Ryanair : FR : RYR

• "Qui a la plus contribué au bonheur et au progrès de 'l'homme' : Racine ou Ryanair ?"
  

Ryanair: possible achat jusqu'à 300 avions

Ryanair pourrait commander jusqu'à 300 avions, a déclaré son directeur général Michael O'Leary. Ryanair avait rompu en 2009 des discussions avec Boeing portant sur l'achat de 200 appareils.

Dans un entretien publié mercredi par le Financial Times, Michael O'Leary explique qu'il reste possible d'acheter non seulement ces 200 avions à Boeing, un contrat d'un montant de l'ordre de 15 milliards de dollars, mais aussi jusqu'à 300 appareils au total soit à Boeing soit à Airbus.

Un porte-parole de Boeing s'est refusé à commenter ces propos, se bornant à dire que les discussions avec la clientèle étaient confidentielles.
Michael O'Leary, qui s'est forgé au fil des ans une réputation de négociateur particulièrement difficile, avait déclaré en décembre que la commande était avortée car Boeing avait décidé de modifier ses modalités de livraison.

Les appareils étaient livrables entre 2013 et 2016.

Au FT mercredi, Michael O'Leary déclare en outre qu'il n'y a aucune compagnie aérienne sur le marché intéressante à acheter.
Il dit également qu'il demande aux autorités l'autorisation de n'avoir qu'un seul pilote à bord, une mesure pour réduire les coûts.

"Ça ferait économiser une fortune à toute l'industrie", fait-il valoir.

What a scoop it was in yesterday’s papers: Michael O’Leary wants to chuck out co-pilots. Conducting short-haul flights with just one pilot would save the industry "a fortune" and bring down ticket prices further, he says.

More interesting is what the Ryanair CEO told the Financial Times, though. The Irish low-cost carrier again mooted expansion plans and is looking to buy up to 300 new aircraft. The revelation came as the company is set to pay its first ever dividend. Next month’s $500m payment was announced after negotiations with Boeing for 200 737-800s, which were to be delivered between 2013 and 2016, finally failed in December 2009. While the two parties had agreed on the aircraft price, they could not agree on other conditions. Ryanair then said it would halt the company’s growth plans for the time being and return cash to shareholders. The airline is still taking delivery of 112 737s from previous orders through to 2012.

A second dividend was proposed for 2013 but O’Leary has made clear that, if profits continue to hit forecasts, the airline might find another use for the funds, and that shareholders should not expect a second dividend yet. Apparently, Ryanair signalled to both Boeing and Airbus earlier this summer that it could buy 200 to 300 aircraft.

The period after 2013 is an interesting one: Bombardier’s CSeries is set to enter the market that year, followed by the C919 and MC-21 in 2016. The new twinjets from China and Russia (if they ever see the light of day) will directly compete with the 737 and A320 families, but the CSeries is slightly smaller (although removing toilet faclities could add a few seats!). Given that they all need sales, I am sure these programmes must have crossed Mr O’Leary’s mind as a possible bargain.

Oh, and regarding those co-pilots: the idea to employ just one fully qualified pilot on an aircraft, who could be joined by a cabin crew member with some flying qualification for takeoff and landing, is obviously not O’Leary’s own. It has been discussed in next-generation aircraft research for years.

I am sure many airline executives will love him for saving them from having to bring these controversial issues forward. But I am surprised O’Leary has been so cautious this time – I thought the future was no pilots at all.

The 737NG and Ryanair

Industry speculation remains rampant as to how Boeing will respond to the forthcoming Airbus NEO and CSeries. The pendulum has swung from a re-engining of the 737NG to an all new airplane to counter the new, high-technology Bombardier CSeries, and additional competition from the Irkut MS-21 and Comac C919. The CSeries and MS-21 use new technology PW 1000G (GTF) engines, the C919 uses the Leap-X-C1 engine, and the Airbus NEO is expected to offer a choice of both.
Boeing has been slow to respond, and Jon Ostrower [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] about another alternative, the 737NG , with only minor tweaks to the existing product to achieve 4-5% improvements.
Boeing has begun an unusual campaign of aggressively attacking its competitors and their products, a new twist for the company. Last week it suggested that Bombardier would have similar problems that Boeing had with the 787 with no basis for those assertions. This week Jim Albaugh claimed that the Airbus NEO will provide only a 3-4% improvement in operating costs – which doesn’t seem to add-up.
The PW GTF and Leap-X promise up to 16% fuel burn improvements, which will translate to 10-12% on wing. Sharkets will add another 3.5%, and with fuel at 50% of operating costs for most carriers, this would result in an 8% improvement before factoring in engine maintenance cost reductions and lower environmental fees. How does Boeing come up with a number so out of line with the rest of the industry? Why would Airbus spend $1 billion plus to come up with a 3-4% savings, which wouldn’t make sense? Something doesn’t add up in the numbers from Seattle.
The 737NG would be “bridge airplane” to a replacement design that provides additional tweaks to the existing model to optimize performance without the need for a re-engining. It will be apparently be offered as an interim solution while Boeing continues to evaluate its longer-term competitive offering. Jim Albaugh, CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, in an internal webcast Tuesday, said continued incremental improvements are being considered pending a new airplane design.
Boeing’s CFO recently stated that the operating cost improvement from a re-engining program will be in the single digits, and not enough for airlines to justify the capital expense for such a program. We concur, and believe a re-engining of the 737 with the Leap-X may not be economically justifiable, given the double digit improvements expected from the competition by mid-decade.
An all-new model would require significant investment, and is unlikely to be considered until the two current development programs, the 787 and 747-8, each with significant delays, are sorted out and enter service. Signs are promising that the light at the end of the tunnel is getting much brighter at a rapid rate, and that in early 2011 the 787 will emerge into passenger service. But we can’t imagine the Boeing Board of Directors giving a go ahead until the 787 and 747-8 programs enter airline service.
With the profitable 777 under threat from the A350XWB, Airbus now seems to be in the driver’s seat forcing Boeing to react and choose which airplane to upgrade first, rather than Boeing forcing the issue at Airbus, when the 787 forced a total clean-sheet for the A350. Program delays, first with the A380 and now with the 787, have changed who is ahead in the perpetual game of leap-frog, and from out of the blue, Bombardier has entered with a high-technology competitor that has will have the best economics among narrow-body competitors, with a 20% better fuel burn and 15% better operating economics than the 737-700.
In the interim, Boeing is stepping up its production volume for the 737NG and Ryanair, an all-Boeing customer, is once again talking of a 300 aircraft order. Adding another 300 aircraft to the 737NG backlog would buy the company additional time to wait for technologies to evolve and prove themselves before having to commit to an all new aircraft. And if the tweaks for a 737NG are not too expensive, this could extend the program a bit longer, providing Boeing much needed cash that is flying out the door with the 787 and 747-8 delays.
Ryanair and Boeing have been playing a publicized game of cat and mouse, with Ryanair, an all Boeing operator, expressing an interest in new airplanes, but not at the prices being offered by Boeing. And with only a 3-5% benefit, the NG will fall well short of Bombardier (15%) and the Airbus NEO (8-9%) operating cost improvements.
That, in itself, will likely force Boeing to price the 737NG at a discount to its competition, the CSeries or A320NEO. Having long ago fully amortized the costs of the 737NG, Boeing is at the stage it can discount pricing to build backlog and buy time. The timing now may be right for Boeing to offer that “very low price” to Ryanair – enabling it to continue the 737NG while it prepares a longer-term competitive response.
Will Ryanair become the launch customer for an improved 737NG , with the Sky Interior, additional improvements to the CFM-56-7, and more tweaks that will provide a 3%-5% improvement in economics? Will Michael O’Leary finally have the leverage to obtain a great deal from Boeing to launch the NG ?
Stay tuned, as interesting developments are under way in Renton and Dublin.

Italian firm reveals stand-up seat concept

[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]

Italian firm Aviointeriors has revealed a high-density seating concept called Sky Rider that will no doubt prove to be right up O'Leary's alley. The term "stand-up seat" sounds like an oxymoron so let's call this what it is, a butt shelf. I'm sure pregnant women, anyone with small children, the elderly and the disabled will welcome this news. Now, USA Today is reporting that the seat, to be unveiled at #AIX10, offers a whopping 23in pitch. I've got to see this baby next week in Long Beach!

Report: Ryanair interested in re-engined Airbus A320

Ryanair, one of Boeing's biggest customers, is interested in a re-engined Airbus A320 family, the Financial Times [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] Sunday.
"It would be unwise of us to ignore something that would give us a significant reduction in fuel," Howard Millar, Ryanair finance director, told the Financial Times.
Airbus is expected to announced an A320 New Engine Option program soon. Boeing executives have said they're leaning toward replacing the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], rather than re-engining the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] aircraft.
Ryanair [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] talks with Boeing over a new 737 order in December, saying the plane maker was unwilling to incorporate some terms and conditions from an existing agreement into the new order.
Airbus executives have previously expressed disinterest in pursuing a Ryanair order and the Financial Times quoted Airbus as saying it "has no plans to do business with Ryanair."
Ryanair is known for pursuing headlines and might see a public overture to Airbus as a way to strengthen its position with Boeing. Low-cost carriers don't generally like to mix aircraft types, but this is Ryanair, so who knows?

LONDRES, 13 octobre (Reuters) -

La compagnie aérienne Ryanair a annoncé mercredi la fermeture prochaine de sa plate-forme de Marseille-Provence après l'ouverture d'une procédure judiciaire à son encontre liée aux conditions de rémunération de ses 200 salariés locaux.
Ryanair a été mise en examen comme personne morale, notamment pour "travail dissimulé et prêt illicite de main-d'oeuvre", à la suite de plaintes de deux syndicats.

Son retrait de Marseille, effectif le 11 janvier, se traduira par l'arrêt de la desserte de 13 destinations comme Agadir, Marrakech, Paris et Venise. Les 200 postes de pilotes et personnels navigants basés à Marseille, actuellement rémunérés dans le cadre de contrats de droits irlandais et non français, seront transférés vers d'autres aéroports en Espagne, en Italie et en Lituanie, précise la compagnie à bas coûts dans un communiqué. Les quatre avions basés sur l'aéroport régional seront eux aussi transférés à l'étranger.
"Nous sommes très déçus de la décision des autorités françaises d'engager des poursuites contre la base Ryanair à Marseille, qui est totalement conforme à la réglementation de l'UE pour les travailleurs mobiles de transport", a déclaré à Marseille le PDG de Ryanair, Michael O'Leary. EASYJET AUSSI CONDAMNÉE "Ces emplois ne sont pas français.

Ce sont des emplois irlandais sur des avions irlandais puisqu'ils sont considérés comme territoire irlandais par la réglementation de l'UE. Si les juges, qu'ils soient français ou européens, venaient à dire que la législation européenne s'impose sur la législation française, nous serions ravis de rouvrir notre base ici", a-t-il ajouté.
En avril dernier, une autre compagnie à bas coûts, EasyJet , a été condamnée à verser 1,4 million d'euros à Pôle Emploi pour travail dissimulé dans un dossier comparable concernant 170 salariés basé à l'aéroport parisien d'Orly. A compter du 11 janvier, Ryanair ne desservira plus que le terminal MP2 de l'aéroport marseillais, réservé aux compagnies "low cost", à partir d'autres aéroports européens. La décision de Ryanair devrait se traduire par une diminution du trafic estimée à 30.000 passagers en janvier et 50.000 en février et mars, a estimé la direction de l'aéroport.
Outre Ryanair, six autres compagnies aérienne à bas coûts opèrent sur le terminal MP2.
La direction de l'aéroport a estimé à 550 millions d'euros les retombées économique pour le territoire de Marseille de l'activité "low cost", qui a représenté environ 1,7 million de passagers en 2010, soit près du quart des 7,4 millions de passagers enregistrés au départ et à l'arrivée de l'aéroport.
(Marc Angrand et Jean-François Rosnoblet, édité par Yves Clarisse)

Les mois à venir vont être agités pour mp². Ryanair a annoncé le 13 octobre qu’elle allait fermer sa base à l’aérogare low-cost de Marseille Provence, sa seule et unique base française.

Mais l’aéroport ne s’inquiète pas : si le coup est dur, les récents développements ravivent les couleurs de son avenir.

Transavia a d’ailleurs saisi l’occasion offerte par l’annonce de sa concurrente pour rappeler qu’elle, au contraire, allait s’installer dès la semaine prochaine à Marseille.

La filiale low-cost d’Air France KLM va en effet lancer ses activités dans la cité phocéenne dès le 22 octobre. Elle va initialement desservir Monastir deux fois par semaine mais Lionel Guérin, son Président, a d’ores et déjà indiqué que de nouvelles lignes seraient inaugurées dès le début de l’année 2011.

Transavia deviendra alors la troisième compagnie à s’installer à mp² en 2010. Elle a été précédée par la compagnie turque Pegasus Airlines qui a inauguré une liaison Marseille – Istanbul en mai et CityLine Swiss qui vient de lancer des liaisons vers Rome et Pau en septembre.

Ryanair ne disparaîtra pas non plus totalement du ciel marseillais puisque dix routes sont maintenues – desservies depuis d’autres bases européennes. Malgré tout, son départ pourrait coûter entre 30 000 et 50 000 passagers à l’aérogare en février et mars.

En 2010, mp² aura accueilli 1,7 millions de passagers que sept compagnies auront transportés vers une trentaine de destinations. L’aérogare représente le quart du trafic total de l’aéroport Marseille Provence.

Ryanair y fermera sa base le 11 janvier.

Dès lors, les quatre Boeing 737-800 et deux cents postes que la low-cost irlandaise avait basés à mp² partiront vers d’autres cieux, en Espagne, en Italie et en Lituanie.

Treize routes seront ainsi fermées, dont toutes les liaisons domestiques que la compagnie opérait, vers Brest, Lille, Nantes, Paris et Tours.

La décision a été prise à la suite du lancement d’une procédure judiciaire par la France contre la compagnie pour non-respect d’un décret qui impose aux compagnies aériennes opérant en France de se soumettre au droit social français et non pas à la législation européenne, comme c’est le cas dans les autres pays européens.

PARIS, 15 oct 2010 (AFP)

Ryanair, qui a annoncé la fermeture de son unique base française à Marseille, s'est déclarée prête à accroître son activité sur le site si la France abroge le décret qui soumet son personnel navigant au droit français, selon un élu MoDem qui s'est entretenu avec sa direction.



© 2010 AFP

Ryanair - Bénéfice en hausse de 17% au S1, prévisions relevées
Le numéro un européen du transport aérien à bas coûts Ryanair a fait état lundi d'une hausse de 17% de son bénéfice semestriel et relevé sa prévision de résultat annuel signe de son optimisme pour la saison hivernale.
La compagnie irlandaise anticipe désormais un bénéfice net annuel compris entre 380 et 400 millions d'euros alors qu'elle tablait auparavant sur un chiffre allant de 350 à 375 millions d'euros. Le groupe dit rester prudent en raison d'un manque de visibilité pour le quatrième trimestre.
Ryanair a tiré parti de la récession pour prendre des parts de marché à ses concurrents et estime que les consommateurs poursuivront sur cette tendance.
"Nous continuons de prendre des parts de marché à travers l'Europe", a déclaré le directeur général Michael O'Leary dans un communiqué. "Nous nous attendons à ce que cette tendance se poursuive."
Ryanair dit avoir dégagé un bénéfice net ajusté de 452 millions d'euros au cours des six premiers mois de son exercice décalé, soutenu par une hausse de 23% de son chiffre d'affaires. Les six analystes interrogés par Reuters anticipaient en moyenne un bénéfice net de 441 millions d'euros.
Le groupe a par ailleurs revu à la baisse son estimation de l'impact financier des conséquences du nuage de cendre qui a perturbé le trafic aérien au printemps à 32 millions d'euros contre 50 millions d'euros.
Le détail des résultats de Ryanair montre que ses bénéfice proviennent principalement de la partie continentale de l'Europe et que le groupe réduit ses capacités en Irlande où la récession continue de peser sur la demande.
Le groupe explique en outre qu'une taxe touristique introduite l'année dernière dans le cadre des mesures d'austérité décidées par Dublin dissuade les voyageurs de se rendre en Irlande.
"Nous avons à nouveau réduit nos capacités hivernales vers Dublin de 15% et transféré des avions vers d'autres pays européens qui ont supprimé les taxes touristiques et abaissé les taxes d'aéroport", a déclaré Michael O'Leary.

Ryanair: Single fleet rule no longer applies

[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] has now reached the size where it can operate a dual fleet without jeopardising its low-cost model, according to deputy CEO and chief financial officer Howard Millar.
By 2012 Ryanair plans to operate over 300 aircraft, carrying around 85 million passengers, which Millar believes gives it the critical mass to operate two types without losing any economic advantage.
"If you have just 20 aircraft, it doesn't make sense to have two chief pilots and two chief engineers," says Millar. "But if we have 150 Boeing and 150 [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] aircraft, it is such a vast number that the incremental costs would be quite low."
This could simply be a negotiating ploy. Millar says Ryanair's all-[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] fleet means it is "in danger of a monster in the room" and he says it is important to "keep the other guy in the game".
But he also insists: "At the right price we would certainly have a mixed fleet. With our size and scale, we could serve southern Europe with Airbus aircraft and northern Europe with Boeings. I believe it can be done."
Despite Ryanair's all-Boeing fleet, Millar is very complimentary of Airbus. He highlights the advantage of the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]'s engine choices, compared with the sole-supplier on the 737.
He says: "The A320 is far superior [to the 737] in terms of electronics and avionics. It is a more modern aircraft, with a bigger cabin. The A320 came along 10-15 years after the first 737, so the technology is newer."
At the same time, he believes that investment in the A320NEO would be better spent on an all-new aircraft, giving Boeing an advantage.
With other players now entering the market, Millar advises both manufacturers to beware. "It is a bit like the computer industry. At first there was just IBM and a few others. Now there is a whole load of manufacturers. When China started producing televisions, the Americans said they had no experience, but by God they've got good at it. Over the next 10-15 years a lot is going to happen."

[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] deputy chief executive Howard Millar believes [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]' decision to launch the A320NEO has "put the ball right into [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]'s court".
From 2016 Airbus is planning to offer a re-engined [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], with two powerplant options: the CFM Leap-X or Pratt & Whitney's PW1100G.
Millar describes this as a "very interesting development", but he believes the timeframe is "lengthy" and that the money would be better spent on an all-new successor rather than an intermediate step.

"We feel that, on a longer-term basis, the investment in upgrading aircraft would be better spent on the development of a totally new generation of aircraft," said Millar, speaking to ATI at Ryanair's Dublin headquarters.
"That way we can incorporate the latest developments in composite and engine technology, so we get a plane which really delivers very significant cost savings, but also places us well in terms of technology for 2020 and beyond."

With Airbus still busy with both the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] and [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] programmes, and Boeing tied up with its [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] and upgrades to the 777, Millar voices concerns about Airbus' ability to deliver the A320NEO within its proposed 2016 timeframe.

"I think the market would be generally concerned about the manufacturer's ability to deliver the aircraft on time, given recent performance [from both Boeing and Airbus]," he explains.
"We think this is an awful lot to ask the manufacturers to deliver in this time period and to us, as an outsider, it looks very aggressive."

Millar adds that Boeing is not expected to come back with a clean sheet response until "at least 2020", although the US manufacturer must deal with complications because existing 737s have less ground clearance than the A320. Even with this hurdle, Millar believes Airbus has "put the ball right into Boeing's court".
"We think they should go for a new aircraft. Don't spend any more money on the 737, just make it more cheaply," urges Millar.

LEAHY & Airbus devrait écouter ce genre de 'Client' !

E_Dall a écrit:Merci

Si MoL s'imagine que le prix des A 320 actuels va s'écrouler, comme ceux des B 737 actuels, bonne route...

Nous plaçons nos billes chez HP ou Canon, pas chez Ryanair !

RYANAIR, aussi, ... et chez Epson ! :lol:

[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] chief financial officer and deputy CEO Howard Millar would snap up a 199-seater aircraft because it hits a "sweet spot" in terms of staffing levels.


"The largest aircraft that we would be interested in is 199 seats," said Millar, speaking to ATI at Ryanair's Dublin headquarters. "That would mean that we could go up 10 seats without adding any more cabin crew. Our sweet spot is a 199-passenger aircraft,"
He says this would make sense in terms of incremental costs because when an aircraft goes over the 200-seat mark, another member of cabin crew is required.
"We think we could still do our turnarounds in 25 minutes with 199 passengers. If someone made this aircraft, we would operate it," says Millar.
Today [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] offers the 737-800 and -900, both of which are limited to a maximum of 189 seats, while the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] carries a maximum of 180 passengers.
Boeing's most recent offering - the 737-900ER - is available with additional passenger doors and is capable of accommodating up to 215 passengers. However, Millar rejects this as an option because it would be inefficient to operate the 737-900ER below its maximum capacity.

La compagnie aérienne Ryanair ferme mardi sa seule base française, sur l'aéroport de Marseille, avec pour conséquence la disparition de plus d'un millier d'emplois directs ou indirects, selon le patronat local qui espère une relance de l'offre low cost depuis la deuxième ville de France.

© 2011 AFP

Ryanair Considering C919s, MS-21s For Fleet

Ryanair is in the early stages of talks with both Russia’s United Aircraft Corp. (UAC) and China’s Comac regarding a possible order for either the MS-21 or the C919 jet.
“They are very keen to work with Ryanair,” CEO Michael O’Leary says. “We haven’t got a firm offer on price, and at the moment we don’t have certainty about when they will actually deliver the aircraft,” he cautions. “There is a long way from the lovely, shiny brochure to ‘there’s the aircraft over there.’”
O’Leary believes it would not be difficult to convince passengers to fly on Russian or Chinese aircraft. “Passengers want the aircraft to be safe, pretty new and that the flight is going on time.” The Ryanair CEO doubts that the MS-21 and the C919 can be delivered as planned, in 2017. “If the aircraft is not delivered until 2022, it does not matter what the pricing is. And everybody has missed all their deadlines, including Airbus and Boeing.”
O’Leary says Ryanair needs to place an aircraft order any time between now and 2015 if it wants to continue growing. He doesn’t want to resume talks with Boeing by himself, but says that Boeing has to come back to the table. Negotiations over a new order collapsed over terms, conditions and guarantees last year.

La décision du gouvernement français sur une cession du capital des grands aéroports de province est imminente et pourrait tomber la semaine prochaine, affirme mercredi le quotidien La Tribune, qui ajoute que l'Etat ramènerait sa part de 60% à un peu plus de 10%.

© 2011 AFP

[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] is to impose a new levy on passengers to offset the cost of compensation mandated under Euroepan Union legislation for delays or cancellations of flights.

The Irish low-cost carrier says it suffered extraordinary costs of more than €100 million ($141 million) in 2010. These involved 15,000 flights and more than 2.4 million passengers.

Most of the delays and cancellations were due to three sets of external events - the Icelandic volcanic ash incident; snow closures of many European airports in late 2010; and more than 15 days of national air traffic control strikes.

"It is unfair and discriminatory that airlines are made liable for providing refunds, meals, hotels and phone calls during ATC strikes, bad weather airport closures or (volcanic) airspace closures when even travel insurance companies avoid liability during these 'force majeure' events and when competing transport providers (rail, ferries and coach operators) have no such 'force majeure' liability," says the carrier.

As a result, it is imposing a €2 levy on all bookings made from 4 April. It says it regrets passing on the burden to passengers but that it must recover its "extraordinary costs".
Ryanair calls for airlines to be relieved of the compensation burden when delays are neither the responsibility nor fault of carriers.

Low-cost carrier [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]'s decision to break with long-established practice and trial reserved seating on board its services has been driven by passenger feedback, particularly from the business community.

The trial is limited in scope, both in the numbers of seats and routes available. From 16 May, the front two rows, plus two overwing exit rows of seats, will be available to book on the Irish carrier's Dublin-Malaga and Dublin-London Gatwick routes. This will give 24 reserved seats on each of the carrier's [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]-800s.


Spokesman Stephen McNamara says that the impetus for the trial comes from passenger feedback surveys, with business travellers and taller passengers commenting that they would value reserved seating. This is particularly so on flights that carry a healthy percentage of business passengers, such as the Dublin-Gatwick sector. Business passengers want an early exit from the aircraft on arrival, while taller passengers seek extra legroom.
He adds that the carrier also anticipates that reserved seating in the extended-legroom overwing exit rows may be popular on Ryanair's longer-duration flights, such as those from the UK and Ireland to the Canary Islands.
The trial will have no set length, "but I would think it would be fairly evident from one to two months in whether or not it's going to be popular", says McNamara. If there is sufficient demand, then reserved seating will be rolled out on other, selected routes.

Ryanair will charge €10 ($14) for each reserved sector, which will include priority boarding. The carrier will continue also to offer priority boarding alone, as a separate option.

Continuous improvement in single-aisle airliner capability has been central to the development of low-cost airlines, according to Oliver Wyman consultant Blair Pomeroy.

He expects that the availability of a re-engined Airbus A320neo - and any counter-offer from Boeing - will provide further opportunities for airlines to expand their scope of operations.

Speaking in [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] on low-cost carriers, Pomeroy said that airlines have used the increased range offered by the latest A320 family and Next Generation 737 aircraft to fly US and Australian transcontinental services and flights from western Europe deep into North Africa. "I think we'll see more of that as these planes continue [to be developed]," he said.

Airbus chief operating officer customers John Leahy thinks that the 15% reduction in fuel burn offered by the A320neo with its advanced turbofans from CFM International or Pratt & Whitney will be a major attraction to low-cost airlines.

"If you look at what fuel is becoming as a percentage of the overall cash operating costs of the airline, a 15% reduction [in fuel burn] is like a 7.5% reduction in your cash operating costs. It really means you can drive the ticket price even further down," he said.

The two engine suppliers on the A320neo told Airline Business that the specific requirements of low-cost airlines are key drivers when designing their new engines.

"Their key requirement is all about the cost of ownership and from an engine perspective, the first element of this is fuel burn," says CFM Leap-X programme manager Ron Klapproth.

"Low-cost carriers are really focused on moving passengers from one city to another, rather than operating and maintaining the equipment. So we have to look at our technology development to drive value so they can drive lower seat-mile costs," said P&W vice-president next generation product family Bob Saia. "These are things associated with improved fuel consumption, long time-on-wing between overhauls and really keeping the operation from flight to flight efficient."

Texto íntegro de la carta: cortesía con el ministro pero ultimátum en negrita

Estimado Ministro, Como seguramente sabrá, Ryanair se ha convertido en los últimos años en el mayor inversor extranjero en el turismo español. Durante 2011, Ryanair operará más de 500 rutas, con origen o destino en 23 de los mayores aeropuertos de España, transportando a cerca de 33 millones de pasajeros dentro y fuera del país, y generando más de 33.000 empleos en los aeropuertos españoles en los que está presente. Debido a la popularidad de los servicios de bajo coste de Ryanair, la compañía ha superado ya a Iberia y se ha convertido en la mayor aerolínea de pasajeros de España.
Sin embargo, este crecimiento y éxito parece haber atraído un nivel cada vez mayor de interferencia burocrática a través de una absurda serie de investigaciones regulatorias, que han derivado en acusaciones infundadas de infracciones, y de la imposición de multas que van en contra del derecho legal de Ryanair a la presunción de inocencia hasta que se demuestre su culpabilidad.
Le adjunto la lista actual de investigaciones administrativas pendientes en España a fecha de diciembre de 2010, por las que se han impuesto multas de más de 1,23 millones de euros –bajo la presunción de culpabilidad– sin que las agencias pertinentes hayan hecho esfuerzo alguno por verificar los hechos de estos casos o hayan tomado en cuenta la defensa de Ryanair. En muchos casos, las multas se han aplicado porque supuestamente Ryanair no ha respondido, cuando la realidad es que estas agencias no han contactado directamente con Ryanair hasta que se ha impuesto una sanción.
El alcance y escala de estas multas son (a) claramente desproporcionados (en algunos casos de 18.000 euros en relación a un solo vuelo), teniendo en cuenta que Ryanair genera de media ventas totales de 5.000 euros por vuelo, y (b) discriminatorios (no creemos que otras aerolíneas españolas estén sujetas a esos niveles de interferencia o multas administrativas).
Esta política vengativa de imponer sanciones sin tener en cuenta la realidad de cada caso o la validez de la defensa de Ryanair, supone una violación de los derechos de Ryanair bajo la Convención Europea de Derechos Humanos. Es poco equitativo e injusto esperar que Ryanair pague estas multas abusivas, y malgastar después de tres a cuatro años y considerables sumas en honorarios legales para apelar y anular unas sanciones que no deberían haberse aplicado desde un principio, ya que Ryanair no ha cometido violación alguna.
Solicito por lo tanto una reunión urgente con usted, para discutir este creciente problema, que de no revisarse, obligará a Ryanair a dar marcha atrás en sus planes de crecimiento del turismo en España, lo que derivará en cierres generalizados de rutas, en recortes del tráfico y en pérdidas de puestos de trabajo en muchos aeropuertos españoles.
Ryanair no está dispuesto a malgastar valioso tiempo y recursos ni a pagar multas impuestas ilegalmente por agencias que han aplicado claramente la política de ignorar las reglas de la justicia natural y de violar el derecho de Ryanair a la defensa y a un proceso justo.
Ryanair no pagará estas multas desproporcionadas o discriminatorias, y si esto derivase en órdenes de ejecución, iniciaremos el proceso de reducción de vuelos, rutas, tráfico y empleos en los aeropuertos españoles.
Debo solicitar su ayuda para poner fin a estas injustas multas, y para garantizar que estas agencias burocráticas empiezan a apoyar las inversiones multimillonarias de Ryanair en los aeropuertos y el turismo español, en lugar de minar y poner en peligro el crecimiento de Ryanair en España con estas sanciones infundadas e injustas.
Pediré a mi oficina que contacte con su despacho esta semana para concretar una reunión de urgencia con el objetivo de resolver este importante problema, potencialmente peligroso para el turismo español.
A la espera de conocerle en persona,
le saluda atentamente,
Michael O’Leary
Consejero delegado

Comac to work together with Ryanair on C919 design

Comac plans to sign a memorandum of understanding with low-cost carrier Ryanair to co-operate on the Chinese airframer's C919 narrowbody, in a move that Comac hopes will lead to orders.
They will sign the agreement on 21 June at Comac's new European office in Paris, which will be officially established on 19 June, said a Comac official.
Calling the deal a "market co-operation agreement", the official said: "They [Ryanair] are an airline while we are an aircraft manufacturer. We hope to understand their needs and to incorporate them into the design of the C919."
Comac is developing the C919, which is scheduled to enter service in 2016. The company is aiming to get the aircraft certificated by the Federal Aviation Administration and the European Aviation Safety Agency so it can be marketed overseas.
Asked if the agreement with Ryanair could lead to orders for the C919, the Comac official said: "Of course we hope to work in that direction." However, he could not comment on how likely this is to happen, or how many aircraft Ryanair could order.
"We do, however, hope to give them the product they want," he added
.