Ryanair push forward leaving rivals behind

As the low-cost carrier continues to grow in the dwindling airline market, they are leaving behind in their wake some of the top names in air travel history. According to early figures released this week by the budget carrier they carried around 6.12 million passengers in the month of September, a massive 17 per cent increase year-on-year with last September. Their load capacity also rose one per cent as well to give them an average of 85 per cent per flight.

Now as Ryanair prospers, some of their rivals are not doing quite as well as maybe they should. British airways passengers for September were down 0.8 per cent compared to last year’s figures and their premium customers fell a staggering 7.9 per cent. Much of the premium drop is attributed to the reduction in high-end seats made available by the airline. In a bid to claw back lost money, BA are starting to go the budget-airline route by making additional charges for seat selection and scrapping meals on flights of less than three and a half hours.

Comparing the two airlines, Ryanair actually carried more than double the amount of passengers than BA for September and almost three times the amount of UK and European passengers. There have been many eyebrows raised and voices heard over Ryanair’s charges for checking-in — which now must be done online, extra charges for checked luggage and the extortionate amount for a coffee on board a flight. Despite all this they are still the number one choice for many, as Europeans seek to travel on the cheap.