Ryanair has reported a 28% increase in March passenger numbers as it works to shed its reputation for uncompromising customer service and courts more business travellers.
The no-frills airline said 6,670,000 people flew with it last month compared with 5,200,000 in March last year.
Spokesman Kenny Jacobs attributed the rise to the new, softer customer service policy launched in late 2013 when Ryanair’s chief executive, Michael O’Leary, presented a strategy to stop “unnecessarily pissing people off”. The new policies include allowing more carry-on baggage, allocating seating and cutting punitive charges.
The airline said the rise was also owing to changes in its schedule to accommodate business travellers, who want to travel in and out of destinations in the space of a day. It added that putting the times for future flights online sooner so that people can book well in advance had also contribute.
The figures come three weeks after Ryanair denied it was about to move into long-haul air travel despite earlier saying its board approved had business plans that included transatlantic flights.
The airline said the load factor – the number of seats which are occupied by passengers – had also increased from 80% to 90% in MArch compared with the month last year. This amounts to and average of 19 more passengers on each flight.
Jacobs said the image revamp will continue with new cabin interiors, crew uniforms, inflight menus and reduced airport fees.
Flights for winter 2014-15 are now online, three months earlier than last year.
“Germans and Scandinavians love to book very far in advance, andwhat we are seeing more and more, even in markets like the UK and Ireland, is people want to book further in advance because they know they will get the lowest fares,” said Jacobs.
Rival Flybe has been cheered by improved summer demand, despite the regional airline’s failure to make a profit in its most recent financial year.
The carrier said in January it would only break-even in the 12 months to 31 March 31; earlier City forecasts had suggested a profit of about £9m.
The Exeter-based airline reiterated its break-even comment, but also said it had been encouraged by recent trading after a 9% rise in UK passenger revenues compared with a year earlier. Flybe has increased capacity by 13% with the launch of new routes for this summer.
