Ryanair inaugurates Trapani service, announces giveaways

Raymond Cremona

Feb 7th 2009, 13:38

Ryanair has given a new dimension to traveling in Malta. The prices are cheaper then any other airline, it is reliabale and the servie is good - you can even get cheaper public transport tickets from Luton . I have used it more than ten times. Besides it is pushing other airlines to lower their tariffs. I cannot understand how any consumer can complain about competition?!
The government should have a unit within a ministry to try to lure more low cost airlines to operate to and from Malta. Well done Ryanair and keep it up - I will be traveling to trapani soon!

If any airline including AirMalta likes to induce more customers to use its services, it should manage better its human resources - discover new destinations, get better fuel deals, give special offers and possibbly get smaller and more practible planes.

AirMalta's shares should be offered to the public - and it should be managed like any company in the private sector. The Governemnt should be a regulator and not directly involved in the economy!! The government shuld not compete int he economy!

Mark Zerafa

Feb 7th 2009, 08:09

Ryanair are simply masters of wording and marketing..
They expect every ailing tourist destination to subsidise them, but instead of bringing tourists in, all they do is take over the domestic market. Ryanair has never commented on how many of its pasengers are actually Malta-bound tourists or outbound Maltese tourists.

I have never flown Ryanair, I'm always put off by their hidden fees and their "we will charge you for the air you breathe on the plane" attitude.

They are making profits, why do they need a government subsidy to operate?

And why hasn't Air Malta taken the government to the European court over unfair competition? Ah yes, the government IS Air Malta's shareholder...

I thought shareholders protected their interests in their own companies...

If we want to protect Maltese jobs, then let's make sure that our national airline is not short-changed.

Christian Micallef

Feb 7th 2009, 01:55

I travelled with Ryanair to Luton in London and was surprised by the good service they offered. i wasn't expecting a good service at all because of the cheap rates. One has to pay too much higher to get a good service from AirMalta. I must say that Ryanair offer good value for money!

m farrugia

Feb 6th 2009, 21:32

keep on coming ryanair! at last you have made independent travelling to and from malta affordable

R.Zammit

Feb 6th 2009, 21:09

Those are commercial reasons I have no idea about. What I can say is that Air Malta's owner is the Government, which is the same Government that is giving Ryanair around €50 for each passenger they carry.

Think about it. Normal charge (very early booking)= €30; CreditCard charge= €2.5; Government subsidy €50; Taxes= €30; 1 Bag (max 15kg) and check-in= €30; Boarding Priority = €4; Insurance= €11. Total= 157.5 ONE WAY. To return that's €315 in revenue for Ryanair. An extra 2kg of luggage will set you back another €30 EACH WAY. Note that the €30 normal fare goes up periodically and can (will) reach some €200 each way. No wonder they make so much profit. Good luck to them, but not with my taxes.
And when you compare what you get in return one wonders if it is at all worth it. The airports that they use are often so far from the centre that the cab could cost as much as the flight. Not to mention no free meals/drinks/cushions/blankets etc; no inflight entertainment; no pre assigned seating; much less leg-room; planes not cleaned between flights (outstation) etc etc...

F Spiteri

Feb 6th 2009, 20:29

Fabien Sant Fournier I beg to difer upon your comment that Air Malta is pretty much the only airline to charge a fuel surcharge. Most of airlines operating still charge this fuel surcharge but this is listed as a tax !

Jean-Pierre Tabone Adami

Feb 6th 2009, 18:29

R Zammit, just to point out that KM could have applied to obtain same conditions Ryanair gets to operate from Ireland, Spain, Scandinavia, Luton etc. However, KM instead drops routes, Scotland, Stansted, Spain, Ireland etc.

Jean-Pierre Tabone Adami

Feb 6th 2009, 17:55

Andrew Zammit Manduca when Luton was closed due to weather last week, passengers could either have a complete refund, or were directed to a page on their website where they could use their booking reference to change their flight without the usual rebooking charges. You do not get rebooked onto other airlines however. I speak from personal experience, if a Ryanair flight is cancelled, you do get a refund of all you've paid (don't know about credit card charges since I use Visa electron).

R.Zammit

Feb 6th 2009, 17:21

Just announced today (as reported Air Transport World online): Friday February 6, 2009 -Ryanair announced a reduction of its Shannon base owing to a €10 ($12.94) "tourist tax" that the LCC claimed "is devastating forward bookings" at the Irish airport. From March 30 it will reduce its based aircraft to four from six, cut five routes (to 25), 20 weekly flights (to 116) and more than 100 employees (to fewer than 200). "Irish tourism can only succeed if Ireland is a low-cost destination," Ryanair said, adding that the cuts "would be immediately reversed" if the tax is repealed. There you go. Ryanair at its best. Holding a whole nation to ransom. Each Maltese (and tourist) travelling with them is inserting a nail in Air Malta's coffin. When Air Malta is no more, don't expect any compassion from Ryanair. I have no objection to Ryanair or any other carrier to operate to Malta. But it is crazy that my own government gives an Irish company over €50 for each passenger it carries to/from Malta. Sheer madness. If there was no other carrier maybe... but why not pay Air Malta????

Corinne Vella

Feb 6th 2009, 17:03

J Scicluna: I've taken four Ryanair flights in the past few months. None of them cost me more than 10euros and that included taxes. And, no, the flights were not subsidised by public funds in Malta. Ryanair absorbed the additional charges itself.

Andrew Zammit Manduca

Feb 6th 2009, 16:09

@Stephanie in 2007 they carried 22,305 passengers.
Ryanair are and will always be cheaters and liers in. That is all they know how to do. When the flights where canceled from the UK this week because of the wether the passengers had to buy another ticket they did not re route or refund them. I do not know how the Maltese government has the guts to help out Ryanair and not Air Malta.

Stephanie Farrugia

Feb 6th 2009, 15:40

Can someone officially say how many non Maltese passengers actually came over with Ryanair over the past year as they love to throw around numbers. Also did Ms Viviani mention that now you can be charged an extra 30 sterling if you carry your dutyfree bag apart from your hand luggage? Together with any laptops or handbags ladies....ooh and the 5 euro flights are only for their Bari and Trapani flights...

And one for those who want to see Ryanair locate a base.........the MTA is not stupid...it wont be put in a position were leaving the rock or reaching it is left solely to micheal O'leary's whims and needs...so stop battering and blaming Airmalta..after all there are so many more airlines providing the same service

Geert Sciot

Feb 6th 2009, 14:24

Please be careful with the Ryanair's 'marketing talk' and compare apples with apples.

Does Air Malta charge you for luggage check-in, for check-in, for wheelchair solidarity contribution, credit card use surcharge per passenger, propose a luggage surcharge of 15 euro per extra kilo above 15 kilo ? No, they don't. Furthermore they fly you to premium airports iso airfields miles away and they give you a seat with a comfortable seat pitch, a meal and even an alcoholic drink. Many times this is really value for money if you take all elements into account.

Do they charge you an extra for the fuel? Yes, they do. Like 99 pct of the other airlines are doing. Is Ryanair flying with water? No, their 737 NG's drink the same jetfuel as Air Malta's A 320/319's. Believe me, Ryanair will also compensate the high fuel costs in one 'hidden' way or another. There is no magic in this tough industry.

A Cardona

Feb 6th 2009, 13:36

Booked Ryanair last month for a trip to Madrid via Girona with extremely cheap fares (€46 return, including taxes and the convenient online check-in) and good schedules!

With Air Malta, you would have had to pay that amount just for the surcharges!

Too bad Ryanair are stopping the Malta-Girona route at the end of March till the beginning of July.

Jean-Pierre Tabone Adami

Feb 6th 2009, 13:21

Thomas Borg

the Bremen route was stopped from Oct 08 and will definitely not operate next summer. The total number of passengers carried in 08 on this route was 34,051, with a 70% aircraft load factor. (For comparison Luton had an 87% load factor and Valencia, also cancelled, a 68% load factor). Remember that at the time the route was stopped, fuel prices were far above what they are now, and Ryanair has hedged most of its fuel for 09 (and some beyond) at low prices.

Given the high load factor on the Luton route, it's not surprising that Ryanair seem to be planning a daily to Stansted for summer. Who knows? KM have definitely dropped the route.

Thomas Borg

Feb 6th 2009, 12:18

Hello,
can anyone tell me if Ryanair are going to be flying to Bremen from Malta or if the route is completely cancelled?

M.Bezzina

Feb 6th 2009, 11:33

I agree with Mr.S.Fournier even though the fuel price went down AirMalta is still charging fuel surcharge.So this makes me more aware to avoid travelling with AirMalta as much as possible.In case routes are not operate by other decent airlines there's no option but to fly with it!!

Fabien Sant Fournier

Feb 6th 2009, 11:02

@ J.Scicluna

Air Malta's fares aren't artificially inflated...Air Malta is pretty much the only airline to charge a fuel surcharge even though the price of Jet A1 fuel has plummeted...that's what makes Air Malta's fares inflated!

Noel Galea

Feb 6th 2009, 11:01

I consider it as good news everytime a new route is added..by any airline.. I hope Ms Alessia Viviani is reading this....please open the Milano(Bergamo) Malta route and stop AirMalta's monopoly on the Milan route...There is a lot of traffic potential in this destination bearing in mind the number of Maltese visiting the northern part of Italy and also helping to attract more Italian visitors from this region.

E Degiorgio

Feb 6th 2009, 10:50

Well done to RyanAir. With taxes and everything included it still comes much cheaper than other airlines, even Air Malta.. I could do without a miniture meal which Air Malta offers. it is good for the kids though..
Please Ryan Air can you do Bologna Route please because Air Malta let us down.. ?
If other airlines cannot be compettetors let them not be block the others.. We need choices

emanuel muscat

Feb 6th 2009, 10:32

If Ryanair can bring half a million travellers to Malta,who is complaining?Air Malta does not go to Trapani anyway!If you want to fill rooms at our hotels and the recession is already biting
,do not quibble,just go ahead!

D. Farrugia

Feb 6th 2009, 10:18

@J Scicluna
it is up to the airline policy if it wants to make the flights as cheaper as possible. The taxes and charges are being paid by Ryanair to make it as attractive as possible. Air Malta can do it if it wants to but being such a small airline it cant manoevre that much.
Dont forget that Ryanair wants to operate a base in MALTA. It needs support to do it like marketing for new destination and, when MTA was asked about this, they said we are afraid of AirMalta that it will loose out !!

Kevin Zammit

Feb 6th 2009, 10:14

@J. schembri

If that is the case then Ryanair are making misleading advertisements ... which will not be the first time. They have been fined and reprimanded in the past by the UK and other countries and the EU. It is in fact illigal to advertise the price of a flight without including all charges.

Mr. Scicluna ... you can put your foot back in :)

Randolph Spiteri

Feb 6th 2009, 10:14

Yes you're right the 5 Euros cannot cover all Government and Airport Taxes.

But Ryanair can offer to pay the Government and Airport Taxes itself ! This is certainly not illegal as long as the government and the airport taxes are paid.

That's incredible but that what low cost business is all about -- attracting the customers.

Yes indeed ... charity begins at home .. so how about Air Malta reducing the fuel surcharge (British Airways have already done that) ??

In a similar way, Ryanair is not avoiding fuel surcharge and costs but is simply paying the fuel costs itself without passing on charges to the customer (and in the meantime managing to make a profit)

People always complain about Ryanair, but how come always more and more people fly Ryanair and this airline is always making profits where other big airlines fail ?? Yes .. you get for what you pay for ... For a short trip to Trapani or Luton, I can well do away with the so-called "flight-meal" and newspapers and instead pay a much reduced price !!

Joseph Schembri

Feb 6th 2009, 10:05

@J. Scicluna: The €5+ charge covers just the cost of the ticket and not the taxes imposed on the flight. Those are paid for separately. A cursory check on the Ryanair website will confirm this to you. You can remove your foot from your mouth now ....

J.Scicluna

Feb 6th 2009, 09:13

"The airline said it is celebrating the inaugural flight of this new route by releasing one million seats from just € 5 including taxes and charges"

By no stretch of the imagination can the € 5 cover all the Government and Airport Taxes. This goes to show that Ryanair is being aided and abetted to act in breach of competition laws and being given an unfair advantage over legacy carriers like Air Malta who have to collect and pay Government and Airport taxes making their air fares artificially inflated.

Charity begins at home!