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RYANAIR WILL FIX its apps and booking system, offer more legroom on its new planes and rework aircraft interiors and staff uniforms this year as it launches a new customer charter.
But the airline’s marketing boss has said the low-cost carrier won’t lose its “swagger” – and isn’t setting out to be “loved” by its customers.
The company today unveiled its strategy for this year and into 2016, including a new menu and lower charges on some of its most-criticised fees.
The airline has predicted it will carry more than 100 million passengers for the first time this year as it continues adding planes to its fleet and airports to its departure list.
Chief marketing officer Kenny Jacobs said one of the airline’s main moves would be to increase “transparency” in its booking system in response to complaints from passengers.
This is a Ryanair that has quickly fallen in love with listening to customers,” he said.
The airline has previously fallen foul of regulators for its customer service, with Italy’s anti-trust body fining the carrier for running service lines that charged high rates but provided minimal help.
Some of the changes the airline announced today include:
Ryanair will keep the ‘swagger’
But despite the new charter, which has been signed by company boss Michael O’Leary, Jacobs said the budget airline wouldn’t compromise on chasing the cheapest fares as it overhauled its customer service.
“I don’t think they need to (love us) – it is a functional thing that we do,” he said.
There is a great thing about Ryanair – it has a bit of a swagger. We are still going to have a bit of a Sex Pistols attitude.
I think you are never going to see us being boring, I don’t think you are ever going to see us fading into grey like has happened to other airlines. We don’t want to be loved.”
A recent UK survey rated the airline the country’s fourth most-hated brand, behind only the UKIP and Conservative political parties, and Marmite.
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Brilliant. Now, when I fall asleep on the last Dart home, I will be woken up in Drogheda and not Malahide…
@Phil O’ Meara: I know of a man who intended to get off at Laytown and fell asleep and regularly ended up in Dundalk! But at least he was early enough to get a train back later!!
And while they’re at it, run a spur line from Skerries to the airport!
@Brian Hunt: extend the metro to donabate train station instead.
@Brian Hunt: Maybe Brian, we could move the Airport to Skerries for you!! Would you like that diddums ?
@Ollie Fitzpatrick: Meant to say Malahide!
We can extend the DART to Drogheda but not Dublin Airport – Only a few kms off the existing line – and instead have to spend billions on an unnecessary metro??
Madness!!!!
@Barry Sorensen: A monorail loop is the solution for that Barry. No tunnelling and can go along existing roads, well mostly!!
@Barry Sorensen: Metro is an absolute necessity, but we also need the DART to the airport. Having both would go a long way to easing pressure.
@Barry Sorensen: Don’t worry. “The Metro” is a fantasy and will never happen. Though greater Dublin as a city region of approximately 2 million should by now have about 3 metro lines like other cities of its size in more developed countries.
@Barry Sorensen: And where exactly would be the route from the present line to the Airport! How many houses etc would you have to buy etc!
Until there are more lines going into the city they are just tinkering around the edges. If they increase the DART frequency (which is planned) then there won’t be capacity for commuter/intercity trains which use the same lines.
@The next small thing: that’s exactly what I’m thinking! So we just switch from commuter to DART and our journey time is then EXTENDED..
@The next small thing: Seems to work jolly well for the South Soiders,
@The next small thing: it’s way more than tinkering at the edges. Whilst there are no extra lines, overall passenger capacity will increase significantly due to the electrification and other planned infrastructure upgrades. There will be one Belfast train per hour, which I think is what we currently have, so no adverse effect there
@Le Merchelant: Not really, 99% of the time from Malahide/Howth Jct the commuter train just crawls along behind a Dart all the way into the city centre so you shouldn’t notice much, if any, difference in journey time.
@SYaxJ2Ts: The overall numbers may increase but with DART’s running every 6 minutes then any intercity or commuter train will get delayed behind the DART. Unless the plan is to terminate the commuter trains at Greystones/howth junction and for passangers to change over to DART’s.
@Alim Seghu: Same issue on the south side line.
@The next small thing: you’re wrong. I suggest you read up on the project plan
@The next small thing: Its worse on the southside after Bray single track.
@The next small thing: Route planning and timing and train traffic control is something they have worked out in advance of anything else!
The Estate agents in Drogheda are only rubbing their hands together.
@Gav Murphy:
As are anyone in Drogheda that’s thinking of selling
What about ticket prices? The difference in price from Drogheda to the city and Balbriggan to the city are crazy. I also don’t understand why the train is cheaper after 10am, it should be the other way around to help those going to work, not punish them.
Didn’t our government pass an essential infrastructure bill many years ago to reduce these projects being delayed. They have never used it, so we waste vasts amounts of money at each stage. Someone is profiting but not the public. Only in Ireland would we cheer loudly for a plan being submitted not the projects completion.
Yep typical as usual build anything but the metro! Even get a spur line to the airport and sword to ease the daily traffic jam but no hope
@Alan Boyd: Where would you put this spur line to the airport, which would be two lines wide plus the essential space required. Have a go on Google maps and see how you do!
The airport needs to be connected in the baddest of ways. 32m passengers….all by road….ffs….
@Grant Masterson: it’s hilariously embarrassing, when taken in context with any other modern airport to a reasonably small city like Dublin. So hard to get to.
Pointless when the frequency is so low. Why don’t you put a dart every 5 minutes in each direction every day of the week ?
@Alex: Read the Dart + plan and then comment!
And South to Gorey..
@Gerry Dornan: Then it becomes the WART ( Wexford Area Rapid Transit)
The article says the trains will run on batteries from Malahide to Drogheda but the are also going to electrify that stret h of rail?
@Oh Mammy: Yes, the first of the battery trains will start coming in to the country next year. The overhead lines will take longer than that. So the batteries will be an interim solution until electrification is complete. Same cars will be used.
Throwing a few km of electricity poles on an existing train line and building no new stations…Irish Rail’s ambition knows no bounds. The Chinese must be in awe
@yourname: Unfortunately, like most infrastructure projects in this country you are depending on private sector contractors to complete the task for TFA, not Irish Rail.
@Fr. Fintan Stack: “NTA
@yourname: Irish Rail is opening new stations regularly! Pelletstown is one example and there are others going on the southside of Dart + as well. Extra stations in Cork as wellQ!
@Fr. Fintan Stack: Irish Rail have the knowledge and plans NTA provide the money! It is a Quango and not required!
Forget the dart and metro just build luas lines everywhere and connect them together
This only increases the need for Transport Police!
Malahide must be protected from the Wildlings to the North!
Intercity trains from all directions should terminate in Drogheda/Bray/nNewbridge with a Dart connection to the city…time to act on the wexford line urgently as it’s landlocked.
@Ben dover: So that is great people milling around stations trying to get connections!
Not one ‘I hear those things are awfully loud?’ comments. For shame.
Sure extend it to Dundalk, Delvin and anywhere else that starts with D.
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