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DONALD TRUMP IS the president-elect of the United States of America.
We’ve been taking you through the declarations, the results and the speeches.
Stay with us for all the reaction through the day.
Good morning, folks.
Paul Hosford here taking you through the final hours of this crazy election. As it stands, this map shows the state of play.
Not only does Donald Trump look set to become President, he will likely have control of the House of Representatives, the Senate and the Supreme Court of the USA.
Read about the Congressional races here.
Right-wing French politician Marine Le Pen has congratulated Trump and the “free American people” on his impending victory.
There it is. The Associated Press has declared Donald Trump the winner of Pennsylvania.
All of a sudden, Hillary Clinton’s “blue wall” is crumbling.
Grey’s Anatomy actor Jesse Williams has been a vocal critic of Trump’s and he’s not stopping today.
It’s very early, but there will be myriad discussions about what Trump’s victory means for everything.
From the US voting map, to polling, to “elites”.
But those think-pieces will have to wait until later, as we still await results from a number of states including Michigan.
CBS reports Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta is heading to Clinton HQ at the Javits Centre to “rally the troops”.
Podesta will tell supporters it’s “too close to call”.
Clinton takes four electoral votes in the northeastern state of Maine. She now trails by 264 votes to 219.
Any single state from Arizona, Minnesota, Wisconsin or Michigan would put Trump over the top.
John Podesta has taken the stage at the Javits Centre.
He tells Clinton supporters that they’re “still counting votes” and “several states are too close to call”.
He tells supporters to “head home” and “get some sleep”.
Could we be looking at recounts?
So, Clinton isn’t conceding – tonight, at least.
What does that mean? Probably a few requests for recounts. Florida and Pennsylvania were pretty close, while Michigan and Wisconsin might be the same.
Van Jones on CNN gave a heartfelt speech about how some people are taking the result.
“It’s hard to be a parent tonight, for a lot of us,” he said.
“You have people putting children to bed tonight and they’re afraid of breakfast.”
“How do you explain this to your children? I’ve had Muslim friends who are texting me tonight, saying, ‘should I leave the country?
We’ve talked about everything but race tonight.
“This was a whitelash – this was a whitelash against a changing country. It was whitelash against a black president, in part. And that’s the part where the pain comes.”
It’s been said plenty of times before, but markets like stability and for them Clinton was stability.
In the face of a Trump victory, the dollar is tumbling.
The Mexican peso also fell to a record low as safe haven assets rallied, with gold soaring more than five percent, while fears about the impact on financial markets led Japanese and South Korean authorities to each call crisis talks.
If you’re heading to the US, your euro will get you $1.12 this morning.
Across the US, there were a number of issues on the ballot – from marijuana, gun control and the death penalty.
Associated Press has called the race.
Donald Trump will be President after winning Wisconsin.
Come on over, Mia, we’ll make you tea and toast.
And that’s it.
Donald Trump has been elected President of the United States.
Vice-President elect Mike Pence is now speaking in New York ahead of an expected speech by Donald Trump.
Trump’s victory speech was largely on-message, as he pledged to be “the President for all Americans”.
Trump added that he wanted to tap America’s “untapped potential” and said the “forgotten Americans will be forgotten no more”.
The New Yorker cartoon today is probably aimed at someone. But who?
You know what’s important in elections? Momentum – “the big mo”.
Clinton seemed to have it around 12 hours ago. Then, it all changed.
After the Brexit result much was made about the divergence in votes between young and old.
It looks like the US had much the same thing.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has congratulated Donald Trump, hoping to work with him to improve relations, the Kremlin said in a statement.
Putin “expressed hope for mutual work on bringing US-Russia relations out of their critical condition” and said that “building constructive dialogue” would be in the interest of both countries and the world community, Putin says.
Aoife with you now on the liveblog.
On CNN they’re analysing what Trump can do now that he has power – there’s a lot of “negative energy” in the country says one analyst, while another says that what he has in story will be “an anathema” to a lot of Americans.
For now, that’s all speculation – but based on Trump’s pledges during his campaign.
Independent TD Michael Healy-Rae has released a statement on Donald Trump’s election, wishing him well:
More comments from Irish TDs in – this time from Junior Health Minister Finian McGrath, who told my colleague Cianan Brennan:
“Well, I’m a democrat, I accept the will of the American people, I have never agreed with Trump, but we have to accept that this is what’s happened and that’s it.”
Regarding Trump and the Irish government, McGrath said:
The Irish government will be very pragmatic – there will be no change in the relationship between the Americans and us.
This footage has been emerged from Berkeley, California, of students protesting the result:
(Can’t see the video? Click here)
The protest has been going on for a few hours, with reports from the scene saying around 200 or so students are taking part.
If you’re looking for left-wing analysis, the New Yorker’s most-read story today is An American Tragedy by David Remnick.
It’s a tough read:
On January 20, 2017, we will bid farewell to the first African-American President—a man of integrity, dignity, and generous spirit—and witness the inauguration of a con who did little to spurn endorsement by forces of xenophobia and white supremacy. It is impossible to react to this moment with anything less than revulsion and profound anxiety.
On the other side of the coin, over on Breitbart.com they describe Trump as an “outsider candidate” who “overcame overwhelming odds to defeat establishment, Clinton”.
Never ones to miss an opportunity to wear their hearts on their doughnuts, Dublin doughnut shop Aungier Danger have brought out these treats today (sensitive to swearing? Look away now)
British Prime Minister Theresa May has congratulated Trump.
In a statement, British Prime Minister Theresa May said: “Britain and the United States have an enduring and special relationship based on the values of freedom, democracy and enterprise.
“We are, and will remain, strong and close partners on trade, security and defence.
I look forward to working with President-elect Donald Trump, building on these ties to ensure the security and prosperity of our nations in the years ahead.
Over on Twitter, we’ve put together a Moment on how Irish people reacted to Trump’s presidential victory – check it out below:
Taoiseach Enda Kenny has congratulated Trump in this statement:
The Government of Canada’s citizen and immigration website hasn’t been working properly this morning – which many are putting down to people wanting to jump ship from the US.
The government hasn’t officially commented on it however, so we don’t know yet if that is in fact the case.
And after a few tries, we were eventually able to get the site working ourselves:
This Rachel Maddow short-but-to-the-point commentary on Trump’s win has been doing the rounds:
We’ve rounded up the biggest moments of the US election here:
And we’ve taken a look at how the Irish government could deal with a President Trump:
Taken part in our poll yet? We’re asking:
Do you think Ireland’s relationship with the US will change after Trump’s victory?
Here’s the state of play so far:
Have your say here.
Jeremy Corbyn has put out a statement on Trump’s win – and describe it as “an unmistakeable rejection of a political establishment and an economic system that simply isn’t working for most people”.
Corbyn goes on to say:
But some of Trump’s answers to the big questions facing America, and the divisive rhetoric around them, are clearly wrong.
Musician Lady Gaga has been seen protesting outside Trump Tower in New York this morning:
Gaga had appeared at a Hillary Clinton in the last week and was at Javits Centre earlier today.
Michelle Hennessy here taking over the reins of the liveblog. It’s the calm after the storm right now, as everyone looks back at how the night unfolded.
Trump’s first tweet as President-elect of the United States:
We’ve noticed he has also changed his Twitter bio and installed an understated header…
We heard from Trump earlier, but Hillary Clinton still has not spoken publicly – not even to thank her supporters.
Her campaign chairman John Podesta told supporters at her victory party to go home last night and reporters have been told she is currently still at the Peninsula Hotel in Manhattan.
He hasn’t even moved into the White House yet and it looks like Michelle Mulherin wants to invite Trump over here:
German’s Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier had a rather disheartening reaction to Trump’s win.
“I think we must expect that American foreign policy will become less predictable for us and we must expect that the United States will be more inclined to make decisions on its own,” he said.
In other words, and I will not dress it up, nothing will become easier, many things will become more difficult.
Don’t forget, we’re asking what you guys think over on our open thread. Here’s what some of you are saying so far about the shock result:
Want to have your say? Head over to the open thread and leave your thoughts in the comments…
So, now we’re all asking: What next? And what kind of president will Donald Trump be?
We had a word with Eamon Dunphy about the election when he was in the office recently. He said if Trump won, he’d become a “pussy cat”.
Patrick Kent, president of the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA) has an interesting take on it all.
In a statement this morning, he pointed said “unfair free trade deals” had hurt ordinary people and benefited big business and warned Irish politicians to pay attention.
The pandering to big business has got to stop. The EU Commission and all EU and national politicians need to stop looking for excuses and get tough with multinational retailers, food and drink processors and input suppliers who, between them, are driving our beef, sheep and tillage farmers to despair and over the edge.
“I don’t for one minute suggest that Donald Trump will be a panacea for all ills, but it is clear that normal politics needs to shape up very quickly and figure out why so many ordinary people are voting for change, even if that change is something as unpalatable as Mr Trump,” he added.
Speaking to RTÉ’s Seán O’Rourke about Trump’s victory, former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said “we need to have a bit of a love-in with his people very quickly”.
To the best of my knowledge – and I still visit the United States a bit – we don’t have any connections with his team. When he was going to come here some months ago when he was in Scotland during his campaign for his business interests… I think it was probably made clear to him that he’d get a hostile reception here, so that dropped off his itinerary.
His concerns in relation to Trump centre around the undocumented Irish, Brexit, Apple’s tax affairs and multinational companies in a general sense.
In times of uncertainty, you can always trust Paddy Power to help put things into perspective:
Some more reaction coming in from Irish ministers. Transport Minister Shane Ross told reporters in Dublin that once someone is democratically elected “we have to accept that fact and deal with them as a democratically elected president”.
Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Simon Coveney, said the Irish government will have to “work with the democratic reality that is there.”
He described Trump’s comments in his victory speech earlier as “generous”.
“They are aimed at unifying people after one of the most bitter campaigns that I can ever remember.”
When asked if he would like to see him coming on a visit to Ireland soon, he replied: “Of course I would”.
I think we should always welcome a US leader to Ireland. The relationship between Ireland and the US is arguably a more special relationship than the US has with any other country. That is valuable, it needs to be maintained, and that will certainly happen and this government will work towards ensuring that happens.
Anti-Austerity-Alliance TD Ruth Coppinger has also been having her say on the result in the Dail today.
She branded the US President-elect “a racist, a misogynist and homophobe and many other things besides”.
Coppinger said solidarity was needed from Ireland with minorities and others in the US who may be worried and in fear over Trump’s presidency.
The Taoiseach said he had previously stated comments Trump had made were racist. But he said he listened to Trump say earlier today that he wanted “to heal wounds” and that he supported that.
Our own president has made a statement on the outcome of the election.
Michael D Higgins said Ireland has had a “long and deep connection with the United States and its people”.
“I have conveyed my best wishes to President-elect Donald Trump, wishing him and the American people every good fortune for his term in office.”
It looks like we might hear Clinton’s first public remarks in just over an hour…
Sinéad O’Carroll taking over the liveblog this afternoon as we are still glued to the US networks, taking in all the reaction to a Trump POTUS.
My colleague Aoife Barry has been examining probably the most important part of the Republican’s campaign – his slogan.
What made it so powerful to some and so worrying to others?
“Make America Great Again connects with the patriotic, American dream-focused attitude of those who herald their great country. But it also sparks fears of a return to an America where ‘great’ equaled power for some, but not for all – and a fierce fight needed for progression,” she writes.
Where Ohio goes…
We had been hearing a lot about the swing states that would decide this election – and Trump came out a winner in all the important ones.
There were shocks, in particular, when Wisconsin (blue since 1988) and Pennsylvania (blue since 1992) turned red for Trump.
Here’s the lowdown:
Video: Nicky Ryan
Need some cheering up?
These lads were all born at the neonatal unit at a University Maternity Hospital Limerick in recent weeks and PJ Corbett rounded up the quads, triplets, twins and a ‘singleton’ for a photo shoot today.
In a statement released today, the hospital said it is the first time the unit has cared for sets of quads, triplets and twins at the same time.
Read more about the beauts here.
Where is Hillary?
She’s due to give her concession speech in public at 10.30am (3.30pm Irish time).
Spokesperson Jennifer Palmieri confirmed to reporters that she will speak in New York City.
The Washington Post‘s media columnist has been looking at the role journalists have had to play in the Trump victory.
Margaret Sullivan writes:
Make no mistake. This is an epic fail. And although eating crow is never appealing, we’ll be digesting feathers and beaks in the next weeks and months — and maybe years.
She says that journalists didn’t create Trump but they left him unchecked for months with ‘unfiltered exposure’. They didn’t take those voters in the red states seriously enough – and retreated to their liberal, urban homes in New York City, LA and DC quickly.
And she adds:
We wanted to believe in a country where decency and civility still mattered, and where someone so crude, spiteful and intemperate could never be elected — because America was better than that.
This one is doing the rounds in Ireland with over 9,000 shares and 8,000 likes on Facebook.
“We could shoot him, it’s not a bad idea.”
That was the surprising suggestion from David Attenborough (of all people) earlier this month when asked about dealing with Donald Trump if he won.
Speaking to the Radio Times, he said:
“Well, we lived through that with earlier presidents – they’ve been equally guilty… But what alternative do we have? Do we have any control or influence over the American elections? Of course we don’t.”
The interviewer then said he giggled and in a quiet voice added: ”We could shoot him, it’s not a bad idea.”
As we wait on Hillary, here’s a reminder of what the White House has had to say today.
“The President will make a statement on Wednesday at the White House to discuss the election results and what steps we can take as a country to come together after this hard-fought election season,” a statement read.
The President invited the President-elect to meet with him at the White House on Thursday 10 November to update him on the transition planning his team has been working on for nearly a year.
“Ensuring a smooth transition of power is one of the top priorities the President identified at the beginning of the year and a meeting with the President-elect is the next step.”
It is understood Obama congratulated Trump on his victory.
We’ll have Hillary in the next few minutes and then…
They’ve actually pushed back Hillary’s concession speech again. It will now be held at 4pm Irish time.
Bill Cullen – who was the star of the Irish version of The Apprentice – has said he thinks Donald Trump is a ‘great guy’ and that he would have voted for him.
“I would vote for him if I was over there. You just have to look at him… he’s strong, he went bankrupt and he’s back again; it’s terrific,” he told Ray D’Arcy on RTÉ Radio One.
I don’t think himself will be able to do anything here. I don’t think he likes Ireland.
Listen to the full interview here.
Still no sign of Hillary… it’s like waiting for white smoke in the Vatican.
Republican Paul Ryan – who was lukewarm on the party’s candidacy – is speaking now, saying he has pulled off a political feat.
He heard voices that nobody else was, he added, saying he is excited about “where we are”.
He noted that he had spoken to him and ‘his good friend’ Pence twice over the past 18 hours.
“I think President-elect Donald Trump set the perfect tone last night… this needs to be a time of redemption, not recrimination,” he told journalists in Wisconsin.
The networks have gone live to the Clinton event in New York, where her election team have been waiting all morning.
It is now 11.30am in the US – incredibly late to be making a concession speech.
There are a lot of sad faces, even tears, in the crowd.
We have action at the Clinton event. A standing ovation is given to defeated VP-candidate Tim Kaine and his wife Ann.
He says that he is proud of Hillary Clinton.
“She has made history in a nation… where it is uniquely difficult for a woman to be elected to federal office,” he added.
Kaine looks at the positives of the campaign – that she won the popular vote across the country for one.
Kaine looks incredibly emotional as he talks about the team that Clinton put together for the campaign.
The team… of people who are so deeply loyal to her because she is so deeply loyal to them is… remarkable.
He thanked her for asking him and his wife to join this “wild ride”.
He remembers their three hours of conversation with the Clinton family as they made a decision on whether they would run.
Clinton has arrived on stage with Bill and Chelsea.
She hugs the Kaines, stands and smiles at the podium.
She receives a rapturous applause, joking that a rowdy crowd is in.
“I know how disappointed you feel because I do too,” Clinton says, while choking
“This is painful and it will be for a long time.”
Clinton acknowledges that the glass ceiling – the highest and hardest of them all – has not been smashed.
She says she hopes that it will be some day sooner than we believe it could be now.
She finishes her speech with a quote from scripture.
“Let us have faith in each other, let us not grow weary… there are more seasons to come and more work to do. I am incredibly honoured and grateful… May God Bless You. And May God Bless the United States of America.”
Clinton has spoken about Obama’s years in the White House, allowing Donald Trump to lead for the next four years and how she still has hopes the glass ceiling will be smashed soon.
Meanwhile, we’ve received a Thank You email from the man himself.
President Obama, flanked by VP Joe Biden is speaking now at the White House.
“I know everybody had a long night… I know I did,” he says. He notes that the sun still came up this morning, something he promised would happen (the only big of prognostication that was correct, he joked).
Obama skirts around the issue of Trump winning, skipping onto what will happen between now and inauguration day.
He says that it is no secret there are significant differences between himself and Donald Trump.
But he learned from George Bush’s team who were gracious and professional during the handover in 2008.
It is how he has instructed his team to behave over the next three months.
A fairly flat Obama winds his way around a speech in which he tries not to put too much emphasis on Trump’s victory or Hillary’s loss.
He speaks about being proud of Clinton and how excellent she was in her role at the State Department.
He tries to quell worries about a Trump presidency.
“The point is, we all go forward with the presumption of good faith in our fellow citizens… that good faith is essential to a vibrant democracy,” he says.
“That’s how we’ve expanded the rights of our founding to reach all of our citizens. That’s how we’ve come this far,” adding that he is confident the journey will go on.
“I have said this before but I think of this job as being a relay runner… You take the baton, you run your best race, and hopefully you’ve… made a little progress.”
Well, it’s really just starting but we’re going to say good evening and goodbye to you all now, from this liveblog.
It’s been quite a week.
Stay with TheJournal.ie as we bring you more analysis, reaction and opinion about what is happening to our neighbours.
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Wel done Michael. Good news.
Michael must not be well…not well at all.
Ryanair asked what changes their customers would like to see, they listened & are now implementing these. Well done
Quiet flights is unbelievably good news
Right, who are we going to love to hate now that he’s become an Irish saint ;)
Ah there are plenty of candidates out there Figo. We have a fair few to pick from!
What the …… What’s going on …. Have I slipped into a parallel universe do you think? Maybe he really is unwell . Can’t think or any other reason …..
quiet flights with lights dimmed. thats a big one for me.
Quiet flights will be tops. The handbag thing will be a pain in the hole to find a spot for me bag now though. So many ppl take the Piss with that on aerlingus.
Couldn’t all you gushing people just shout across the hall to Michael s office, and it’d cost nothing.
Market forces I would think. People are sick of their constant bullshit. If I could I would never fly with them.
Is it April 1st????
market forces, no. over 80 million reasons why it is not market forces
Figo , May I suggest Garth Brooks?
Matt. It’s a profit growing exercise. The man’s a genius.
Allowing a handbag as a second piece of hand luggage is brilliant news. No more trying to stuff it into an already full case at the gate :)
Presumably we can buy a bit of “duty free” now too. Hurrah.
Never thought if that. Ooh no more having to pass up great bargains. My male up bag will be full again :)
I stopped flying Ryanair for that same reason
I stopped using them because every time I need to fly (Madrid normally ) Aer Lingus were similar price or cheaper .Ryanair is a bit like going out with a pickpocket ,its far to much like hard work ,stopping them finding a way to open your wallet.
You could for the last year via Spanish flights.
You want to get there. You want it cheaply. Ryanair, your only man!
You want to get there??? Well Ryanair will bring you close enough but not quite! Still, ya get what ya pay for.
Depends where you at going Niamh. In krakow it’s almost city centre, in Rome their airport in nearer city centre than the aer lingus one, in Nice or Alghero five minutes from town centres,
Parachutes next .. They will fly close and push you out
Donal, that’s a pretty good suggestion. Why don’t you send it on….you might get a free flight! (Terms and conditions apply – taxes, admin fees, luggage charges and all other possible fees not included of course) lol
At the end of the day, it’s a flying bus! Yeah it’ll make a bigger crater if it crashes, but a bus is a bus! To all the begrudgers of a pretty profitable Irish business, if you can afford to fly Aerlingus…. go for it, just remember that you’re flying on a reasonably old bus. For the rest of us, who usually don’t care about customer services on a bus, €50 return to Spain, yes please.
This sounds to me like Michael O’learys swan song though, I’d say he’ll be off soon.
He’ll bring you there alright, he wanted bringing a group of us from Krakow to Dublin for €550 each.
Flies to Madrid Barajas too….oh and Dublin!
I really think the man is a wee bit of a genius! Especially as we are all going to hail him for making it more pleasant to fly with Ryanair even though he is not doing anything other than bringing Ryanair in line with other air carriers.. Genius! :)
Well done to Ryan air on the changes. Nice to know that at least Michael O’Leary has eventually listened to his passengers. Just hope they do not get rid of the “jingle” on arrival….always good for bit of craic
It does make you smile. Annoying but funny.
A step in the right direction
Journal.ie need to stop posting that irritating mad-looking photo of O’Leary, it gets on my nerves!
No!
We want more deranged O’leary pics!
Thats probably the most normal one of him….I prefer the Pope one!
All the photo’s he has taken of him in the public realm look like that…
eg..
http://bit.ly/1fZBWqx
http://bit.ly/17isOLf
bit.ly/18SkxeP
He is mad
People who check in online and then arrive without their tickets shouldn’t be allowed fly…..they’re obviously deranged and a danger to everyone…
Charging €70 to print out a boarding pass when someone has already checked themselves in online was daylight robbery.
I fly from London to Dublin several times a year, I used to switch between Ryanair and Aer Lingus. I got so fed up listening to the constant announcements on the plan, awful music, boarding like cattle and the constant threat of being hit with extra charges when you turn up at the airport that I haven’t flown Ryanair in the past year. It’s just not worth it. I have also found that Aer Lingus, has, on most occasions being either cheaper or at the most £20 more expensive for the flight. Aer Lingus are also far more flexible on baggage and their check in luggage fees are much lower. I’d rather pay a little extra and have a far less stressful flying experience. I don’t think these changes will bring me back to Ryanair unless there’s a £50+ difference in flight costs.
You should try cityjet – my sister doesn’t fly with anyone else to London anymore. LCY is zone 3 on the DLR and you get a meal and a drink included on the flight
Hi Colin. Same here ! Haven’t flown Ryanair in about 3 yrs. not since I took an aerlingus flight to London to connect to Vegas. The check in staff smiled and said thank you and told me to “have a good day”. You could have knocked me over with a feather. SHOCK!
Michael no cost for polite friendly staff. Maybe start there.
I would love to try Cityjet to London but every time I’ve priced flights, Aer Lingus to Heathrow always works out much, much cheaper. I tend to book pretty far in advance, too…any tips from your sister?!
Optional extras reduced so hopefully basic charges won’t go up.
Ryanair should really sponsor ‘Love, Hate’ judging by the mix of comments on this thread!
Hopefully it wont change the fare nottom line.
Wurst spelling ever!
Since some of the ‘extras’ such as check-in etc aren’t optional, they should really just be included in the fare.
Joey, “wurst”?
This has to be welcomed and can only encourage people like myself to reconsider flying with them again. As a travel agent, I hated booking them for my clients and I haven’t flown with them in 4 years.
Perhaps it will stop the ‘fashionable whinger’ factor. I work in the travel industry too and what I see are grown adults behaving like mentally deficient ducks.
‘I forgot to print my boarding pass and was charged’ – read the T&Cs, they’re not hard to find.
‘My flight left me 50KM from the city centre’ – did it ever occur to you why the ticket was 50% of the price of competitors?
‘I was charged for exceeding my luggage allowance’ – 20KG in Ireland is 20KG in Spain you flat headed moron.
‘I arrived 15 mins before departure time and was not allowed on the flight’ – really? Again, you must be literate if you booked online. Read the instructions.
In other words ‘Grow the f*ck up or shut the f*ck up’ Want to be treated like a posh moron instead of a cost conscious moron then pay for it.
Rant over… phew…. I feel better now.
Jesus. Remind me never to book with you…..
Bloody hell …. I’d be running out the door
That’s all well and good unless you are disabled. Then you are treated like cattle. They won’t let you bring your wheelchair down to the gate even though (with the exception of one other airline in Australia) every other airline I have ever flown with has never had a problem with. They insist that you either make your own way down to the gate minus your wheelchair or they strap you into a plastic wheelchair type gurney that resembles something out of “silence of the lambs” and insist on bringing you right to your seat even if you can make your own way up the steps. These changes are a step in the right direction but I still won’t be flying with them even if it costs me more money. I’d rather have a bit of dignity and comfort thanks.
That’s right Noel, I’m sure it’s fine for adults with good mobility, but for elderly people, disabled people, and families with small children, flying with Ryanair is so difficult and stressful that it’s just not worth the reduced cost. The ‘like it or lump it’ attitude when you’re struggling down 4 flights of stairs with a couple of small kids, an elderly grandparent and a pushchair, because they won’t let you use the lift is really just to much to bear. In this day and age people with reduced mobility or small children should have equal right to access low cost fares without having to put up with a rude and uncaring attitude from Ryanair staff.
Ian, as a Travel Agent you hated Ryanair cutting your 9% fee for booking a flight to zero :)
@ Tony Le Blanc Its people like you that give travel agents a bad rep in this country. If thats how you regard your customers I really feel sorry for them. Your attitude and contempt for customers is disgraceful. You sound like Michael OLeary did, but now look at the direction he is going??? Your rant is completely unwarranted and unrelated to anything I have said in my comment. I didn’t mention one thing that you have ranted on about. Care to name the agency you work for? I’ll name my business, its called Travel Counsellors, one of the most professional travel companies in Ireland. We value customer service above all else and our success shows that.
@ William Grogan, no airlines pay commission and its been that way for around 10 years.
Ian, I’m well aware of that. That’s why I used the past tense, “hated”. He single handed totally changed your industry. He was hated by the Travel Trade.
Do you remember the £2,500 ticket printer-gone because of O’Leary + the 5% charge for processing the ticket.
So if you’re never going to fly with them sir, what’s your problem ?
Noel – you don’t cite any specific examples. I know of several incidences where Ryanair have been better than any other Irish airlines. Also on another aspect I have traveled on hundreds of flights with Ryanair and a similar number with Aer Lingus. Ryanair have never run out of fuel, never been too late, always boarded and took off efficiently and on journeys of anything up to two and a half hours, always been exactly as stated on their website. Aer Lingus, on the contrary, is typical of the old state run airline, enjoying a dubious reputation from providing freebies to RTE and other media types in the past. Ante Ryanair vitriol so epitomises what’s wrong with British and Irish attitudes to economics and efficiency!
Spot on Chris. The free market creates efficiencies and the state sector backed by monopolistic trade unions destroy efficiency. An efficient state run entity is an oxymoron. It cost two can a half weeks average wages to fly London to Cork in the 70′s with the duopoly of BA and Aer Lingus, now with Ryanair it’s a couple of hours wages.
People have a short memory. To fly in the 70′s * 80′s you had to book a return flight, to get any sort of reasonable fare you had to stay over Saturday night and you had to book months in advance. Of course everyone got a free crappy breakfast and a drink.
Okay here’s an example, in January 2011, I had booked flights to Paris with my then girlfriend with Aer Lingus. Before we left we found out that Aer Lingus flight ont he way back was cancelled due to industrial action so we had to book an alternative flight from Beauvais which is about an hour’s taxi journey from the centre of paris. That was about €100 extra. We got there and I was told I couldn’t bring my own wheelchair down to the gate and i had a choice between walking on my crutches to the terminal which was a good walk especially if you are on crutches or having them cart me onto the plane in a plastic wheelchair like something out of the movie “Silence of the Lambs”. I was nearly waiting for them to put a muzzle on me too! I know rules are rules but I just assumed that they wouldn’t have a problem with me bringing my own wheelchair down to the gate and then getting up on my crutches and walk to my seat but they insisted on bringing me right to my seat. Most airlines board any elderly or disabled first to save THEM time. The way they brought me on ensured that i ended up with a seat at the back of the plane and made it look i was late and i was the one holding up the flight. My “vitriol” as you put it Chris has nothing to do with economics or efficiency. It has more to do with a big of dignity and respect.
I don’t have a problem. I was just making a point.
All seem reasonable. Still not going to fly with them, but all those changes sound very good.
Why wouldn’t you fly with them? Go to aer fungus ‘the small irish airline’ and get ripped off! The man has created a 1000 jobs this week.
Jaysus, get a grip on reality. They do not fly to ANY airports that suit me. FFS. What is with the red thumbs.
Also, their weekend prices aren’t really competitive when you fly with luggage, so not too sure why you so happily criticise Aer Lingus, a brilliant airline that has never, ever caused me any hassle.
Sorry, I should have said. “their weekend prices aren’t really THAT competitive”. As yes, they are probably cheaper, but not that record-breaking cheaper as they always advertise themselves to be.
Honestly, is it that difficult to accept that Ryan Air isn’t a good airline for some people with different requirements?
They have some good fares Mon-Thur if you book in advance. Weekend fares can be expensive and aerlingus sometimes cheaper.
I find ryanair to be slightly cheaper than aer lingus but if you factor in the costs of travel from the airport in the middle of nowhere, it works out about the same anyway, if not more.
I have NEVER got one of those low cost flights. I book months in advance, flexible with days and still never find them.
I much prefer aer lingus anyway, its much more relaxed. I always feel stressed getting on a ryanair flight because its rush rush rush and then trying to find a seat!! Plus that emergency plan in front of my eyes for the entire flight does NOT help with my slight fear of flying!
@Mark Roote: why the hate? (And yes, I do fly Aer Lingus when I have a choice.)
Hahaha, calm down, Emilio! I’ve been told that the cult of O’Leary is strong on here. I completely agree with you. I only fly Ryanair when absolutely needed. I mean they do what they say on the tin as it were, but they’re just not for me.
London? Madrid? Rome? Barcelona? Eindhoven? Berlin? Krakow? Warsaw? Manchester? Liverpool? None of those suit?
not difficult to accept Emilio – but nobody is forcing you to fly ryanair –
they have made a huge difference to the travel industry and affordable air travel can be had from many of their competitors because of them.
I just tried, no charge for using a normal debit card. OMG
The handbag news is great news, I flew with volotea last week from bordeaux to malaga. The hostess at the gate insisted I put my cabin case in to check its size, it just about fitted in except for the wheels on the case ….when I got it back out she said to me, you have to put your handbag in your case too..I told her I needed it on the plane as I had my 2kids with me. Her answer was…you can take it out of the case on the plane !! Needless to say I did, but disturbed a few people at the same time. Ridiculous !!
Great news!! Flights are dirt cheap, flying out to Lanzarote next Thursday for €150pp inc 15kg check in bag. Canny beat it!
Surely they could change the obvious annoying things first, like charging an extra €7 for online check-in when there are no other options available (or at least include it in the original fare price) and when selecting travel insurance not having to select the country “I don’t want travel insurance”
He was spiked. Only explanation.
Look at the picture above he’s clearly on something and the news might have slipped out by accident
Well done Michael ! Maybe now the new found respect you show to your Customers will extend to your Staff ?
All they need to do now is paint a smile on the cabin crew faces, especially Eastern Europeans and teach them how to deal with customers in a pleasant way!! I’ll not be holding my breath!
If you want to be mollycoddled and pampered and pay for the privilege, fly Aer Lingus or BA.
If you want a flying bus go Ryanair!
Iar Mhi Abu!!
if you want to be mollycoddled stay well away from aer Lingus – they are too busy trying to be Ryanair
Why don’t I trust this completely? What catch will they reveal in a few weeks? Will this be done with a big fanfare now to garner goodwill and publicity only for the charges to creep back up to previous levels gradually? I hope not but I just have some difficulty in believing that anything Ryanair do is primarily and solely for the benefit of the passengers…
ahhhh they’re not the government……
Ryanair has always been my airline of choice, yes they are very strict on baggage, yes they charge a fortune if you forget to check in online yes they go around with that stupid box to check the size of you’re bag and yes they have that annoying trumpet and cheering when landing…but we all know these things BEFORE we book, so why complain. However, on the plus side, yes they are always the cheapest, yes they always depart and arrive on time, yes the staff is always very friendly, and most importantly I would never have got the chance to see most of the cities in Europe if it wasn’t for Ryanair. I have travelled with our so called national airline “Aer Lingus”, in the past and always had a bad experience, the latest only in September, going to Venice, when we were delayed over an hour going out and the same coming back, and smart comments from the staff when we boarded…Ryanair all the way..
Can’t argue with that lads!
It’s good to see them make simple improvments like this but I’ll still be wary of flying with them.
Recently I made a mistake when booking a flight for a friend because his given name on his passport is different to the name that he is called on a daily basis. When I went to website to change the detail (less than 24 hours later) there was a charge of €110 to make any personal details change. In the end it was cheaper to book a new flight. No doubt somebody will point out that it was my fault which I admit but given that an online change of details does not involve any member of staff a charge of this magnitude is completely unjustified.
They’ll also need to do work on their staff. My bag was damaged on a flight last night and when I showed it to the Ryanair guy on duty he was obnoxious and told me it was my own fault.
I would make a complaint if I thought somebody would listen, but given that the last time I flew with Rynair I lost a mobile phone and I was given a disconnected number to contact to try and retrieve it, I doubt I’ll bother this time either.
Sad day for Ryanair. It’s the ruthless efficiency of Ryanair that kept it so lean and profitable!
By ripping people off for anything outside their narrow margins and treating customers like dirt for no apparent reason?
I’m pretty happy to hear most of these-some very small changes will go an awful long way for Ryanair.
Time will tell Lauren. But they made travel possible for a people who could never make it happen before. These extras and niceties are great in one sense, but they’re going to require changes on their side and extra costs. I can’t understand why people who want that little extra just don’t go to Aer Lingus. The fatter Ryanair gets the higher the fares have to go maintain the margin. People are not thinking about from a bigger perspective.
Anyway knowing Michael, this’ll be just another PR fanfare with a lot of hot air :0)
I’ve never been ripped off by Ryan Air, follow a few simple conditions and it does what is says on the tin. Neither have I ever got a cheaper fare from aer lingus, even when you take in all the extras and sometimes longer trip from the airport to final destination. Whatever extra charge Ryanair introduce, aer lingus follows suit a few months later.
@Connor: you do realise that this is just return to what Ryanair offered two-to-six year ago?
Looking at the bigger perspective….Cost is one side of running a business, revenue, customer numbers and margins are another.
If the Ryanair plane is flying half empty because inanae policys have driven away half their customers then your ticket price will rise. Equeally if they fill the front of the plane with expensive business travellers willing to pay for flexability and to travel to an actual airport in their destination city they will subsidize your ticket and the price will fall.
I would like to see a return of ‘baggies’!, I miss my buy one get one free bag of brandy !
They just realised they had pushed passengers as far as they could. Numbers would have dropped without this PR exercise.
Can be sure fares will increase as the bottom line is their main concern.
I wish they had reclining seats. Sitting bolt upright for two hours or more does nothing for my neck vertebra condition. Minor gripe aside, O’Leary has obviously listened to his customers. The mark of a true businessperson is their ability and willingness to adapt.
Speaking as a tall person I’m delighted they don’t have reclining seats.
They used to. The inflexible horror of today is a relatively new design.
This is the result of lowering taxes. Everyone wins.
Well, except James Reilly who still believes in Marxist minimum pricing…. /sorry it’s so ridiculous that I had to mention it../
I can’t really see how there is a direct link in lowering the taxes considering passengers pay for these. This has nothing to do with add on costs.
Amazing! Had an evening Ryanair flight from Murcia last August. 6 year and 15 month old in toe…
Plane full of sleeping babies and they had the cabin lights on the whole journey, only turning them off 10 minutes before landing in Dublin. They also had the loudest intercom announcements every 5 minutes, selling scratch cards and other sorts of Bullsh!t… and by theway… It was the only flight time available and scheduled per for that airport.
they way people here are commenting you would think they fly ryanair every week.most people use them once or twice a year.if you cant follow a few simple rules like print your boarding pass bring the right size bag then find some other mode of transport there is plenty to chose from and stop moaning.the moaning is well and truly played out
I’d rather pay for a cheaper flight than subsidise the people who forgot to print their boarding card. Not sure how they are going to manage the extra baggage as well. Overhead space is at a premium as it is. This could result in more delays as excess baggage goes to hold.
They need to look at the fuel issue and put peoples minds at ease after what happened in Madrid this year. I stopped flying with them because of this. Aer lingus was 20 euors more expensive but none of the hassel.
Your a clown
You can’t spell.
All them spellings are spelt correctly, you might of meant to say I used the grammar in the wrong context.
he actually meant that you have no grasp of English at al… All of those spelling are correct, you might have meant to say that I was grammatically incorrect.
Trying to salvage a pyramid scheme of a business model… the rational is the customers we piss off ever flying with us and tell all their friends won’t matter and can be ignored, we will always be repalced by more cheap ryanair flyers.
Now 4 things have happened.
1.The economy is growing and more people are being moved out of the have to fly ryanair or want to been seen as austere bracket,
2.Pissed off to many people burned through all their potential customer growth base on numbers alone.
3. People have been educated by experience and compitors as to value beyond sticker price and deceptive pricing.
4. The immigration patterns have changed.
The pool of cheap dumb people willing to fly them shrinks every year and they have a business model highly dependant on growth to survive.
Yeah, I’m with Andrew.
How dare that tosser change his company with the times to meet the needs of his existing customer base, while still offering something at a cheaper price than his competitors.
They are nearly the biggest airline in Europe by passanger numbers Andrew. That fact alone makes ur comment full of sh!t.
Sorry Andrew but those 4 things you mention are twaddle and make you sound like a posh twit.
Ryanair, like or loath them have made air travel much more affordable and their influence is felt world wide.
Fact is Andrew, they have grown substantially and continue to.
Dont see anything about gagging screaming kids!! Nothing worse!! Ahhgg
Excellent. They must have read my posts about the mayhem when boarding with just one bag!
Well done Michael O’Leary for listening to people and taking their suggestions on board (‘scuse the pun!)
With till you see the mayhem when everyone has two …
Just been on Aer Lingus to and from Amsterdam. Most of the passengers had two bags plus airport shopping. The bigger bag went in the overhead bins with the airport shopping and handbags/laptop bags went under the seat. No fuss no stress boarding. Bliss!
How was the weed, Mary?
Well, too late, I hate this airline already! no way I will fly with this airline again.
Go home Michael, you’re locked!
Any chance of getting rid of that horrible jingle they always use after landing???
When do these changes come into effect? When can I bring a handbag on board?!
This will also lead to ‘quiet airports’ because people will have nothing to complain about now! Except the website, what a head wreck – ‘would you like a bag? Scratch card? Clean pair of underpants?
Good man michael.ALL GOOD NEWS.THOUGH SOME PEOPLE ARE NEVER HAPPY.
THUMBS UP,
Lol. Made me laugh
O’Leary listens to orders from shareholders who realise that there are no overheads involved in not being a spanner to your customers.
When will all these changes happen.?
I’ll believe it when I see it
Fantastic well done.
Go on Michael O Leary.
Build a highly profitable company first then bring in the concessions once it’s solid.
Good man.
Call my cynical but I definitely expect to see Ryanair prices go up pretty swiftly in the next while so…
Is this the end of Ryanair? I hope not.
when is ryanair going to fly to bulgaria? i bought an apartment there some years ago but now i can’t afford the air fare to visit the place ,well i hope the apartment is still there …….
He’s starting to remind me of Bill Murray in Scrooged
Yes I agree with you
I am honestly amazed reading this
Mellowing in his old age so he is
Nah Gis, probably ate one of Ryanairs sanswiches, and had a dose!!!!
I don’t care what Ryanair tries! There’s always a hidden agenda. The customer will be scammed out of there money some or other way. For me, I will never set foot inside a Ryanair plane or have anything to do with Ryanair
That’s gonna do wonders for Ryanair, and customers
Wise old proverb ….
You can’t make a silk purse out of a sows ear ….
Don’t worry. The reduced charges will ‘cost’ you, one way or the other.
It may be hoping for too much, but was some more leg-room and higher head-rests mentioned as part of this revolution? Sincerely, tall person.
Would be great if they would dropped fees for taking MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS on plane board.
- It would be Awesome news for all Musicians .. for just taking for example guitar you need to pay for additional seat another fly ticket or fixed price of €100 ! ! ! ! !
* I think similar fees need to pay people for some portable sport equipment etc.. it is nothing fancy , you just want to take it with you for your journey and boom you need to pay extra high killer fees..!
So reduced if u forgot on line boarding cards from 70 euro to 15 well what good is that now it ruined our holidays as a family 5 of us 350euro extra. Easyjet let you print boardings cards of return also. Ryanair did not give this option so therefore I spoke with there customers service and glad to say I will never fly with them again. Ryanair we don’t care is that the saying?.
When does this come into effect? Straight away?
About time!
humility and customer care are hardly that arrogant gentleman’s strong suits – lets wait and see
This is too weird. Dispatches couldn’t have hurt them that much, could it…?
What a c u n t he is
He is a p r I c k nontheless
From when? Here on the continent, we are still being ‘done’ by paying with normal credit card. And a ‘handbag’ sized bag…. does that include computer bags? or is O’leary not sick at all, but being sexist???? Or maybe he ate one of his sandwiches recently.. wait and see….
When is Ryanair going 2 bring down the price of their baggage
have your say