 Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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This is pants!....how long before EasyJet follow suit?? 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Definitely considering rail this year, esp having done a bit of research on it and found that despite a misleading luggage policy on their website suggesting you can't take anything longer than 85cm, Euro star do accept skis on any train as one of your two allowed suitcases.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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In case anyone hasn't realised, the ski carriage price quoted in the article is each way. So wef 1.10.09, a pair of skis or board will be a mere £80 return.
Jeezus 
No matter how cheap the fares that's it for me with Ryanair. I hope they never get another skier or boarder onboard. In fact it would serve them right if they went bust.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| mountainaddict wrote: |
| ..... In fact it would serve them right if they went bust. |
Most unlikely. Not an airline I wish to fly with, but MOL has a track record of making decisions that work for the company.
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It's been obvious for some time ryanair doesn't want skiers business
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Today I have made an enquiry to send my belongings by post. I can send from Austria either a suitcase or box parcel 10 KG is € 22. 15KG is € 27 20 KG is € 32 and 25 KG is € 37, it will take between 5 and 7 days. My friend who lives here received a box last week by DHL which was up to a 25 KG parcel I think for 25 UK pounds.
It would be nice to boycott Ryanair, but what alternatives are there for some destinations. There are less and less flights as it is. Shampoo and wine we can manage without if need be, but I feel sorry for families travelling with young children, it must be a nightmare trying to cramm in all the things needed for a 2 week holiday.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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So if I lose weight I can post myself to Austria for a lot less than a flight. This no drinking in September plan is nopw looking like sheer genius. Only 60kgs to go 
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I think Eurotunnel and the ferries might well see a bit more skier traffic this winter.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Time to start a bus service to all points Alps?
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If there was a bus service... do you think many  's would be interested?
This could happen.... I think i might do a bit of research....
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Did anyone click on the link at the bottom of the article http://www.nowfly.co.uk/baggage_costs.html - a handy comparison.
Looks like BA are going to be charging for ski's if you exceed your free allowance i.e. for most passengers in pleb class 1 free bag at 23Kg and the dimensions of ski bag have been reduced see here: BA New Baggage Policy
It's not going to be worth owning your own ski's. 
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Ghost Dog, It is an annoying increas for anybody wanting to take skis with them, but where do you get 300% from?
Or was that just a typo for 0%?
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You know it makes sense.
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At those prices you'd be cheaper booking en extra seat and just sitting your ski bag next to you and sticking a seat belt round it "I'll have an orange juice hostess, nothing for my tall skinny friend" 
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Ryanair are quickly moving from a budget airline to simply an airline, and when that happens the reasons to fly with them rather than than the national carriers becomes a matter of airport convenience.
Any one know what proportion of their winter schedule is taken up by skiers who own their own skis ? Maybe it is not a big issue to lose such passengers !
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Poster: A snowHead
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flangesax, I did a bit of research a couple of years ago and as long as it wasn't door to door and coordinated to local larger conurbations it would work very nicely with 2 buses and six drivers to service the western alps and still give the drivers two weeks skiing a month
I was assuming this would be a skiers service and not a bus company
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| flangesax wrote: |
If there was a bus service... do you think many 's would be interested?
This could happen.... I think i might do a bit of research.... |
Before cheap airlines . Coach travel was the normal. In the 80's I had a skibum job in Ischgl loading & off loading bags from dozens of Coaches arriving from Sweden, Finland,Norway,Denmark.
There is a regular bus service that will get you top central points all over Europe.
http://www.eurolines.com.maggie.priorweb.be/
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Quote: |
There is a regular bus service that will get you top central points all over Europe.
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Yeah, but not much good for the one night-two-ski-days-no-time-off-work-alpine-fix
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Only one winner > The Ski Hire Shops
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Or Scotland?
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It's been obvious for some time ryanair doesn't want skiers business
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In the past they've had full page ads in ski mags boasting about how many ski destinations they serve.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Easy solution. Buy a place in the Alps and then you can leave your skis there, no need to worry about airline ski carriage costs then.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Another solution ....... courier your skis to your destination in advance. Some bright spark at a resort might consider setting up a centralised drop off/collection facility. Maybe even a ski hire shop could do this and include servicing the skis for a fixed fee, on the basis that if someone really wants their own skis it is better to get them come to your hire shop because once they are there they might hire other (powder day) skis/board/helmet etc and buy other items
Last edited by You'll need to Register first of course. on Sat 5-09-09 11:22; edited 1 time in total
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thefatcontroller, if only we could all afford our own ski appartments.
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Friday night Eurolines to Paris, short but 2 change (PITA) metro (or taxi) to Gare deLyon, 0700 TGV to GVA, Lyon or Grenoble. Lyon connections will have you in most Haute Savoire resorts for late lunch and bus from Grenoble will have you in L2A for an afternoon's skiing. Alternatively hire a car at GVA, Lyon or Grenoble
Logistically no worse than pizzing around at airports and transfers.
What we need is a fast and comfortable LUXURY (sleeper maybe) coach to get over Fri. night, directly to the Paris train stations for the first Saturday AM TGVs out to the Alps. Now THAT would be worthwhile setting up. Losing the Metro trek would be a deal clincher for me.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| Masque wrote: |
| bus from Grenoble will have you in L2A for an afternoon's skiing. |
you would need to ensure your connections worked out because you could end up with a two hour wait for the bus up to the resort
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rayscoops, that's certainly can be true if you are going from the airport to LDA via Grenoble's gare routière. But in January, I thought the buses seem to tie in very well with going to/from the station and resort.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Going on the normal overnight ski trains changing in Paris (I think you can do it on the non change one too) you can get off in Chambery very early in the morning. There are several trains per hour to Grenoble (1 hour journey) and the bus station is continuous with the station. You can get on the bus to LDA and ski a whole day. Similarly on leaving you can ski the whole day and then go to the station to connect to the overnight trains at Chambery - no problem. I have also done this to La Grave, though it is not as cheap - getting out at the dam and getting the hotel to send a car (ie taxi) along the valley. Or they might have changed the bus times to La Grave so you could do it direct since I was last there - I haven't checked recently. Used to be there was only one bus each way per day on that route.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Achilles, I have had to hang around for buses at Grenoble a few times, not sure if they are timed to tie in with any specific trains or flights, but there can be nearly two hour gaps between buses to get up the mountain, even on a Saturday which has the most regular of services.
The only point I am making is that if one is to travel by bus or train to the Alps in lieu of flying you still need to work the times out very carefully
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rayscoops, agreed.
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You know it makes sense.
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rayscoops, yup, a degree or three of research and planning is required if you want to use public transport, but the same can now be said for flying. I personally think that ski travel is becoming problematic for individuals and families and may drive a return to TOs and package trips. I do think there are opportunities for bespoke solutions arising from this situation. In fact snowHeads has already begun this process with the "lardy buses" We just need to continue to develop that theme.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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One option is if you ski in the same resort each time is to leave your skis there..... appreciate this does not work for those who wish to ski in many dif resorts.... But if you do ski at the same location it is normally possible to find somebody trustworthy to look after your equipment and gear so you can fly light.... I do get p***ed of with many of Ryanairs little tricks but all the same if you know how to use their system you can get v v cheap flights... I have been flying between Austria and the UK for 20 Euro return all in this year.... Something else that I also used to do to bypass their charges is to wear my ski boots through security and then change back to normal shoes before boarding.... The cabin staff are under pressure to get the plane away quick and so do not trouble you if you have some how managed to get a second bag through!!
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Poster: A snowHead
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Another matter relating to ryanair and hand luggage for those of us who fly into Friedrichshafen, last season the check in at f/h was very relaxed and you could take several bits of hand luggage on board and they did not check the weight. This has now changed..... they now have a desk between the security scanners and the pass port control office where they are checking and quite often weighing the bags! This has also made the check in time much longer which is a real pain in the butt...
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Hmmm, only one of you spotted that I had misread that artice, hence my Thread Title. Ryanair are still c**nts tho
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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There are companies that do weekend coach trips to Les Baines or somewhere - very cheap indeed
Masque,- agreed but I find (well me anyway) there is a tendancy to plan a trip with military precision only to accept advice from some one that you can 'take the bus to the resort at the end, it is only a 30 min bus ride too', but then find that the buses run every two hours and need to be pre-booked
I made a similar mistake when going to Whistler and assuming I could take the local bus from vancouver airport up the mountain - but it was fully booked with the locals heading up for the weekend
Similar situation can occur at Grenoble with locals heading up for the day, so thinking you can simply 'get the bus' is not always the case
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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rayscoops, I have used that bus service several times. Whilst I have always confirmed my booking for the return rip, I have not yet failed to get on a bus to the resort. I have never booked from the UK - first because I don't know how to do that and get a ticket, and second because I have low faith in scheduled airline arrival times actually happening.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Achilles - I have never had a problem at Grenoble but have at other ski related stations whereby you need to get the bus up the mountain, but I have never tried to get the 8 am bus though !
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The problem is that in order to fund the '1 million flights for only 50p each' deals he has going MOL has to get money out of the punters somehow. Think about it - you are just about to board a £50million jet, loaded with 7 tons of fuel, to take off from an airport that cost £billions to build, be flown through the sky by a couple of chaps/chapesses whose training cost nearly £100k and land at another airport which cost more £billions. And you want that for 50p in each direction.
With the best will in the world, flying costs. If one cost goes down, another will go up to compensate for it. I work for an airline, and my company have reduced the cost of flights, but started charging for all sorts of stupid little things that used to be included. The low-costs have invented a business model that the passenger apparently likes, and the once-full-fare airlines (of which my workplace is one) are trying to keep up with 'what the passenger wants.'
The fact is flying is not a cheap exercise, never was, never will be, and the customer has to pay for it one way or another. Sorry.
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pandora, thanks for the reality check. All good points.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| pandora wrote: |
| ......The fact is flying is not a cheap exercise |
True.
Untrue. In the early days of easyJet, low cost flights, profitably flown, were a reality.
Probably true in that they probably never will be again, because of the huge enthusiasm of the government to raise taxes.
Me2.
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achilles, Doesn't it depend on what you consider 'cheap'. We are going to Tignes end of November. We got 2 returns with BA to Geneva at very good flight times for £100 each. That I consider cheap or very good value considering that train to London from where I live is over £180 return.
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FAQ
