"US travelers deserve an American version of RyanAir"

Why? What have we done wrong lately?

I hadn't heard of RyanAir before but I'm getting a kick out of the Wikipedia article:

From time to time, Ryanair suggest outlandish ideas to further reduce costs. Generally these ideas are designed to generate free publicity for the airline and they would be impractical to implement. Proposed measures to reduce frills further have included eliminating two toilets to add six more seats, charging for the use of the toilet, redesigning the aircraft to allow standing passengers, charging extra for overweight passengers, asking passengers to carry their checked-in luggage to the plane.

It seems they charge extra for literally everything that they can with the justification that they can provide the cheapest fares to those who don't need additional services.

JetAMerica Announces cancellation of all service

Toledo Express Offers assistance for Travelers

TOLEDO, Ohio, July 17, 2009 - JetAmerica announced this evening that it is suspending sales to all markets and canceling all previously scheduled flights and that it would immediately begin to notify affected customers and process refunds to all customers who have booked on the public charter flights. In addition, Toledo Express is offering all affected travelers who booked JetAmerica flights out of Toledo Express Airport assistance due to the inconvenience.

All customers will receive automatic refunds within seven to 14 business days. Any customer not receiving a full refund in 14 days should call JetAmerica at 727-451-3970.

[www.wtol.com]

Here's the info for my city, Toledo, Ohio.

@Brent Woodle: Well, as the Wikipedia article suggests, they don't actually implement all the crazy ideas that they come up with, some of them are just PR stunts. They are, indeed, the perfect demand-driven company: if they float an idea (in the press, usually with huge coverage earning them even more publicity) and it turns out OK in the press, they'll implement it. Otherwise they don't. And they are clearly a firm believer in the adage that there is no such thing as bad publicity.

That said, I loved the time I spent in the UK when I could fly to places like Greece, Italy, and Ireland for nearly pocket change over a long weekend. How many US travel providers make that possible?

"...Sad. US travelers deserve an American version of RyanAir..."

What are you talking about, Ben? Are you crazy? Ryanair is just about the least consumer friendly airline on the planet. This site, whose readers rant about a $15 bag fee or booking fee, would be up in arms if the scourge of Ryanair were visited upon the United States.

Be thankful that Ryanair is not here in the US, both for passengers' sake, and US airlines' sake.

@starrion: Kudos to you!

Oh please! Ryanair is a perfectly good airline, so long as you know what you're getting in return for your couple of Euro fare. I've flown with them many times before and will continue to do so. The lack of IFE or reheated meals suits me just fine and I try to go without checked luggage whenever possible. Of course, it may just be my Irish upbringing that has prepared me for barely concealed contempt in place of customer service. I have doubts that such a business model would work in the US.

I think this is the 1,347th failed airline since the mid 1980s.

Wasn't it Warren Buffett that said if investors could invent a time machine, they should go back and shoot orville and Wilbur Wright to avoid all the capital losses that airlines have experienced?

Eventually there will only be ONE airline... run by the government... I'm telling you it is going to happen after 'some' government has to 'bail out' the last big airline...

Hey do soldiers really patrol European airports with sub-machine guns?

@McGilli: Yes. And if you remember after 9/11, American airports did the same. I remember troops walking around with AR-15's.

@starrion: I think we already have them, they're called United, American, Delta, Continental, etc.... all without the lower prices.

@McGilli: "Hey do soldiers really patrol European airports with sub-machine guns?"

Some of them, yes, as well as some major train stations, and big tourist attractions like the Eiffel Tower. I recall seeing more in France and Germany than in the UK, but that could be because I stopped noticing them after a while.

Paris is a great city, tons of fun and really interesting, and I'd live there in a heartbeat. But you want to mind your p's and q's because they don't have American notions of rights. I once watched a guy mouth off to a couple of gendarmes, and what they did to him looked quite painful.

@starrion: What? We need pay toilets?

@McGilli:

Yes, but they are not always "soldiers" in the Americanized version of the word. In some countries they are more along the lines of a heavily armed police force that is managed separately from the normal police force while in other countries conscripts (drafted) personnel perform the service as part of their 2 year service, yet in other countries the force would be more along the lines of a the State's National Guard or the Reserves (conscript or volunteer put not full time). Seldom is the personnel guarding the tourist traps and airports the country's first line military units.

The level of responsibility and authority differs between each type of force. The heavily armed police forces can be very serious about the job and will have the power to arrest/detain etc, while the conscripts in some countries are thought of cannon fodder... something to give up to the terroists until the real force can arrive.... and will treat the job as such.

@johnmc: I've flown Ryanair a few times and will probably try to avoid doing so again in the future. I don't mind that I have to pay extra for everything under the sun, since on my trips around Europe I basically just had a carry-on (especially after Lufthansa lost my luggage, lied to me about having a seat on my connecting flight and made me stay in frankfurt overnight). However, I like to sleep on the plane, especially the late night/early morning flights, and an announcement every fifteen minutes about all the wonderful things I can spend more money on makes that impossible.

@bobert: Are you suggesting that American police officers would never, ever do something to an American who was mouthing off and getting in their faces?

Also, who the heck mouths off to a guy in fatigues holding a machine gun?

@kepler11: Maybe Ben isn't talking about friendliness. Maybe he's talking about price.

@starrion:

I wouldn't be surprised, the airliner industry had been a net loss since its inception. Every single other participant in the air travel industry makes more money in the business, from the airplane manufacturers, to the concessionaires at the airport, to the airport authorities makes more money than the people who actually fly the planes.

@starrion: Or the (probably urban legend) "interview" with Richard Branson:

Q: How did you become a millionaire?
A: I was a billionaire, and then I started an airline.

@humphrmi: Or perhaps someone's sarcasm detector is in need of repair.

@McGilli: So, it'll be like the post office, in that it's reliable and punctual, but everyone hates it as the airport smells like glue and the lines are long around tax season and Christmas?

I want to know why they would give up just because they can't land in NJ of all places. I'd pay $9 to be able to get to Dallas without driving and taking 5 hours. Or El Paso and not taking 8? 9? hours. Heck, that's not even leaving my freakin state! :D

I wouldn't say blame the consumer, but to educate the consumer I'd say you're a fool to spend even $9 on a ticket for an airline they has yet to fly its first flight, had four planes, and has a website that looks like "my first HTML" template from 1996.

@starrion: We don't need an American version of RyanAir. They are too onery for us short-tempered Yankees. We've no humor mind you!

@humphrmi:

How many US ANYTHING providers make ANYTHING cool you can do elsewhere possible?

@johnmc:
Of course, it may just be my Irish upbringing that has prepared me for barely concealed contempt in place of customer service. I have doubts that such a business model would work in the US.

United is still in business.

@Brent Woodle: How have you NOT heard of RyanAir?