Ryanair Documentary

Dutch TV program KRO Reporter airs a documentary about the fuelpolicy tonight. 4 pilots will talk about it, they will not be shown on TV.
http://nos.nl/artikel/456068-onderzoek-misstanden-ryanair.html (NOS)

What do you guys think of this news? Is there certain elements which could be true? Or is this just another try by traditional high-fare airline companies to 'compete' and spread rumours which are exagerated?

I think, in all those millions of Ryanair flights, no single one ever had a fuel shortage and crashed... About the Spanish situation I don't know, but as far as I know, thunderstorms caused some planes to divert to Valencia, and after 50 extra minutes there was an imminent fuel shortage. After all, 50 minutes on a 2 hour flight is not so bad I think, no? I think it's quite a waste if planes which are scheduled for a 2 hour flight, would carry fuel for 4 hours...
What are your opinions? Greets

I'm watching the docu right now on Dutch Television (NOS 2). It's again the same story. Ryanair simply complying with the rules about min. fuel and people start complaining. If the amount of fuel Ryanair planes carry is in any unsafe, you should adapt the rules, instead of putting pressure on companies complying with rules.

When docu is available online, I will post it here. Docu is in Dutch, but conversations with the pilots in English with subtitles.

http://reporter.kro.nl/seizoenen/2012/afleveringen/28-12-2012

Ernie2013 wrote:
Or is this just another try by traditional high-fare airline companies to 'compete' and spread rumours which are exagerated?

Just so.
There is a lot of desperate legacy airlines (Air France, Alitalia, Brussels Airlines, Austrian, Iberia, SAS, and many more), on the verge of final disaster, who would stop at nothing to get rid of Ryanair.

Thanks for the link! Just watched it... i think you guys are right and it's just sponsored by traditional carriers. On the other hand, we can't be sure. So let's see it optimistic. If the pilots complaints are right, and if there really is a pressure to take too little fuel, this docu helped to inform all stakeholders. Maybe they could impose another 2 euro surcharge for 5% extra fuel

In the end, also MOL will probably know that if one plane ever crashes because of this type of cost-cutting, that the next day Ryanair will be gone forever, because than noone would fly them again.
Agree? Greets

Ernie2013 wrote:
In the end, also MOL will probably know that if one plane ever crashes because of this type of cost-cutting, that the next day Ryanair will be gone forever, because than noone would fly them again.
Agree? Greets

Quite so. One crash, for any motive, and all the hyenas will be on Ryanair.
Any minor incident is used and magnified in the medias and forums, just to criticize Ryanair.
Air France can crash once every five years or so, with no consequence, but for Ryanair, it's different !
Be assured that Michael O'Leary knows that very well, and he sure does not take any risk, safetywise.
Greets

Do you think that there really is a culture of fear in the company? I think it could be. MOL may look friendly, but in the office..

I speak with the cabin crew when the occasion arises, they don't seem to be scared ... but I am no insider.
It has often be said that it's more of a relaxed environment at easyJet, for instance - I don't know.

The Belgian Aviaton Authorithy has controled Ryanairflights the last 3 months, they didn't find fuelshortages. http://www.trouw.nl/tr/nl/4324/Nieuws/article/detail/3370111/2012/12/29/Belgie-geen-brandstofproblemen-Ryanair.dhtml (Dutch)

Good to hear that. I am still glad that the KRO docu was there, even though it was of course quite bad publicity. Why?

1) Most importantly : For European politicians : I think measures should be taken to extend the minimum legal amount of fuel. 30 minutes inside of Europe is not enough. European lawmakers should urgently take action and extend it. 30 minutes of flying, means maybe 10 minutes of flight when you have to pull up the plane again and do a 2nd approach. These rules are not enough for an advanced region with so many rules like Europe.

2) For Michael OL and Ryanair management : we understand that you try to cut costs in every possible way, but don't push it too far.

3) Supporting the pilots, allowing them to independantly make decisions on the minimum amount of fuel.

4) Pinpointing this, I hope that Ryanair understands, that the cost of bad publicity and loss of customers, is higher than taking 1000 liters of kerosine extra.

So I think there are lessons here for Ryanair, but definitely for European policymakers !

The docu continues tonight with a second part. This time it's about Ryanair pilots flying while they are not 'fit to fly'. Pilots only get paid for each hour they fly, so no flying means no income. That's where KRO reporter is all about tonight. You guys think MOL made love to the wife of the KRO director?

Anyway Ryanair already responded and ofcourse: A load of rubbish.

http://reporter.kro.nl/seizoenen/2013/afleveringen/03-01-2013

Ryanair now searches a 'Internal Auditor'... http://www.adverts.ie/jobs/ryanair/temporary-internal-auditor/2481105

Ryanair dismisses false claims from KRO REPORTER

Ryanair, Europe’s favourite airline, today (3 Jan) dismissed the latest false claims by Dutch TV programme KRO REPORTER, which, just like last week’s programme, are unsupported by any factual evidence whatsoever. KRO's latest false claims, again made anonymously by unidentified contributors so that they cannot be tested or verified, is that pilots fly when they feel unwell (“unfit to fly”) or otherwise they would lose money.

This claim is manifestly untrue. Ryanair pilots routinely report being “unfit to fly” and are routinely replaced by standby pilots who are rostered on standby precisely to provide this cover. Equally, since Ryanair pilots can (by law) not fly more than 900 hours per year (an average of just 18 hours per week) they can and routinely do recover these occasional sick days later in the year.

The falsity of these latest KRO REPORTER claims is proven by the fact that in the last full roster year to March 2012, out of a total of over 1,700 contractor pilots, over 1,010 (or more than 58%) reported “unfit to fly” at some time during the year. These false claims are also disproven by the fact that Ryanair rosters over 200 pilots on standby on a daily basis to cover pilot sickness and other eventualities. Over the past 7 days, from Wed 26 Dec – Wed 2 Jan, a total of 169 pilots reported themselves as "unfit to fly" and were replaced by a standby pilot. These factual figures disprove KRO REPORTER’S anonymous false claims.

Ryanair now calls for an investigation into the low standards of journalism exhibited by this KRO REPORTER programme which masquerades as investigative journalism, but has over two separate broadcasts offered no evidence of any wrongdoing or of any safety breaches but has instead based its programmes on false claims from anonymous people whose identities have been hidden by this programme precisely because their claims are untrue.

The contributions by KLM pilots are equally unreliable since they don’t work for Ryanair and instead work for a competitor airline. The only factual evidence in these matters is the official IAA report into the 3 Valencia weather diversions on 26 July last which confirmed that all 3 aircraft took extra fuel on the night in question, and Ryanair’s continuing compliance with all EU safety regulations including pilot hours and sickness provisions.

Ryanair’s Stephen McNamara said;

“Perhaps KRO REPORTER should now explain why 169 Ryanair pilots reported themselves “unfit to fly” in the last 7 days if, as their programme claims, Ryanair pilots are unwilling or afraid to do so.”

We all know aviation is highly regulated? if rules are being broken by any airline in any area then aviation as a whole is guilty and all passengers who feel strongly about such weaknesses should boycott flying period. personally and it is still only my opinion.. aviation has never been as safe as it is today and will continue to be in the future. There will always be arguments by businesses trying to rubbish their competitors but competition is something Ryanair thrives on.
It is not hard to investigate such reports/wrong doings if they actually exist, everything is documented for any Departing/Arrival flight.
Simply ask why/would any aircraft despatcher allow underfuled aircraft to take -off, I think not.

Why walk when you can fly.

Sunday Times apologises and pays damages to Ryanair

The Sunday Times has paid out "substantial damages" and apologised to Ryanair for an article published in September last year in which it alleged that the airline had broken safety rules on 1,201 occasions.

Yesterday's paper carried a lengthy apology on page 2 of its travel section (rather than in the main section), as shown here.

It stated that the September story, headlined "Ryanair accused of 1,201 safety violations", claimed to have been based on a leaked report from the Spanish air safety agency (AESA).

This was alleged to have said that Ryanair planes broke safety rules 1,201 times in Spanish airspace in the first six months of 2012.

But the paper said: "We now accept that this was incorrect; there was no such report and Ryanair did not commit 1,201 breaches of safety rules." It continued:


The Sunday Times said the damages payable to Ryanair will, at the company's request, be paid to an Irish-based charity, The Jack & Jill Children's Foundation.


Maybe more media payouts to follow. Do not trust the media and insurance companys

The full apology printed in the Sunday Times can be read below:
An article (headlined “Ryanair accused of 1,201 safety violations”, Travel, September 23, 2012) stated that, according to a leaked report from the Spanish air safety agency (AESA), Ryanair planes broke safety rules 1,201 times in Spanish airspace in the first six months of 2012. We now accept that this was incorrect; there was no such report and Ryanair did not commit 1,201 breaches of safety rules.

In the same article we also reported three emergency landings which arose due to bad weather diversions from Madrid to Valencia on July 26, 2012. The article described these flights as having insufficient fuel to remain in holding patterns and reported claims that Ryanair was routinely abusing the mayday protocol to jump landing queues. We accept that all these allegations were untrue and apologise to Ryanair for the damage caused by this article. We have agreed to pay Ryanair substantial damages, which at the company’s request will be paid to the charity The Jack & Jill Children’s Foundation.

Finally, we reported in our article “Most Ryanair pilots are freelance” (News, ¬September 30, 2012) union claims that pilots feel under pressure to fly when ill and pilots’ claims that they are rostered for fewer flights if they fall into the bottom 20% of Ryanair’s monthly fuel league tables. We now accept Ryanair’s statements that pilots are not put under any such pressure and that the fuel-burn league tables are designed to improve fuel performance, which makes flights safer.

We also accept the Irish Aviation Authority’s assurance that Ryanair’s safety is “on a par with the safest airlines in Europe”.

Vicwou wrote:Do you think that there really is a culture of fear in the company? I think it could be. MOL may look friendly, but in the office..

Simply do not trust the media... nor Insurance companys If it is a crime to build one of the largest airlines in the world and bringing millions of people together for fares costing less than a bus ticket in most cases - then yes the man(MOL) needs sentencing for life.