RYANAIR CALLS A BERLIN/LUFT T

RNS Number : 6989G

Ryanair Holdings PLC

27 October 2008

 



RYANAIR CALLS ON AIR BERLIN AND LUFTHANSA TO REDUCE THEIR UNFAIR SURCHARGES AS OIL FALLS OVER 50% TO $60 PER BARREL

RELEASES 1 MILLION, €1 SEATS ON SALE FOR TRAVEL NOV - JAN

Ryanair, Europe's largest low fares airline today (Monday, 27th October 2008) celebrated the start of its third German domestic route from Berlin to Dusseldorf and the launch of its 800th European route from Dusseldorf to Bologna, with a press conference in Berlin at which Ryanair called on Air Berlin and Lufthansa to reduce their unfair fuel surcharges by at least 50% to reflect the recent 55% fall in oil prices from over $140 to less than $70 per barrel. Ryanair believes it is unfair that German consumers are still suffering high fuel surcharges at Air Berlin and Lufthansa which were last increased when oil was $140 a barrel and said that the failure of these German airlines to reduce fuel surcharge in line with the recent dramatic fall in oil prices exposes yet again the fact that Air Berlin and Lufthansa are overcharging consumers.

Ryanair, which will carry 9 million passengers to/from Germany this year on its 137 German routes continues to grow rapidly in Germany thanks to Ryanair's unique combination of guaranteed lowest fares, guarantee of no fuel surcharges and better punctuality and customer service than that delivered by either Lufthansa or Air Berlin. Ryanair confirmed that its Berlin passenger numbers have grown by 50% in the last year, while its three German bases at (Bremen, Dusseldorf Weese and Frankfurt Hahn) continue to grow strongly as German passengers/visitors abandon high fare airlines like Air Berlin and Lufthansa in favour of Ryanair's lowest fares and guarantee of no surcharges.

To celebrate Ryanair's rapid German market growth, its third German domestic route and its 800th European route, Ryanair today released 1 million, €1 seats (incl. taxes and charges) for travel from 15th November to 31st January next. These seats go on sale from midnight Monday 27th until Midnight Thursday 30th October, and mean that German consumers/visitors travelling from any of Ryanair's ten German airports can now travel all over Europe in November, December and January for as little as €1, which is less than one twentieth of the fuel surcharges being levied by Air Berlin and Lufthansa on their German domestic routes.

Current Short-haul Fuel Surcharges (one way)
Ryanair	€0
TUIFly	€17
Air France/KLM	€17
British Airways	€20
Lufthansa	€24
Air Berlin	€25

Speaking in Berlin today, Ryanair's Michael O'Leary said:

'Ryanair's growth in Berlin and in Germany has never been faster, or more important for German consumers and visitors. With Air Berlin and Lufthansa continuing to charge high fares and unfair fuel surcharges and the failure of these airlines to reduce these surcharges despite the 50% plus fall in fuel prices in recent months, it is now more important than ever that Ryanair gives German consumers and visitors a real choice over the high fare, fuel surcharging German airlines. German consumers/visitors have in recent months come to realise that the only way to avoid high fares and fuel surcharges is to book their travel on www.ryanair.com and fly on any one of Ryanair's 137 German routes from our 10 German airports including Berlin, Frankfurt Hahn, Bremen, Friedrichshafen, Hamburg, Rostock, Leipzig, Dusseldorf Weeze, Zweibrucken and Karlsruhe.

'Ryanair calls on the German Consumer Agencies or the useless Competition Organisation to ask Air Berlin and Lufthansa why despite the 50% fall in oil prices, they still haven't reduced their unfair and unjustified fuel surcharges. Why for example when Ryanair can offer a million seats for just €1, are Air Berlin still charging a short-haul fuel surcharge of €25 and Lufthansa charging €24.  Clearly these German airlines are using fuel surcharges as another excuse to overcharge passengers, which is what is driving more and more passengers towards Ryanair, and maintaining Ryanair's record route and traffic growth in the German market.

'To celebrate Ryanair's third domestic German route and our 800th European route, we are releasing 1 million, €1 seats for travel in November, December and January tonight at midnight. These seats will be available for booking all day Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, but we advise all passengers only to book these €1 flights

directly  www.ryanair.com and avoid any screenscraper, ticket-tout websites who may try to deceive consumers by adding on unauthorised and hidden handling fees of between 10 or 20 times Ryanair's ticket prices'.

The message for Germany today from Ryanair is 'Guten Tag' Ryanair's lowest fares, 'Auf Wiedersehen' Air Berlin and Lufthansa's high, unfair fuel surcharges.

For further information

please contact:            Stephen McNamara        Pauline McAlester

                                     Ryanair Ltd                      Murray Consultants

                                     Tel: [phone]        Tel. [phone]

 

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