Michael O’Leary famously quipped ‘if I’d known being nice to passengers would be so good for business I’d have done it years ago’ and that goes too to his staff, and Ryanair’s new friendly face.
Today, of course, was the big roll-out of Ryanair going fully digi with passengers’ boarding passes.
And for those fearful that they would be strong-armed by ground crew, such as Mrs Bandanaman who on being chivvied along called the woman at the gate a fascist, bravely under her breath.
Green for go
The evidence at Dublin Airport was completely to the contrary.
My old travel pack colleague from Ireland, the award-winning Conor Power, reported in the Irish Times of a seemless transition.
With Michael O’Leary seemingly putting out the directive to his staff to be patient with customers… he must be getting soft in his old age.
And the company has said it will accommodate the paper generation.
And that ‘if you have already checked in online and you lose your smartphone or tablet [or it dies or gets left behind].’
‘Your details are already on our system and you will be assisted at the gate’.
While for those who turned up without digital boarding passes staff were there.
To show travellers where it could be found on your phone.
And they were only too happy to direct stressed-out holidaymakers to the Visa check desks for further assistance.
At your assistance
All of which we welcome as airport travel grows increasingly more stressful.
And it doesn’t matter how seasoned you are because it seems the more you know about what can go wrong the more anxious you become.
Thankfully, of course, some of those mishaps are behind me.
Such as not reading the small print on the paper boarding pass on the Olympic Air ticket.
And realising I’m at the wrong terminal.
And putting on my naughty schoolboy face to Greta at the Lufthansa desk and taking the telling-off.
To ensure I get put on the next flight from Munich to Athens on my Greek Odyssey without a charge.
Maybe then these digi check-ins and boarding passes are the answer.
Even for old technophobes like Bandanaman.