ryanair wind-up

[johnv]

on the flight back from poitiers last night, about 10 rows at the front and the back were fenced off, leaving everyone crushed in the middle. I've been on a lot of flights in my time, and a lot of fairly empty ones and have never seen this before ... why would they do this?

[Tresco]

I could be something very simple.

For instance,  if they seat everyone together on a hall full flight, it will take them far less time to clean afterwards.

[Viv]

[quote user="Tresco"]

I could be something very simple.

[/quote]

What do you mean, COULD BE????????[:-))][:-))][:-))]

[Fay]

Same from carcassonne last night, though only about 3 rows... but the suggested explanation sounds likely.

[Tresco]

LOL

Viva and Fay, I was thinking the LF Aeronautical Boys Brigade would come steaming in with a deeply technical explanation.

 There's still time...[6]

[Pangur]

I came across this on a Ryanair flight and was told by the flight attendant "it's to balance the weight on the plane". ... Found it a little difficult to believe that an machine designed to fly us across the sea would be so sensitive to the body balance.

More likely it's to corral all the paying customers into the one area so you don't waste time running up and down to different rows on an empty flight.

[Tresco]

[quote user="Pangur"]I came across this on a Ryanair flight and was told by the flight attendant "it's to balance the weight on the plane". ... [/quote]

That's nonsense though, isn't it.?

If given a choice, the passengers would spread themselves out evenly. That is, as far away from eachother as possible. I have seen very important - and no doubt expensive - experiments that prove this.[Www]

[Teamedup]

I have been on a plane where we have been asked to move during the flight to balance the plane. Don't think that they were joking and did make a lot of us move.

[Eslier]

I took a Ryanair flight last year where they did a similar thing. On that flight it was the back six or seven rows that were blocked off. At a guess I would agree it probably has something to do with making the turnaround quicker.

[MichaelKing]

I think that the real reason is, as stated, to keep the plane balanced. Anyone who has been involved with aircraft loading will know that there is a very technical job of 'Loadmaster'. It actually carries officer rank in the RAF.

MK

[Bones]

Great, I've got to fly back to the UK for a funeral and had vowed never to get on one of those iron birds ever again. My only hope was that the plane was empty enough to grab a seat on my own (so I could suffer in silence).

I'll have to try and bully them into letting me sit in the cockpit!

Apparently a plane with the usual passenger jet landing-gear arrangement should be balanced properly as it can affect the runway handling (braking and steering, same with a car isn't it?) and I've also seen a pic of a jet with it's bum on the ground whilst stationary! So maybe they have a point.  

[SaligoBay]

Having been on Kenya Airways, all of us on one side of the plane, I believe the loading theory.  It just wasn't right. [8-)]

[sharkhunter]

Just to mention, has anyone else been adversely affected by Ryanair's decision to move flights from Bergerac to late in the evening? I find it now impossible to travel from Bergerac to my home in Scotland in one day. Previously, i had a few hours wait in Stanstead and caught the last flight to Prestwick, now i cant due to the late arrival from Bergerac.This is a major pain in the posterior, choices now are travelling to Limoges from Riberac, close on two hours and fly on then or wait in Stanstead overnight for first flight to Prestwick in the morning, and Ryanair's reply was............... nothing at all. Does this sc..w up anyone else's flights????? Hugh.

[Davies]

[quote user="Teamedup"]I have been on a plane where we have been asked to move during the flight to balance the plane. Don't think that they were joking and did make a lot of us move.[/quote]

 But surely you weren't asked to bunch up in the centre of the plane?

Normally, if there is an unequal distribution of passengers, it's because they are either bunched forward or aft and usually some are asked to go to the opposite end to even things out.

  No, as Tresco suggests, it is almost certainly a convenience for the cabin crew to allow one member to quickly tidy up.

I wonder what Ryanairs official explanation would be??  Obviously on a full plane it would make little difference but if passengers having to evacuate a half-full plane were unnecessarily delayed because they were bunched together, it wouldn't look too good afterwards. 

 

[Craig]

The reason they do this is to infact balance the aircraft so that they do not have to offset the controls to raise or lower the nose of the plane. In doing so it saves fuel.

I know we want to find reason to hate Ryanair even more but they are doing it for a reason and not specifically to piss people off.

My regular flight to Scotland has came forward by a few hours which is better for me.

 

[Brian]

I have been on flights (not Ryanair / Easyjet etc) where we have been moved some more to the front of the aircraft and others to the rear in order to balance the aircraft -  ie spread the passengers more evenly about the centre of gravity of the aircraft. It is not necessarily essential to bunch everyone in the middle but probably does save time in turnaround times which is what cutprice airlines are all about. Putting passengers in alternate rows may contribute to passenger comfort but not to operating economics.

Brian

[Ron Avery]

Some good guesses from Mrs T and Eslier,  you don't fly low cost much do you?

Craig is spot on,  I have never been on a Ryanair flight yet that did not have at least the front five rows of seats out of use  When full it is sometimes it goes down to three rows, when empty, sometimes as many as 7 rows, I have even heard of passengers being asked to sit at the back for take off when there were only about 20 on baord. and then sit anywhere they wanted after that   The answer as Craig says is that it is easier to get the plane off the ground with the passenger weight distributed towards the rear of the plane, simple economics, it takes less fuel to get the plane in the air, saving the environment a bit and its customers money, there is no need o sit at the front for landing, gravity takes over[:D].

[Tresco]

I don't fly much at all, but this 'balancing' thing is a revelation to me.

I accept what people are saying about it, but I am amazed, and speechless: In this thread, anyway[:)]

[vervialle]

On the subject of ryanair and prices if they start getting to expensive in August people will start using private charters,someone we know just chartered a twin engine plane from southend to limoges for £1600. It can take six people and they also bought there cat, they got a cooked meal and champagne and were treated like royalty at Limoges, I know its a bit pricey but if you need to get back in a hurry or you have difficulty comming on a normal flight its worth thinking about, they said it was so hassle free.

[fulcrum]

[quote user="MichaelKing"]

I think that the real reason is, as stated, to keep the plane balanced. Anyone who has been involved with aircraft loading will know that there is a very technical job of 'Loadmaster'. It actually carries officer rank in the RAF.

MK

[/quote]

I was thinking of Master Air Load Master. But it is certainly important to spread the weight correctly around the airframe when you take off and land.

[Owens88]

[quote user="Craig"]

The reason they do this is to infact balance the aircraft so that they do not have to offset the controls to raise or lower the nose of the plane. In doing so it saves fuel.

[/quote]

Agreed and lets remember that:

*The 'weight bearing' part of a plane in the air is the wings. Cast your mind back to pivots, moments etc. (NO that is not a cue for a giggly side thread about moments !). Effective Balancing is a good thing.

*Flying is ecologically unsound. Reducing the wasted fuel is good, even if it is Ryanair that saves the money.

[Sprogster]

This is your Captain speaking!

It is all about balance around the centre of gravity, which is in the wing area. Think of a see-saw!.

As all pilots know, one of the most fundamental pre flight safety checks is the calculation of the weight and balance of an aircraft. As an aircraft that is out of balance can be difficult to trim in pitch and therefore keep under proper control when airborne, especially on take off and landing and in turbulence. Those pesky tail strikes on rotation can be very expensive!

Ryanair are standardising their fleet around the new generation Boeing 737-800, which is the stretched version. Therefore, the more fuselage you have in front of and behind the wing the more sensitive the aircraft is to weight distribution. With a light passenger load you have to ensure that their weight is evenly spread around the centre of the aircraft. With free passenger seating, this is best achieved by blocking off the most forward and aft seats.

I hope you enjoy your next flight!

 

[Cat]

[quote user="hughmandy"]Just to mention, has anyone else been adversely affected by Ryanair's decision to move flights from Bergerac to late in the evening? I find it now impossible to travel from Bergerac to my home in Scotland in one day. Previously, i had a few hours wait in Stanstead and caught the last flight to Prestwick, now i cant due to the late arrival from Bergerac.This is a major pain in the posterior, choices now are travelling to Limoges from Riberac, close on two hours and fly on then or wait in Stanstead overnight for first flight to Prestwick in the morning, and Ryanair's reply was............... nothing at all. Does this sc..w up anyone else's flights????? Hugh.
[/quote]

It would cause me problems too, for a similar reason.

However, all their Saturday flights still depart at the earlier time of 17:25, which, although a more expensive day to fly than midweek, works out far more economical than the extra cost of travelling to Limoges or the cost of staying overnight in a Stansted hotel.

 

[powerdesal]

[quote user="fulcrum"][quote user="MichaelKing"]

I think that the

real reason is, as stated, to keep the plane balanced. Anyone who has

been involved with aircraft loading will know that there is a very

technical job of 'Loadmaster'. It actually carries officer rank in the

RAF.

MK

[/quote]

I was thinking of Master Air Load Master. But

it is certainly important to spread the weight correctly around the

airframe when you take off and land.

[/quote]

I believe that MALM is a Warrant Officer rank, ie top of the non-commissioned tree. The most senior of the SNCOs.

[sharkhunter]

Unfortunately i find financially it is easier to stop on a Thursday and fly home thurs night for the weekend and back on Mon night. This is a cost saver both in flight costs but more so in lost time at work. Ho Hum, guess i'll just have to grin and bear it, anyone fancy chartering a jet to take us all back to Scotland, might have to work a Thursday tho, Hugh.