Real free flights
In excess of 4 million people logged on to the Ryanair website yesterday to take advantage of the company’s offer of free flights. As part of the “sale” the airline has agreed to pay all taxes and airport charges as well, a move which will cost it more than €7m. Apparently the airline’s website had its busiest day yesterday and was brought to its knees a couple of times in the first few hours after the offer went live such was the demand for freebies
“This is about getting bums on seats. We are paying to get passengers into our planes - we’ll be paying the tax that they would normally have to pay. There’s no point in flying planes empty,” a Ryanair spokesman said. The company is banking on recouping its costs through the sale of add on such as car hire, hotels and in flight food and drink. While consumers clearly liked the move, eco-campaigners were less pleased and called the sale “grossly irresponsible”. “Passengers may be getting a free ride, but the planet certainly isn’t. It is unbelievable that Ryanair is resorting to such tactics,” a Friends of the Earth spokesman said. Friends of the Earth are unlikely to make many friends with the complaint and anyways, if the planes are going to be flying anyways does it make any difference to the planet if they are half empty are full?
An expensive way to stand out from the mainstream masses
7:11 pm
Conor, that’s like saying that Canadians should all just go and hang out in the ER on weekends because healthcare is free. I agree with FOTE that this is cynical in the extreme. And it’s the government that’s irresponsible here, not just the airline. Airlines have been getting their own free ride for far too long. Slap an ecotax on O’Leary and watch him squeal.
Comment by Martin