complaining about cheap flights: C/D

I generally don't complain (though I will just below), as I know what I'm getting myself into. I tend to use them when travelling to/from festivals in der UK. In my opinion, you'd have to be a complete mentalist to travel with them for business (IE try and get the 7.00 flight to be in the client's office for 9.00).

Favourite Ryanair story (1): coming back through Luton, at five minutes past when the flight was scheduled, they announced that the plane hadn't made it over from Dublin because one of the staff got sick, and they don't make record profits by paying for backup staff. Or of course providing for compensation. So we waited an hour, then got bussed to Gatwick, for a flight 6 hours later than the original.

Favourite Ryanair story (2): flying out to scotland for a weekend, I had to decide in the morning between the temporary (replacement) passport that I'd got just over a year ago, which had expired two weeks before, and the permanent one, which had turned up again, but not before I'd cancelled it. I picked the expired one, which was a mistake. They don't actually check it _with_ anything, just check that you have one. So because I'm not who I was two weeks ago, no ticket for me.

Complaining that they've flown your bags to another part of the world = justifiable, it seems to me. (Note: I've no iodea how often this happens with Ryanair or any other airline; you hear about it a lot, it's never happened to me. Pete to thread).

On the way back though I wanted them to lose my bags. I had my rucksack plus a snowboard which was very heavy amd unweildy. It was much nicer when they delivere dmy dirty washing to my gaffe for me.

But Air France = no no.

The occaisional totally OTT story is worth repeating if its entertaining. Didn't they have a guy arrested for stealing a sandwich, fair enough except they were on a plane that was delayed for 5 hours and weren't allowed off. They arrested a woman next to me on a flight a few years ago who insisted on smoking. Apparantly she was the queen of the gypsies and so allowed do what she wanted. This meant I had to wait for all the passengers to unload, the pigs to come on and pummel her into submission and only then could I go about my day.

I only complain about EasyJet, the others have all been late as well and I didn't complain about them.

I will admit that the demise of in-flight meals is a good thing.

If you are bored with them, why not try ordering the lo-purine or some such exotica.

I always make really nice food to eat on the flights, or if in Paris buy a big Vietnamese takeaway for my air dinner.

And no, you shouldn't adopt the attitude that them's the breaks if they lose luggage because they're so cheap. You go to clubs where you check in coats and bags and THEY don't lose them, so why should an airline, however 'budget'.

How does anyone take an airline like that seriously? I'm talking just the name. It's like imagining flying Billy-air, or Kevin-air, or Waldo-air.

'you get what you pay for' - WHAT?

They don't seem to be bad at losing luggage - probably 'cos they use cheap airports that have relatively low throughput. They've never lost my bags and Aer Lingus have twice.

There should definitelty be an Irish airline called Derry Air.

Ryan is a surname in this part of the world.

mind you, wouldn't it be great if some guy in America called Randolph started up an airline called Randyair?