I love Ryanair — it's like Ayn Rand created an airline. Every flight is a battle of wits between the me, doing my best to _only_ pay the insanely low ticket price, and the airline, attempting to trap me at every turn, using every scumbag trick in the book. The irony is that the people who vilify the company are the same people subsidizing my ticket by refusing to engage in the challenge.
Having said that, due to increased taxes I think the hayday of insanely cheap flights is over. I remember flying London -> Slovenia once for £20 return. The train from the central London to get to the airport? £25.
True — I didn't mean to slight Ayn Rand or her books. But if there ever was an airline where the passenger's success (super-cheap flight versus being horrifically screwed over) is the direct measure of his or her individual skill, effort, and creativity, it's Ryanair.
If anything, I'd say that Southwest has much more in common with Rand's heroes than Ryanair. To stretch this ridiculous comparison further:
Like Southwest, Roark didn't nickel and dime his clients. Rather, he simply pursued his own architectural ideals: simplicity, elegance, form following function -- to hell with everyone else. You can see the same in Southwest. They eliminated the artificial seating charts, standardized the ticket prices, and allowed bags to be checked for free. They simplified logistics, improved the experience, and didn't think twice about bewildering passengers.
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I love Ryanair — it's like Ayn Rand created an airline. Every flight is a battle of wits between the me, doing my best to _only_ pay the insanely low ticket price, and the airline, attempting to trap me at every turn, using every scumbag trick in the book. The irony is that the people who vilify the company are the same people subsidizing my ticket by refusing to engage in the challenge.
Having said that, due to increased taxes I think the hayday of insanely cheap flights is over. I remember flying London -> Slovenia once for £20 return. The train from the central London to get to the airport? £25.
I don't know if you've ever read an ayn rand novel, but none of her heroes ever try to cheat people.
True — I didn't mean to slight Ayn Rand or her books. But if there ever was an airline where the passenger's success (super-cheap flight versus being horrifically screwed over) is the direct measure of his or her individual skill, effort, and creativity, it's Ryanair.
If anything, I'd say that Southwest has much more in common with Rand's heroes than Ryanair. To stretch this ridiculous comparison further:
Like Southwest, Roark didn't nickel and dime his clients. Rather, he simply pursued his own architectural ideals: simplicity, elegance, form following function -- to hell with everyone else. You can see the same in Southwest. They eliminated the artificial seating charts, standardized the ticket prices, and allowed bags to be checked for free. They simplified logistics, improved the experience, and didn't think twice about bewildering passengers.
Technically neither does Ryan air.