Full of Ryanair fanbois, or cheapskates?

The World's Favourite Airline   

The International Air Transport Association (IATA to its friends) has published its 55th World Air Transport statistics DVD and a surprise was waiting at the number 1 spot for most popular airline.

It wasn't just finding Ryanair at the top which was surprising but the sheer volume of passengers it carried internationally in 2010 is staggering: 71.2 million! That's more people than the population of England flew on Ryanair in 2010.

The next nearest is Lufthansa with 44.4 million passengers; this clearly indicates that Ryanair is doing something very right.

So why all the bad press?

I have a theory that people aren't happy unless they have something to whinge about. There is probably a deep psychological reason for this - perhaps it gives them perspective - but you know I'm right. We all love a good moan.

The fact of the matter is this: Ryanair isn't a good airline. That's a fairly bold statement, but it's true. They are a cheap airline, a successful one and they operate modern and safe (and good) aircraft, but what separates airline from airline is the brand-factor. Ryanair, as a brand, is not good.

I flew British Airways' domestic "Shuttle" service a couple of months back and I loved it. The Captain kept us informed throughout the short flight, he was apologetic when he needed to be, informative when required (we had a delay pushing back from the gate because of a time slot restriction entering London's busy airspace). And he sounded quite posh. Always reassuring. The cabin crew were excellent, polite, and quite pretty. The free food and drinks on board were on the better side of airline food - I could have easily had a second ham and cheese panini for breakfast.

BA really are a good airline. Their brand is strong and they are respected despite the industrial action that has taken place recently.

easyJet are another conveyor-belt airline like Ryanair. But their branding is magnitudes better. Their bright orange image is bright and doesn't take itself too seriously. They wear their budget heart on their sleeve and don't hide the fact that their aircraft are little more than buses which drive along at Flight Level 390.

So it's all about brand, right?

Well, it seems even a good brand can't stand up to someone offering something cheap. Or maybe it's the fact that Ryanair does just enough to get customers. The bad press is about the stuff we don't really care about. If I need to use the loo on a flight, I'll pay a euro (and make sure I get my money's worth).