryanair had posted a staggering £28 million loss, all in the last three months.

The airline’s controversial boss, Irishman Michael O’Leary, known for his bullish opinions on customer satisfaction, has even begun to sound contrite.

To combat the downturn, Ryanair are going “touchy-feely” with a range of measures to make customers feel more like valued passengers and less like airborne livestock.

On February 1, they introduced allocated seating, and their eye-wateringly pricey charges have been slashed.

For example, the cost of replacing a lost boarding pass has been reduced from £70 to a more reasonable £15.

On Thursday, the airline even announced they’d let passengers use their mobile devices throughout the flight so no more frosty stares from grumpy stewardesses about switching phones off.

But has Ryanair really changed? To find out, I took a return flight between Edinburgh and Dublin last week.

Booking

One of the most painful parts of flying with Ryanair occurs before you’re anywhere near an airport. Booking through their mystifying website has been akin to a sadistic IQ test, where one false click would result in the purchase of insurance, or a hire car. Now Ryanair trumpet a newly-designed site. Where once there were 17 clicks between logging on and purchase, now there are five. Things are still quite confusing, with plenty of extra charges begging to be clicked.

Boarding

It used to be like diving into a Six Nations ruck. There were no allocated seats so, if you made the mistake of arriving slightly late, you faced the prospect of sitting beside anyone, including that sweaty looking guy in Row 28.

Instead of a relaxing flight you might have ended up stuck between a couple of stag party-goers. Ryanair introduced allocated seating this month and it’s about time too. A definite thumbs-up.

Prices

A puny ham and cheese croissant and the admittedly decent coffee will set you back €7 or, if you forget to change Sterling to Euros like me, £5.80. Is it too difficult to do prices in both currencies? Ryanair’s food service is branded “The Getaway Caf” presumably because after you buy something it feels like you’ve just been robbed. Many travellers are wise to these prices and some canny passengers start digging into a packed lunch.

In-flight service

On a flight three-quarters full, there were no takers when the cabin crew offered hot meals. It was unsurprising, given it was 8am when the demand for a meatball sandwich is quite low. The cabin crew were helpful, and a couple of them even gave me some Irish blarney. One convinced me to buy one of those Ryanair scratchcards and I won. The prize was only another scratchcard, right enough. That one lost but, ach, well it passed the time.

Surroundings

There’s plenty of legroom, although the seat coverings are still a blue, wipe-clean, faux-leather material that looks and feels like it’s been nicked from an old folk’s home. They presumably help when cleaning up after sick children and stag dos, or after someone eats one of the meatball sandwiches. There’s a bit of chewing gum stuck to the floor beneath the seat too, giving the flight the ambience of a 61 bus to Maryhill. It’s not exactly British Airways Executive Class.

The Verdict

You don’t often hear someone praise the Ryanair experience but the changes really have made a difference. A spokesman for Ryanair said: “We’ve introduced allocated seating, a new website and allowance for a second bag.

“Our passenger numbers are up 5% compared to last January. We haven’t finished making improvements though and we’re looking at lots more to make customers happy. There’s a positive atmosphere around Ryanair at the moment, and we hope it translates to the customers.”

From my experience there’s still a bit of room to go, that’s for sure. Remember when the daftest boy in school got a special award for finally passing an exam? It feels like Ryanair had the most room to improve but at least it’s a step in the right direction.