Ryanair suffers losses, but increases passenger numbers
Friday, February 7, 2014 @ 6:56 PM
IRISH-BASED low-cost airline Ryanair has suffered a significant loss in profits – despite passenger numbers having increasted by six per cent, according to its website.
Ruthless competition in the sector means a price war has left the flight company chaired by Michael O'Leary 35.2 million euros in the red, even though it has seen numbers of travellers go up by 10 million – from 17.3 million in 2012 to 18.3 million last year.
The firm attributes this to a nine-per-cent drop in flight prices and to the weakening of the pound sterling.
In order to compete with rapidly falling prices, Ryanair has commenced a concerted drive to improve its customer service, according to O'Leary.
At the end of last year, the company chairman famously stated: “We're going to stop doing the things that [expletive] customers off.”
This means stringent hand luggage requirements have been relaxed, and passengers can now take a small handbag or duty-free shopping bag on board along with their usual hand luggage.
Also, seats are now allocated automatically from Saturday, February 1 and 'silent' flights will be launched, meaning no music or unnecessary announcements will be played on night trips, whilst use of electronic equipment is now permitted in flight with effect from yesterday (Wednesday, February 6).
And the airline began to lower prices again in September last year.
Read more at thikSPAIN.com