Why don’t Ryanair make their free flights free?
Written by Karen Bryan
I noticed that Ryanair are offering “free” flights if you book by Monday 9th June 2008 and fly between 1 October 2008 and 31 January on flights that depart after 12 noon on Mondays, all day Tuesdays and until 12 noon on Wednesdays. Now that doesn’t leave a lot of room for flexibility as you really have to go for one night or seven or eight nights.
by aromano
I decided to check it out that the free flights actually existed and did find a flight departing from Edinburgh to Marseilles on the evening of Monday 6 October and returning seven days later on Monday 13 October. Now instead of the flight being free there was a charge of 1 pence which means that you have to pay card processing charges, either £1.20 per one way flight for debit cards or £3.20 for credit cards, which is pretty annoying for a transaction of 1 pence. Why can’t Ryanair make the flights free so there would be no card processing fee?
Now I know that, to some extent, I’m nit picking here as it’s still fantastic value to book a Ryanair return flight from Edinburgh to Marseille for £2.42 using a debit card but it’s not a free flight. What do you think?
Maybe they mean virtually free?! That’s still a good deal for a flight.
Karen, in the fall these flights actually did cost 1p or 1c — I took 8 flights for 8c! Only since the spring have they started charging the booking fee on their “no taxes no charges no fees” sales.
If you haven’t already, have a gander at my post “Why I Love/Hate RyanAir” — it goes into quite a bit of detail on this subject.
Thank Hilary I have read your post and i feel the same as you that Ryanair should just be upfront and say that the flight costs a minimum of a couple of euro in booking fees. Yes you do have to know how to play the game with Ryanair and be able to fly off peak.
Being of a literal bend it annoys me when the free flights I buy with Ryanair cost me 1c [yes that's one cent total costs incl all charges] am I being unreasonable?
On a happier note I did bag several really free [zero charge] flights to Liverpool in June.
Mopi, how did you manage to bag Ryanair flights that were zero cost, totally free of charge? The cheapest fare I’ve ever managed, even flying mid week, low season was £17 return from Glasgow to Bergamo and that was before the increase in APT.
[...] the UK to Ireland for only £2 return if you book by midnight on Friday 18 July 2008. However as I highlighted previously Ryanair do charge card handling fees, even on free flights. It’s now £4 for a [...]
I find something to fly for 1€
http://gratiszeug.wordpress.com/2008/07/26/1e-fluege-bei-ryanair/
Franzl, I think that your blog is in German and I’m sorry I can’t speak German. Do Ryanair charge a card handling fee is you book in Germany?
Last year I took up a Ryanair credit card offer mainly because they were offering a free flight if you spent so much in the first few months of ownership. I was sent a voucher to use up till the end of May 2010. When I contacted the customer services to take up my free flight I was quoted £60 which was more than the on- line booking price. It doesnt make sense !!!!!
Annette – Is it possible that the £60 you were quoted on the phone was the total price including card payment fees and hold luggage for your free flight(s) and that the price you saw quoted on the Ryanair site was the price of the flight(s) only? When Ryanair say you get a free flight, I think they only mean that the basic flight is free.
As a customer of Ryanair, you are strongly incentivised in favour of paying 1 penny / cent. When you do this, you are doing what lawyers call an exchange of consideration. Ryanair agree to give you passage on a flight, while you give Ryanair some money – both things are valuable, and thus constitute legal contract.
Once a contract is formed, both sides are obliged to fulfil their legal obligations – meaning Ryanair has to provide the flight on the relevant date.
Furthermore, all the EU legislation protecting airline passengers states that if the passenger has not paid any money, then the EU legislation does not apply. Thus, by paying that 1 cent, you go from zero protection, to having the full EU legislation in place.