Stranded at Poitiers Airport

[Freedom]

I hope any readers of this forum that were stranded at Poitiers airport Sunday evening when Ryanair cancelled the flight home managed to get back to England ok in the end - I especially felt sorry for those of you with young families...  We were told that there were no available seats until Tuesday/Wednesday this week.

We ended up spending the night in Poitiers and coming back via TGV and Eurostar yesterday - tres expensive!!!  Not that I'm expecting any compensation from Mr Leary

I have been using Ryanair for the past two years without any problems, but Sunday's cancellation has made me a bit jittery...  has anyone else experienced sudden cancellations, and do they happen that often?

 

 

[Viv]

what reason was given for the cancellation, do you know?

[Cat]

Oooh yes, I know how that feels!

Same thing happened to me with Ryanair a few years ago at Rodez airport.  The flight was cancelled minutes before it was due to land due to bad weather conditions (it was actually slightly drizzly).

A mad rush then started out for the check-in desk to find out how everyone was to get home. And that's where part of the problem lies, as Ryanair don't have spare planes or availability to get people home in the event of a flight cancellation.  There were no spare seats out of Rodez on another flight for 3 days!  I eventually had to do the same as you, and go home via Eurostar (very, very expensive).

We were told that the problem was due to the malfunction of the airport's ground radar, and as visibility was poor due to the weather conditions the flight was unable to land.  When I checked later I found that Rodez didn't actually have a ground radar system at all, and that it was not uncommon for flights to be cancelled in that manner. 

I phoned Ryanair to ask for a refund (they do not offer compensation on flight cancellations due to weather conditions) and was offered a "full refund" of the measly 16 quid I'd paid for the flight!

So the fault lay with the airport, and not the airline.  I'm not knocking Ryanair, you get what you pay for 99% of the time.  It's just when you happen to be in that other 1%.....

[Freedom]

The reason given was identical to Cat 46's - severe weather conditions... drizzle?? Apparantly the in coming plane had been diverted to Tours and then the customers bused to Poitiers.  No response given to the question - 'why couldn't we be bused up to Tours'!

I can't grumble either about Ryanair, as I mentioned earlier they've always been pretty good, but I don't want to get caught out like this again in a hurry... I have thought of loads of other things I could have blown a quick £500 on!!

[Clarkkent]

So the fault lay with the airport, and not the airline.  I'm not knocking Ryanair, you get what you pay for 99% of the time.  It's just when you happen to be in that other 1%.....

 

But isn't this the problem? You ARE getting what you pay for  ...  one of the reasons Ryanair is low cost is that they are using cheap airports - ie airports which are not equipped to high specifications - and which probably have short runways which mean that they cannot be used in marginal weather conditions. Ryanair - rightly - are playing safe and don't land ....

The inadequacies of the airport have always been there for all to see. Ryanair chose to use it.

[The Riff-Raff Element]

[quote]The reason given was identical to Cat 46's - severe weather conditions... drizzle?? Apparantly the in coming plane had been diverted to Tours and then the customers bused to Poitiers. No response giv...[/quote]

"... I have thought of loads of other things I could have blown a quick £500 on!!"

Flights on BA / Air France for example...they at least make an effort (most of the time, anyway) to extract customers from the poo.

I've no idea how often this happens, but I collected someone from La Rochelle airport once and found, upon arrival, that the TWO previous flights had been cancelled. This was midsummer, mind, during a sustained period of clear weather. No reasons had been given and the waiting list for seats was three to four days.

Absolute bedlem. The police very much in evidence, but no-one from Ryanair - those wearing the badges were airport employees and as clueless as everyone else. Half the passengers had no money left and some had set up tents near the car park and were taking in the sick, the halt & the lame. All very Dunkirk, but an air of about to turn nasty. I just grabbed my guest an legged it.

I've stopped using Ryanair for when the journey is important.

[Ron Avery]

[quote]Oooh yes, I know how that feels! Same thing happened to me with Ryanair a few years ago at Rodez airport. The flight was cancelled minutes before it was due to land due to bad weather conditions (it...[/quote]

What do you mean by a few years ago Cat?  Ryanair only started flying from Rodez in May 2003 and has an exceptional punctuality record. 

Airport	Avg. Delay (mins)		Within 15 mins (%)	Total Flights analysed
Rodez	More sharing options... Owens88 Posted November 15, 2005 Owens88 Members 954 Share Posted November 15, 2005 We have had a similar problem. And yes Ryanair do bear some responsibility for the poor service on our occasion. Incoming flight to Perpignan has to divert (at last minute) to Carcassone due to bad weather. Passengers bussed down to P from Carcassone but the bus would not be taking the P passengers back to C for the flight home. Last Sunday of a UK half term. Flight full. We were offered a replacement on Wednesday (and that after queing for 45 mins). Some people went to Girona for a replacement (though had to get there themselves). Car hire co's quoting 3 arms and a leg to arrange a cross border rental. Ryanair desk closes with at least 150 passengers left 'not sorted'. Tannoy announcements to consider Air France to Paris. US, we booked Easyjet out of Toulouse, a car to drive to Toulouse and another car to drive from Gatwick to Stantsead to where our car was. Eventually the insurance paid and Ryanair never really said sorry. I 'thought' there was a new ruling stoppping them carriers absolving themselves from responsibility in a situation like this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Simmy Posted November 15, 2005 Simmy Members 17 Share Posted November 15, 2005 Ryan air must have had a bad day Sunday.  A flight to a Polish airport didn't land because of weather.  All the pasengers were told was the no. of Ryan Air in Dublin 'but there will be no one in 'til Monday'!    Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Richardbk Posted November 15, 2005 Richardbk Members 413 Share Posted November 15, 2005 even if your flight is cancelled due to exceptional circumstances (including weather) you are entitled to meals, accomodations etc. if you get no joy from ryan air - and most likely you won't then you need to write to the regulator for Ryan air ( UK CAA or the Irish CAA ? ) . If that fails you ca take it to the European Commission. all details on the web site below . http://europa.eu.int/comm/transport/air/rights/info_en.htm regs   Richard   Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Ron Avery Posted November 16, 2005 Ron Avery Members 4.2k Share Posted November 16, 2005 [quote]We have had a similar problem. And yes Ryanair do bear some responsibility for the poor service on our occasion. Incoming flight to Perpignan has to divert (at last minute) to Carcassone due to bad w...[/quote] John While it no doubt frustrating and annoying when a plane is diverted I would really prefer to be diverted than for the pilot to "chance" a landing where there is no controlled landing system,  O'Leary does not control the weather, so how can Ryanair bear any responsibility for a divertion?  Can you explain further how more than 150 people were overbooked on your flight to Stansted.  Are you saying that Ryanair took bookings from over 330 people for one plane? Very odd this as their booking system should reject bookings when the flight is full. Were there cancellations here or did 150+ people just turn up expecting to be able to fly? I am seriously worried if Ryanair are taking 2 bookings for every seat As for compensation Richard, isn't that limited to when the flight is cancelled and not diverted, and in any case Ryanair only have to refund the fare paid, there is also a get out clause on providing accommodation in the EU blurb and that it is "when necessary" Edited Extract from Ryanair's conditions If your flight is cancelled ...you will be entitled to a travel credit or full refund of all monies paid if the alternative flight/s offered are not suitable to you and you do not travel. Ryanair does not provide compensation for flights which are delayed or cancelled for reasons beyond Ryanair's control. ....Your rights under EU Regulation 261/2004 are unaffected so in the case of denied boarding, flight cancellation or a delay in excess of two hours you will be provided with a written notice setting out the rules for compensation and assistance in line with such Regulation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... The Riff-Raff Element Posted November 16, 2005 The Riff-Raff Element Members 1.9k Share Posted November 16, 2005 I suspect the reason that passengers are not bussed to meet a dirverted plane is that that plane needs to leave promptly or risk mucking up Ryanair's whole schedule. They are "cheap" (amongst other reasons) because they have very little in the way of slack capacity. Ron is right - the carrier's liability in law is still quite limited. They are obliged to actually do very little, and given Ryanair's aptitude for interpretation (Girona being the same as Barcelona - I drove bewteen the two a couple of weeks ago and it looked like about 90 minutes on the motorway to me, flights to Vienna actually landing in a different country, etc) I am sure that they will apply these regulations absolutely to the letter. Frankly, if one wants a measure of being looked after if things go wrong I can only repeat that one is better flying less often and coughing up for BA or similar. Come to that, for the last couple of years BA (out of Nantes) have frequently been within a few euros of Ryanair (La Rochelle), and on occaision have undercut them significantly. Factor in the additional costs associated with being stranded in the middle of the Essex countryside, excess baggage charges and the outragous price of a packet of mixed fruit & nuts and the difference is suddenly negligible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Ron Avery Posted November 16, 2005 Ron Avery Members 4.2k Share Posted November 16, 2005 [quote]I suspect the reason that passengers are not bussed to meet a dirverted plane is that that plane needs to leave promptly or risk mucking up Ryanair's whole schedule. They are "cheap" (amongst other re...[/quote] "and outrageous price of a packet of mixed fruit & nuts" JOND I think you'll find that if you travel by train in the UK unless  you pay the outrageous 1st class prices on Virgin where food and drink is free, you will pay similar prices to Ryanair for food and drink, the thing I really hate is those new plastic bags of spirits they give out now instead of the little bottles  You are right about the schedules being tight, our plane to Rodez used to come in from Newquay,  I think it was and then in 15-20 minutes or so off to France, not sure where it comes from now, haven't Ryanair pulled the Newquay flights over a tourist tax the pillocks at County hall in Truro tried to impose?  Talk about killing the golden goose Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Owens88 Posted November 16, 2005 Owens88 Members 954 Share Posted November 16, 2005 John While it no doubt frustrating and annoying when a plane is diverted I would really prefer to be diverted than for the pilot to "chance" a landing where there is no controlled landing system,  O'Leary does not control the weather, so how can Ryanair bear any responsibility for a divertion?  Can you explain further how more than 150 people were overbooked on your flight to Stansted.  Are you saying that Ryanair took bookings from over 330 people for one plane? Very odd this as their booking system should reject bookings when the flight is full. Were there cancellations here or did 150+ people just turn up expecting to be able to fly? I am seriously worried if Ryanair are taking 2 bookings for every seat Hi Ron I do not blame anybody for the diversion. I did not say there were 150 people overbooked. The incoming plane was scheduled to then depart back to Stanstead. Once it got to Carcassone instead of Perpignan it was out of the frame for any return flights that day, whether from Perpignan or Carcassone. So all the passengers booked on that flight needed an alternative. The Ryanair desk helped some (as long as they could make their own way to Girona as far as I know) then closed at 5pm with a tannoy announcement suggesting Air France. Everybody else was left to DIY on a Sunday night in Perpignan. I couldn't swear that it was 150 but it seemed like it. Interestingly the Perpignan airport staff were less helpful than the story about Rodez staff.  Even getting a train timetable from the customer information desk proved to be a battle of attrition. Strange that as in that corner of the world we don't get a lot of the reputed Gallic rudeness. Perhaps she was on secondment from Paris? Sorry for rambling off-topic.     Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Cat Posted November 16, 2005 Cat Members 5.6k Share Posted November 16, 2005 I think it was in 2003 Ron, and it was on a Sunday in September or October. However, there was no bus provided from Rodez.  Although the plane was re-routed to another airport to land, it was classed as a cancellation and not a diversion.  We had to pay for taxis or hire cars. The airport staff (not Ryanair staff by the way, there were none at Rodez) tried their best to get people onto other flights, but the options were pretty limited. Those that could afford to wait until a flight from Rodez became available were booked onto flights for the following few days. Some managed to find a flight from a different airport, choosing to hire a car, either to drive to Toulouse to catch a BA flight or to fly from other Ryanair airports. The queues for taxis and hire cars were horrendous, and it took several hours for everyone to get the transport they needed. Many of us ended up at Rodez railway station, awaiting trains to Toulouse or Paris.  By this time we we all on pretty friendly terms, and we decided to decamp to the bar-tabac on the other side of the road from the station while we waited for our respective trains. As I said before, I've no gripe with Ryanair.  I've flown with them many times, all over Europe, and this was the only time that I experienced significant problems.  The money that I have saved by using their bargain basement prices (I only book flights during their "free" flight periods, don't eat on their flights, and have a UK house within reasonable distance of Stansted) more than covers the very high railfare I had to pay from Rodez to London to get me home. Actually, I now remember that there was a very nice man at Rodez airport who had come to collect friends supposed to be flying in on the cancelled flight.  He offered to ferry several people to Rodez to save them having to wait for taxis.  His name was Ron too, it wasn't you by any chance was it   Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Freedom Posted November 16, 2005 Freedom Members 23 Author Share Posted November 16, 2005 If your flight is cancelled ...you will be entitled to a travel credit or full refund of all monies paid if the alternative flight/s offered are not suitable to you and you do not travel. Ryanair does not provide compensation for flights which are delayed or cancelled for reasons beyond Ryanair's control. ....Your rights under EU Regulation 261/2004 are unaffected so in the case of denied boarding, flight cancellation or a delay in excess of two hours you will be provided with a written notice setting out the rules for compensation and assistance in line with such Regulation I don't recall anyone being provided with a written notice re compensation or assistance on Sunday more's the pity... all we got was a phone number to ring. The reason for not flying was adverse weather conditions, - drizzly weather/low cloud (but I'm not a weather girl) - so the incoming flight was diverted to Tours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Ron Avery Posted November 16, 2005 Ron Avery Members 4.2k Share Posted November 16, 2005 [quote]John While it no doubt frustrating and annoying when a plane is diverted I would really prefer to be diverted than for the pilot to "chance" a landing where there is no controlled landing system ,...[/quote] Sorry for the misquote John, from your original post it sounded like two different occasions, I can understand the frustration of passengers being sent elsewhere and not being able to fly.  Its a pity that you were not at Carcassonne as that offers  a number of cheaper flight alternatives than a train to Paris?  I think a lot of the time when there are problems it is the helpfulness or otherwise of the airport staff that can make a drama a crisis, At Rodez and possibly other airports they appear to use AIrFrance check in staff, now are they really going to break a leg for Ryanair?  Cat  There is/was a problem at Rodez as landings are manual (and sometimes much smoother than the bangs on the tarmac at Stansted    However, this makes landing in poor visibility dangerous and they have to divert to Carcassonne where all weather landings are possible. Seems my mate Martin was luckier with his diversion than you were.  No it was not me but I am a very nice man and if I had been there I would have gladly taken you to Rodez or Figeac probably being a better option to get a train Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Will Posted November 16, 2005 Will Members 7.4k Share Posted November 16, 2005 I understand there was a similar problem at Dinard yesterday evening when an incoming Ryanair flight was diverted to Nantes and both incoming and outgoing passengers were left stranded at the respective airports. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... YCCMB Posted November 16, 2005 YCCMB Members 5.2k Share Posted November 16, 2005 Strangely enough, I returned with Ryanair from La Rochelle a couple of weeks ago, and on arrival at the airport, having checked in, we were bussed to Nantes and our plane (which had arrived there, instead of LR ) was waiting to take us to Stansted. Overall about 2-3 hours delay, but can't fault the service and organisation! However, this was due to a "technical difficulty" (LR's one fire engine was apparently out of service) rather than adverse weather, but don't know if legitimately this could be considered within or outside Ryanair's control. Maybe LR airport paid for the buses etc? Whatever, I feel quite lucky compared to those poor people stranded at Poitiers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... le bouffon Posted November 16, 2005 le bouffon Members 418 Share Posted November 16, 2005 As one who used to fly regularly on charter flights through out the late 70`s up until the early 90`s,all I can say is where is your travel insurance?(try to save a few quid,and look what happens)and if you do not have any,Tant pis,stop moaning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Russethouse Posted November 16, 2005 Russethouse Members 17.2k Share Posted November 16, 2005 Le Bouffon, There is usually small print on Travel Insurance that means there is an excess, it is not always worth claiming. FWIW I use the links on Money Saving Expert for Travel Insurance, think I paid £8 - £9 for a six day trip recently. Worth it for the peace of mind. (and it is internet based so you are sent the policy via email ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... The Riff-Raff Element Posted November 16, 2005 The Riff-Raff Element Members 1.9k Share Posted November 16, 2005 [quote]"and outrageous price of a packet of mixed fruit & nuts" JOND I think you'll find that if you travel by train in the UK unless you pay the outrageous 1st class prices on Virgin where food and dr...[/quote] "I think you'll find that if you travel by train in the UK unless you pay the outrageous 1st class prices on Virgin where food and drink is free, you will pay similar prices to Ryanair for food and drink, the thing I really hate is those new plastic bags of spirits they give out now instead of the little bottles" Ron - you make a valid point, and I cannot find fault with it, though I should say that most of the train journeys I am obliged to make upon arrival in the UK are mercifully relatively short and not requiring of refreshment. PLASTIC BAGS??? I'm not a spirit drinker (well, expcept in extremis), so I was unaware of this unspeakable development. While I appreciate the need for increased security (actually, a lot of it is p*****g in the wind - have you any idea how much damage a ballpoint pen can do? Or a broken piece of stout plastic comb? Are these restricted items??? But I digress...) surely plastic BOTTLES would be just as acceptable and far more dignified! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Iceni Posted November 16, 2005 Iceni Members 3.6k Share Posted November 16, 2005 "Half the passengers had no money left" No doubt this is Ryanairs's fault as well. No-one is compelled to travel by the cheapo airlines - if you want tea and sympathy go back to BA, AirFrance etc. and watch the return of BF type prices. John not Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Ron Avery Posted November 17, 2005 Ron Avery Members 4.2k Share Posted November 17, 2005 I wish it was a security issue jond, its just cost cutting, These are just little silver bags of one measure spirits non-branded and for the same price as the old double bottles you buy one get one free, good marketing as previously the same priced plastic bottles held a double.  Best buy are the bacardi breezers, wonder how long before CEO O'Leary works out these are 1.50€ cheaper than two bags and a mixer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Purdey Posted November 17, 2005 Purdey Members 31 Share Posted November 17, 2005 It would appear that all weather conditions landing is not possible at Carcassonne as last Wedmesday (9th), half an hour after the incoming flight should have landed, our flight to Stansted was cancelled due to 'adverse weather conditions'. We wonder where the flight was diverted to as the only other time this happened to us, the flight was diverted to Toulouse and we were taken there by coach. We were told that we had to go to the information desk to re-book flights. This was chaotic as  the check-in  and information area is very small at present due to work in progress. All the passengers from the flight were in this area as passengers for the flight for Charleroi (which strangely did manage to land at Carcassonne shortly afterwards) were trying to get to the check-in desks. We were told that there were no flights available to any of us that day and in fact we had to wait until Saturday for a flight from Carcassonne although we could have gone from Gerona or Montpellier on Friday. We were lucky as all we had to do was re-hire a car for three days (at considerable expense) and go back to our French house, open everything up again and do some shopping. It was inconvenient, we had to make lots of phone calls cancelling various arrangements but not the end of the world. However there were others who were 'stranded' and I was very sorry for them We have used Ryanair many times during the past six years, saving a considerable amount of money by being able to take advantage of cheap flights and we have always said that we wouldn't grumble if one went 'pear-shaped' as it did last week. However again I feel sorry for those who had to pay considerably more for their flight than we did - not a happy experience!         Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Prev 1 2 Next Page 1 of 2   Please sign in to comment You will be able to leave a comment after signing in Sign In Now  Share More sharing options... 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[Owens88]

We have had a similar problem. And yes Ryanair do bear some responsibility for the poor service on our occasion.

Incoming flight to Perpignan has to divert (at last minute) to Carcassone due to bad weather. Passengers bussed down to P from Carcassone but the bus would not be taking the P passengers back to C for the flight home.

Last Sunday of a UK half term. Flight full. We were offered a replacement on Wednesday (and that after queing for 45 mins). Some people went to Girona for a replacement (though had to get there themselves). Car hire co's quoting 3 arms and a leg to arrange a cross border rental.

Ryanair desk closes with at least 150 passengers left 'not sorted'. Tannoy announcements to consider Air France to Paris.

US, we booked Easyjet out of Toulouse, a car to drive to Toulouse and another car to drive from Gatwick to Stantsead to where our car was. Eventually the insurance paid and Ryanair never really said sorry.

I 'thought' there was a new ruling stoppping them carriers absolving themselves from responsibility in a situation like this.

[Simmy]

Ryan air must have had a bad day Sunday.  A flight to a Polish airport didn't land because of weather.  All the pasengers were told was the no. of Ryan Air in Dublin 'but there will be no one in 'til Monday'! 

 

[Richardbk]

even if your flight is cancelled due to exceptional circumstances (including weather) you are entitled to meals, accomodations etc.

if you get no joy from ryan air - and most likely you won't then you need to write to the regulator for Ryan air ( UK CAA or the Irish CAA ? ) . If that fails you ca take it to the European Commission. all details on the web site below .

http://europa.eu.int/comm/transport/air/rights/info_en.htm

regs

 

Richard

 

[Ron Avery]

[quote]We have had a similar problem. And yes Ryanair do bear some responsibility for the poor service on our occasion. Incoming flight to Perpignan has to divert (at last minute) to Carcassone due to bad w...[/quote]

John

While it no doubt frustrating and annoying when a plane is diverted I would really prefer to be diverted than for the pilot to "chance" a landing where there is no controlled landing system,  O'Leary does not control the weather, so how can Ryanair bear any responsibility for a divertion? 

Can you explain further how more than 150 people were overbooked on your flight to Stansted.  Are you saying that Ryanair took bookings from over 330 people for one plane? Very odd this as their booking system should reject bookings when the flight is full.

Were there cancellations here or did 150+ people just turn up expecting to be able to fly? I am seriously worried if Ryanair are taking 2 bookings for every seat

As for compensation Richard, isn't that limited to when the flight is cancelled and not diverted, and in any case Ryanair only have to refund the fare paid, there is also a get out clause on providing accommodation in the EU blurb and that it is "when necessary"

Edited Extract from Ryanair's conditions

• If your flight is cancelled ...you will be entitled to a travel credit or full refund of all monies paid if the alternative flight/s offered are not suitable to you and you do not travel.
• Ryanair does not provide compensation for flights which are delayed or cancelled for reasons beyond Ryanair's control. ....Your rights under EU Regulation 261/2004 are unaffected so in the case of denied boarding, flight cancellation or a delay in excess of two hours you will be provided with a written notice setting out the rules for compensation and assistance in line with such Regulation.

[The Riff-Raff Element]

I suspect the reason that passengers are not bussed to meet a dirverted plane is that that plane needs to leave promptly or risk mucking up Ryanair's whole schedule. They are "cheap" (amongst other reasons) because they have very little in the way of slack capacity.

Ron is right - the carrier's liability in law is still quite limited. They are obliged to actually do very little, and given Ryanair's aptitude for interpretation (Girona being the same as Barcelona - I drove bewteen the two a couple of weeks ago and it looked like about 90 minutes on the motorway to me, flights to Vienna actually landing in a different country, etc) I am sure that they will apply these regulations absolutely to the letter.

Frankly, if one wants a measure of being looked after if things go wrong I can only repeat that one is better flying less often and coughing up for BA or similar. Come to that, for the last couple of years BA (out of Nantes) have frequently been within a few euros of Ryanair (La Rochelle), and on occaision have undercut them significantly. Factor in the additional costs associated with being stranded in the middle of the Essex countryside, excess baggage charges and the outragous price of a packet of mixed fruit & nuts and the difference is suddenly negligible.

[Ron Avery]

[quote]I suspect the reason that passengers are not bussed to meet a dirverted plane is that that plane needs to leave promptly or risk mucking up Ryanair's whole schedule. They are "cheap" (amongst other re...[/quote]

"and outrageous price of a packet of mixed fruit & nuts"

JOND I think you'll find that if you travel by train in the UK unless  you pay the outrageous 1st class prices on Virgin where food and drink is free, you will pay similar prices to Ryanair for food and drink, the thing I really hate is those new plastic bags of spirits they give out now instead of the little bottles 

You are right about the schedules being tight, our plane to Rodez used to come in from Newquay,  I think it was and then in 15-20 minutes or so off to France, not sure where it comes from now, haven't Ryanair pulled the Newquay flights over a tourist tax the pillocks at County hall in Truro tried to impose?  Talk about killing the golden goose

[Owens88]

John

While it no doubt frustrating and annoying when a plane is diverted I would really prefer to be diverted than for the pilot to "chance" a landing where there is no controlled landing system,  O'Leary does not control the weather, so how can Ryanair bear any responsibility for a divertion? 

Can you explain further how more than 150 people were overbooked on your flight to Stansted.  Are you saying that Ryanair took bookings from over 330 people for one plane? Very odd this as their booking system should reject bookings when the flight is full.

Were there cancellations here or did 150+ people just turn up expecting to be able to fly? I am seriously worried if Ryanair are taking 2 bookings for every seat

Hi Ron

I do not blame anybody for the diversion. I did not say there were 150 people overbooked.

The incoming plane was scheduled to then depart back to Stanstead. Once it got to Carcassone instead of Perpignan it was out of the frame for any return flights that day, whether from Perpignan or Carcassone.

So all the passengers booked on that flight needed an alternative. The Ryanair desk helped some (as long as they could make their own way to Girona as far as I know) then closed at 5pm with a tannoy announcement suggesting Air France. Everybody else was left to DIY on a Sunday night in Perpignan. I couldn't swear that it was 150 but it seemed like it.

Interestingly the Perpignan airport staff were less helpful than the story about Rodez staff.  Even getting a train timetable from the customer information desk proved to be a battle of attrition. Strange that as in that corner of the world we don't get a lot of the reputed Gallic rudeness. Perhaps she was on secondment from Paris? Sorry for rambling off-topic.

 

 

[Cat]

I think it was in 2003 Ron, and it was on a Sunday in September or October.

However, there was no bus provided from Rodez.  Although the plane was re-routed to another airport to land, it was classed as a cancellation and not a diversion.  We had to pay for taxis or hire cars.

The airport staff (not Ryanair staff by the way, there were none at Rodez) tried their best to get people onto other flights, but the options were pretty limited. Those that could afford to wait until a flight from Rodez became available were booked onto flights for the following few days. Some managed to find a flight from a different airport, choosing to hire a car, either to drive to Toulouse to catch a BA flight or to fly from other Ryanair airports.

The queues for taxis and hire cars were horrendous, and it took several hours for everyone to get the transport they needed.

Many of us ended up at Rodez railway station, awaiting trains to Toulouse or Paris.  By this time we we all on pretty friendly terms, and we decided to decamp to the bar-tabac on the other side of the road from the station while we waited for our respective trains.

As I said before, I've no gripe with Ryanair.  I've flown with them many times, all over Europe, and this was the only time that I experienced significant problems.  The money that I have saved by using their bargain basement prices (I only book flights during their "free" flight periods, don't eat on their flights, and have a UK house within reasonable distance of Stansted) more than covers the very high railfare I had to pay from Rodez to London to get me home.

Actually, I now remember that there was a very nice man at Rodez airport who had come to collect friends supposed to be flying in on the cancelled flight.  He offered to ferry several people to Rodez to save them having to wait for taxis.  His name was Ron too, it wasn't you by any chance was it

 

[Freedom]

If your flight is cancelled ...you will be entitled to a travel credit or full refund of all monies paid if the alternative flight/s offered are not suitable to you and you do not travel.

Ryanair does not provide compensation for flights which are delayed or cancelled for reasons beyond Ryanair's control. ....Your rights under EU Regulation 261/2004 are unaffected so in the case of denied boarding, flight cancellation or a delay in excess of two hours you will be provided with a written notice setting out the rules for compensation and assistance in line with such Regulation

I don't recall anyone being provided with a written notice re compensation or assistance on Sunday more's the pity... all we got was a phone number to ring.

The reason for not flying was adverse weather conditions, - drizzly weather/low cloud (but I'm not a weather girl) - so the incoming flight was diverted to Tours.

[Ron Avery]

[quote]John While it no doubt frustrating and annoying when a plane is diverted I would really prefer to be diverted than for the pilot to "chance" a landing where there is no controlled landing system ,...[/quote]

Sorry for the misquote John, from your original post it sounded like two different occasions, I can understand the frustration of passengers being sent elsewhere and not being able to fly.  Its a pity that you were not at Carcassonne as that offers  a number of cheaper flight alternatives than a train to Paris?  I think a lot of the time when there are problems it is the helpfulness or otherwise of the airport staff that can make a drama a crisis, At Rodez and possibly other airports they appear to use AIrFrance check in staff, now are they really going to break a leg for Ryanair? 

Cat  There is/was a problem at Rodez as landings are manual (and sometimes much smoother than the bangs on the tarmac at Stansted    However, this makes landing in poor visibility dangerous and they have to divert to Carcassonne where all weather landings are possible. Seems my mate Martin was luckier with his diversion than you were.  No it was not me but I am a very nice man and if I had been there I would have gladly taken you to Rodez or Figeac probably being a better option to get a train

[Will]

I understand there was a similar problem at Dinard yesterday evening when an incoming Ryanair flight was diverted to Nantes and both incoming and outgoing passengers were left stranded at the respective airports.

[YCCMB]

Strangely enough, I returned with Ryanair from La Rochelle a couple of weeks ago, and on arrival at the airport, having checked in, we were bussed to Nantes and our plane (which had arrived there, instead of LR ) was waiting to take us to Stansted. Overall about 2-3 hours delay, but can't fault the service and organisation! However, this was due to a "technical difficulty" (LR's one fire engine was apparently out of service) rather than adverse weather, but don't know if legitimately this could be considered within or outside Ryanair's control. Maybe LR airport paid for the buses etc? Whatever, I feel quite lucky compared to those poor people stranded at Poitiers!

[le bouffon]

As one who used to fly regularly on charter flights through out the late 70`s up until the early 90`s,all I can say is where is your travel insurance?(try to save a few quid,and look what happens)and if you do not have any,Tant pis,stop moaning.

[Russethouse]

Le Bouffon, There is usually small print on Travel Insurance that means there is an excess, it is not always worth claiming.

FWIW I use the links on Money Saving Expert for Travel Insurance, think I paid £8 - £9 for a six day trip recently. Worth it for the peace of mind. (and it is internet based so you are sent the policy via email )

[The Riff-Raff Element]

[quote]"and outrageous price of a packet of mixed fruit & nuts" JOND I think you'll find that if you travel by train in the UK unless you pay the outrageous 1st class prices on Virgin where food and dr...[/quote]

"I think you'll find that if you travel by train in the UK unless you pay the outrageous 1st class prices on Virgin where food and drink is free, you will pay similar prices to Ryanair for food and drink, the thing I really hate is those new plastic bags of spirits they give out now instead of the little bottles"

Ron - you make a valid point, and I cannot find fault with it, though I should say that most of the train journeys I am obliged to make upon arrival in the UK are mercifully relatively short and not requiring of refreshment. PLASTIC BAGS??? I'm not a spirit drinker (well, expcept in extremis), so I was unaware of this unspeakable development. While I appreciate the need for increased security (actually, a lot of it is p*****g in the wind - have you any idea how much damage a ballpoint pen can do? Or a broken piece of stout plastic comb? Are these restricted items??? But I digress...) surely plastic BOTTLES would be just as acceptable and far more dignified!

[Iceni]

"Half the passengers had no money left"

No doubt this is Ryanairs's fault as well.

No-one is compelled to travel by the cheapo airlines - if you want tea and sympathy go back to BA, AirFrance etc. and watch the return of BF type prices.

John

not

[Ron Avery]

I wish it was a security issue jond, its just cost cutting, These are just little silver bags of one measure spirits non-branded and for the same price as the old double bottles you buy one get one free, good marketing as previously the same priced plastic bottles held a double.  Best buy are the bacardi breezers, wonder how long before CEO O'Leary works out these are 1.50€ cheaper than two bags and a mixer

[Purdey]

It would appear that all weather conditions landing is not possible at Carcassonne as last Wedmesday (9th), half an hour after the incoming flight should have landed, our flight to Stansted was cancelled due to 'adverse weather conditions'. We wonder where the flight was diverted to as the only other time this happened to us, the flight was diverted to Toulouse and we were taken there by coach. We were told that we had to go to the information desk to re-book flights. This was chaotic as  the check-in  and information area is very small at present due to work in progress. All the passengers from the flight were in this area as passengers for the flight for Charleroi (which strangely did manage to land at Carcassonne shortly afterwards) were trying to get to the check-in desks.

We were told that there were no flights available to any of us that day and in fact we had to wait until Saturday for a flight from Carcassonne although we could have gone from Gerona or Montpellier on Friday. We were lucky as all we had to do was re-hire a car for three days (at considerable expense) and go back to our French house, open everything up again and do some shopping. It was inconvenient, we had to make lots of phone calls cancelling various arrangements but not the end of the world. However there were others who were 'stranded' and I was very sorry for them

We have used Ryanair many times during the past six years, saving a considerable amount of money by being able to take advantage of cheap flights and we have always said that we wouldn't grumble if one went 'pear-shaped' as it did last week. However again I feel sorry for those who had to pay considerably more for their flight than we did - not a happy experience!