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“We should try to eliminate things that unnecessarily p”¦ people off“ |
Michael O’Leary |
IRELAND. A breakthrough regarding Ryanair’s controversial “˜one bag’ policy, which has damaged duty free and travel retail sales and credibility, is a possibillity after a seeming u-turn on attitudes to consumers by Chief Executive Michael O’Leary and his airline.
“We should try to eliminate things that unnecessarily p”¦ people off,” O’Leary told the airline’s AGM in Dublin last week. The notoriously candid Chief Executive was responding to shareholder complaints about the impact of poor customer service on sales.
“A lot of those customer services elements don’t cost a lot of money… it’s something we are committed to addressing over the coming year,” said O’Leary.
Facing criticism of the company’s approach, he said: “I am very happy to take the blame or responsibility if we have a macho or abrupt culture. Some of that may well be my own personal character deformities.”
That could mean that Ryanair may stop fining passengers whose carry-on luggage exceeds the minimum size, according to numerous media reports at the weekend. Whether O’Leary’s rethink applies to duty free/travel retail carry-ons is not clear, however. The one-bag policy has led to a furore among duty free industry lobbyists, airports and politicians over recent years.
The Express quoted O’Leary saying management would encourage lenience. “If it’s a millimetre oversize, get on with it. We are not trying to penalise people for the sake of a millimetre,” he said [unfortunately duty free bottles don’t come in millimetre sizes, so maybe we shouldn’t get our hopes up too soon -Ed].
ETRC President Sarah Branquinho told The Moodie Report: “Any softening of the strict imposition of the one bag rule which has led to many passengers having to abandon their airport shopping, and put others off buying, would be welcomed.
“However, the “˜one bag’ rule, which increasingly appears on airline boarding passes and/or at check-in – and with most airlines does NOT mean that passengers cannot take their airport shopping as well – has introduced so much doubt and confusion that only by dealing with this once and for all at EU level will passengers feel entirely confident that they can take their airport purchases onboard, just as they were in the past.”
The matter resurfaced in August with multiple media reports describing how Guy Horne, a 22 year-old student about to fly with Ryanair from Malaga to Manchester, was not allowed onboard with his duty free carrier bag (containing a £36 bottle of Glenmorangie) unless he paid a £50 surcharge.
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The Telegraph’ website reports the seeming u-turn on consumer attitudes by O’Leary and Ryanair |
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This duty free controversy last month was a further blow to Ryanair’s image |
