Ryanair Passengers to Carry Own Bags Onboard
Posted on May 08, 2009 by Fiona Hilliard
OK. He’s done it. He’s followed up spectacularly on the toilet charges and fat tax stunts. But what could be more headline grabbing? Pay as you go oxygen masks? Standing tickets? No, no. It’s worse. Ryanair’s Michael O’ Leary now wants you to carry your own bags onboard.
In a genius move, the no-frills boss said today he wants to cut baggage handling by airline staff to a minimum and is talking to airports about allowing passengers to drag their own luggage (currently handed over at check in) through the airport gate, where they would go straight through to the aircraft hold.
Commenting, O’ Leary argued: “You do it on trains and buses, why not planes? It will cut out baggage complaints because you will be the one responsible for your bags.”
So he actually expects stressed out passengers to lug bags up escalators, down corridors, onto the runway, into the hold, then go back and sit in the departures lounge and wait for their flight to be announced? Would you do it? Have your say in our poll, we’d be interested to know!
Discussion: 1 Comment
One Response to “Ryanair Passengers to Carry Own Bags Onboard”
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Emerald Islander
- 8th May, 09 05:05pm
Greetings!
I would have voted in your poll, but as there are only two possible answers – and none of them would be correct for me – I have to elaborate a little on the matter.
I would have no problem with carrying my luggage to an aeroplane and put it into its cargo hold (with a little help from an airline employee, I presume). I do carry my luggage when travelling by train, car, bus and ferry. And I never had the slightest problem, not even in foreign countries regarded as ‘problematic’.
So Mr O’Leary is quite right when he says: Why do we have a different system when flying? He is not the most caring man, but he is certainly bright and knows how to run a successful business.
However, I doubt that I will ever actually carry my own luggage onto an aeroplane (or to its cargo hold), should Mr O’Leary succeed and introduce it as a new feature.
The point is that I no longer use airlines for my travels. I have not been on an aeroplane for more than 20 years, and I have no intention to use one in the future.
My reasons are a combination of environmental and general concerns, in particular the way airline passengers are treated these days. The problem of global warming has made me change my life in many ways, and not flying is only one element of this personal lifestyle transformation. But what got me to the point of refusing to fly was the ever more invasive and aggressive attitude displayed by airline and so-called ‘security’ staff at the airports. As long as I am expected to pay for my ticket, I expect to be treated as a passenger and valued customer.
But unless you are top VIP, you are treated by airline and airport staff like a piece of dirt. Their attitude is that every passenger is always a potential terrorist, so people are harassed and made to do silly things that make no sense and do not enhance security on the flights or airports.
Whatever other people might do, or allow to be done to them, I will not be treated in such a way and therefore refuse to use any airline. I still get to the places I need to go to, and am quite happy that way. But I am amazed to see how people are charged ever more for ever more extra things, while their rights and freedom as passengers are disappearing fast. I do wonder how long this will go on, and what – if anything – will be the straw to break the back of O’Leary’s proverbial camel.
In the past I used to fly quite a lot, and to a great number of destinations. One could do that in comfort, style and with a feeling of safety, security and satisfaction for receiving a good service. That’s all gone now (except for the top VIPs).
I also experienced the more adventurous sides of air travel, with flights on airlines like PIA or Beaman (Bangladesh Airways), and most amazingly on an old clapped-out DC-3 of TAAT (Trans-Andes Air Transport) in South America.
I would do all this again tomorrow, if I had to, and without hesitation. But I will not be robbed by greedy airline bosses left, right and centre, while the standard of their service decreases all the time and airports, instead of improving their security in a real sense, make things worse and harass their passengers with measures pretending to improve security. Only fools will fall for the blatant lies of the air travel bosses, and I am not such a person.
So, frankly, my good man, I don’t give a hoot or toss if Mr O’Leary makes the idiots who fly with him carry their own bags or not. Actually, people so gullible and lacking self-respect deserve this and perhaps a lot more.
P.S. Only two days ago I wrote a related piece on my own weblog ‘Views from the Emerald Isle’ (http://inishtrahoull.blogspot.com/).
In case you are interested, have a look at my entry of May 6th, 2009 (direct link: http://inishtrahoull.blogspot.com/2009/05/new-charge-for-plastic-bags-at-dublin.html)