Lower fares have hidden costs for air travellers

Is the notion of customer service an anachronism for the majority of passengers using Irish airlines? Emmet Oliver investigates.Tourism and the consumer: airline travel

Irish airlines are the toast of Europe. Lean, aggressive and profitable, executives from all over the world regularly point to Ryanair and Aer Lingus as the perfect examples of how to survive in the notoriously volatile aviation business.

Ryanair is admired for its buccaneering spirit, while Aer Lingus, once a financial basket case, is regularly cited as the ultimate example of a successful business turnaround. Both airlines claim to have the lowest low fares.

But in the rush to be the leanest and most profitable, is something being lost? Customers are asking themselves the one question never posed by the financial markets - are the airlines compromising on customer service in a headlong rush to fill seats?

Answering this question is not easy. It depends on what aspect of the airline service you most value. A lot of people can comfortably live with crummy seats, rubbery food and even bad tempered staff, but they prize flexibility in their airline.

Flexibility: How do the main carriers do on flexibility in summer 2004?

Well Aer Lingus is flexible in some ways and inflexible in others. For example, you cannot transfer your ticket to someone else, even in a case of sickness.You do not have an automatic entitlement to a certain seat preference, apart from transatlantic routes.

However unlike Ryanair, Aer Lingus still operates a designated seating policy, whereas in the case of Ryanair you queue up and take your chances. In the case of certain tickets, when you change the booking with Aer Lingus you may face a charge a €150.

An Irish Times reader, Michael Bride, recently wrote about the very large charges he was faced with as a result of this policy. After ringing to change two return tickets to the US he was told it would cost €150 for each change. In other words, to change arrival and departure was €150 each, €300 in total. For two passengers, the total charge came to a hefty €600.

But there are some reasonable flexibilities built into the Aer Lingus system too, particularly for groups. For group bookings from the UK and Ireland, passenger names only need to be finalised four weeks prior to travel. In the US, it is six weeks prior to travel. In the case of the US, once the booking is confirmed Aer Lingus asks only for an initial deposit, which gives you time to confirm exact numbers and dates of travel before having to pay in full.

For Ryanair flexibility is present but at a price. You can change the time, date and route of a Ryanair flight at www.Ryanair.com or through the airline's reservation centre, but the airline will charge you €22 for the pleasure, plus the difference between what the original ticket cost you and the price of the new ticket.

If you change the date, time or route via their reservation centre, the charge climbs to €30. To change a name only it will cost €50.

The chief executive of the airline Michael O'Leary was reported to have said once: "You are not getting a refund, so f*** off." But a spokeswoman for the airline said yesterday this was a quotation from many years ago and was taken out of context. "You don't have to lose your money if you are changing flight details." She pointed to recent customer service statistics which showed less than one complaint per 1,000 passengers travelling with Ryanair. She said Aer Lingus did not publish its customer service statistics, especially punctuality.

Ryanair has run into controversy over its policy - first revealed in 2003 - of refusing to refund airport charges levied on customers who cannot make their flight. All passengers must pay a passenger service charge and an airport security charge levied by Aer Rianta. Some argue this money should be refunded, but Ryanair refuses to refund it to passengers who do not embark. It says its fares are non-refundable and taxes or charges are part of the fare.

While consumer groups have been angered by such practices, what of visitors - for example, American tourists? How strong a service ethos is still present when they visit?

Fiona O'Sullivan, of Custom Ireland Tour company, says there is rising concern about standards. Her company organises golf and cultural breaks for US visitors primarily, and while it remains a steadfast supporter of Aer Lingus, feedback has become slightly negative in the past two years. "There is a feeling that the old standards of service have slipped a little. The airline seems to be becoming more like a low-cost operator and morale isn't always great among staff," she says.

She concedes that Aer Lingus staff still respond well in a crisis. "In recent days, we had a woman with a serious medical problem on board a flight from America to Shannon and the staff handled it brilliantly. Some of the passengers told me you could really see the crew's training paying off."

Arguably it is the small things that consumers notice and make judgments on. For example, the decision by Aer Lingus to charge for wine, beer and spirits on all flights has, predictably in a country obsessed with alcohol, not met with universal acclaim.

Take any flight and watch passengers' faces when they are told by cabin crew that a glass of mineral water is going to cost €1.50. Having said that, a glass of wine at €4 is better value than you get in a lot of pubs and hotels in Dublin.

But, horror of horrors, on a short flight to Heathrow nowadays even a humble cup of tea is no longer free. Instead passengers must pay a €1 for a cup of Lyons best. Aer Lingus says free tea is no longer its preoccupation. Instead, it concentrates on low fares. And with operating profits of €95 million forecast for this year, the airline must be doing something right financially.

Gráinne O'Malley, the airline's press spokeswoman, says the new Aer Lingus is more customer-driven.

A complimentary meal and breakfast is still provided to economy customers on the transatlantic routes, but not on UK or European routes. However, for €8 you can get a full Irish breakfast.

While charging for small snack and drink items infuriates some, Aer Lingus offers a robust defence. Company spokeswoman Ms O'Malley says the airline has talked to its customers and the replies were unequivocal.

"What the customer wants is low airfares," she says.

Luggage

Whatever about food and drink, what about luggage? The contentious issue this summer will again be airlines charging for excess baggage. Is baggage becoming a serious cash generator for the airlines? In short, the answer is Yes.

Ryanair, for example, made €43.7 million from ancillary services or non-flight income in the quarter ended June 30th, with a significant segment coming from excess baggage charges.

Leaving aside hand luggage, Ryanair in Europe and the UK are charging €7 per kilo for any bag over 15 kilos. So a bag weighing 20 kilos would set the passenger back the not inconsiderable sum of €35. Aer Lingus in the UK and Europe (economy) are charging €5 per kilo for any bag over 20 kilos.

On transatlantic routes with Aer Lingus, the rates are higher. Anyone carrying more than two suitcases must pay €50 for each additional piece. Some people believe this is an impossible situation for Americans who rarely travel light to Ireland.

Also, remember there is often a multiplier effect when it comes to luggage. Ryanair, which has a wider network than Aer Lingus, imposes the excess charge for each "flight sector". In other words, a journey to continental Europe via Stansted involves the excess charges being applied twice: once to Stansted and again to your final destination.

Minors

A more heartfelt gripe among a lot of passengers relates to minors. Aer Lingus has taken a lot of flak for phasing out a service that involved minding young children until they were installed safely on the plane and then handed to their parents at the destination.

The airline's new policy is clear. Children between the ages of 2 and 11 cannot fly without an adult accompanying them. Children from 12 to 15 can travel unaccompanied provided their parent or guardian signs an indemnity form at the point of departure. However, the airline no longer guarantees to provide them with any special assistance.

This has angered many parents who do not like the idea of their children having to make their own way from the check-in area to the departure desk alone, not to mention being on the aircraft alone. The decision to drop this service is believed to affect about 150 children a day.

Aer Lingus says the security and welfare of the children involved is the key consideration. In the current climate, it can no longer guarantee its service is risk free. Also, the airline previously said some parents were abusing the system, not showing up, or arriving very late.

Either way the service is no more, just like free cups of tea.

It seems passengers will have to make their minds up: do they want low fares and less comforts or more comforts and higher fares?

Passport requirements: all you need to know

Three things to check: money, tickets and passport. A lot of travellers unfortunately neglect the third item, especially when it comes to their children. According to the Department of Foreign Affairs, it is advisable to have a passport for each child, though children under 16 can be still included on the passports of their parents until October 1st. Individual passports for all persons irrespective of age will be mandatory after October 1st. From that date onwards, children will no longer be included on a parent's passport and must obtain their own passport. Children under 16 on a parent's passport issued before October 1st will continue to be able to travel with that parent to most countries. However, it would be advisable to check this with a travel agent when booking. Children over 16 must have an individual passport irrespective of the changes due on October 1st.Every year, families arrive at Irish airports to discover that even though their 16-year-old is named on a parent's passport, the child will not be allowed to travel unless he has an individual passport.

What if you need a passport in a hurry? The Department of Foreign Affairs offers an emergency service. If you go to the Passport Office and are seeking a passport that day or the next, you will be charged an additional "urgent administration fee" - €50 for adults and €25 for children. If there is a genuine family emergency outside hours, you may apply for a passport through the Department of Foreign Affairs but the additional fee is €100 for adults and €50 for children. The out-of-hours service is only available for genuine emergencies such as serious illness or family bereavement abroad.

Upgrading of the Department's phone system caused delays for those seeking information in recent days. Travellers at the Passport Office yesterday said they were unable to contact the office. "We had an awful job trying to get through over the last couple of days," said Darren Tuite (25), from Dublin. "We wanted to find out whether our nine-week-old baby needed a passport to go on holiday and in the end we ended up having to ring the social welfare office." A Department spokeswoman said the system change was a routine upgrade designed to improve the service, adding that any disruption to the system was minimal.

Emmet Oliver & Fiachra Ó Cionnaith