Ryanair always like to make a big song and dance about almost everything – but why did it wait six months after launching its first mobile app before unveiling it officially?
CEO Michael O’Leary was in London today to announce the launch of the app, an iPhone service which allows users to make and manage bookings, access timetables and promotions, and also secure car rental products via the carrier’s deal with Hertz.
Ryanair’s all-important and dizzying array of ancillary products (priority boarding, checked bags, etc) are also available to those booking flights.
Unusually for a carrier, Ryanair is charging customers to download the app – Euro 3.
But while O’Leary was eager today to highlight how pleased the company is to be launching its “latest passenger initiative”, Ryanair Cheap Flights, as the app is officially called, has actually been around for almost six months.
The first and so far only iteration of the app was accepted by Apple and put into the appstore on 13 March this year, meaning it has been in the marketplace and seemingly under the radar without a single review and only a handful of star ratings (overall score 4+) ever since.
This is probably why Ryanair felt it could “launch” the app this week without any questions as to why it has taken so long to get the product into the hands of passengers.
When asked about the discrepancy, the carrier’s spinners in Dublin (Edelman) insisted the app had “only been available as of today”.
They eventually responded again (after being pointed to the release date on iTunes), in classic Ryanair style:
“Ryanair has been too busy lowering fares for our summer schedule to launch the app – today was the first chance we got.”
NB: Ryanair aircraft image via Shutterstock.
Related posts:
About Kevin May
A con, a joke, pretty much like the Airline. Don’t buy the app, just use m.ryanair.com, its exactly the same! All they have done is wrap the mobile site into an iOS app and charge you £2.49 for the privilege. Utter joke. I can’t understand how Apple have allowed this!? Another money making scheme from Ryanair!
The App hasn’t been available to download until now. I have been checking for one every few weeks as I’m always searching for flights to & from France.
I can’t believe Mr O’Leary! I won’t be using the App this I’d one charge too much.
@adog – app was released to iTunes in March, sorry.
Sorry Kevin but you’re wrong. Searching in the App store under ‘Ryanair’ only brought up Kayak & other flight comparison Apps, I know because I kept trying. It was impossible to book a flight with my IPhone using the normal Ryanair sight as you couldn’t put a date in (or it kept asking you to input a date when you already had) this has been driving me mad for months. I’ve had Easyjet, BA & Flybe Apps downloaded but there was NOTHING for Ryanair whether they say they launched it or not!
@dog – http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/ryanair-cheap-flights/id504270602?mt=8
released to the appstore on 13 March 2012.
Well Kevin, you clearly don’t get it! Released to the App Store or not, you couldn’t Download it for free or otherwise until now, so it hasn’t ‘been around’. This is from someone who checked time & again who has booked 7 return flights with Ryanair since March.
Your article is wrong wherever you got your information from.
@cat – we’ll have to agree to disagree then.
Got my info from Apple, that’s a usually a pretty good source of information for me. Apps are never released into the appstore and then subsequently not made available for download.