Ryanair Will Finally Compete With Lufthansa In Frankfurt

Yes would love to see Ryanair further grow at FRA plus having other LCCs like EasyJet entering the airport also.

Its appalling that LH can charge what they do out of FRA on what is essentially a stripped down LCC like product anyhow within Europe. Might as well have the actual LCC and their fair pricing.

I think Lufthansa's shade also involves the fact that in the picture Ryan Air was using a marshaling vehicle to guide their aircraft to the stand. Lufthansa is joking at the fact that they would get lost at FRA otherwise

Well, the Ryanair base at FRA might not be that bi Business as they may expect. Most Lufthansa routes within Continental Europe are either connections via their hubs at FRA and MUC (e.g. Scandinavia - Span) or Long Haul Feeders.

Also, most Lufthansa high-yeald customers are corporate accounts who value their or other Star Alliance partners' loyality programs and benefits.

So, where again is the value Ryanair can offer to those customers here?

@Jan, they offer low prices. That's why they're the biggest airlines in Europe. And that can't be all tourists.

@Jan is correct.

The ULCCs are not for everyone. They may be the darlings of the drunken leisure crowd; but, the business sect wants reliability and consistent frequencies.

Here's to hoping that competition at FRA like FR will make LH someday finally drop their ridiculous policy of charging double or triple for one-way EU segments. I know this is highly unlikely but still one can always hope right ?

Ryanair is not for everyone but it will serve the locals on vacation. FRA is a really convenient airport as it has a station with ICE/IC/EC that connect all neighboring cities within minutes. For departures, I always find FRA much better than other cities because convenient DB connections. Even for my business trips, I have taken Ryanair. They have a business/class even though it is just the front seat with priority boarding and faster security etc but much cheaper than competitors. I think for short EU flights where you wanna fly directly, Ryanair business makes more sense. Of course, LH price for direct routes out of FRA is notorious, so I really hope Ryanair expands its network out of FRA

I couldnt ever see taking RyanAir for business but to open up leisure routes makes a lot of sense.

Are Ryanair and Easyjet as subject to IRROPS disruptions as Spirit Airlines is in the US? (If Spirit cancels a flight, passengers may need to wait days for re-accommodation. Is that also true of the European ULCC's?)

@UAPhil
They do NOT rebook you on any other carriers and you indeed are stuck with the very flights they themselves offer in case something goes wrong. Of course, EU Law dictates compensation for 3h+ delays but well, then you are stuck with 200€ (assuming short distane flights) for 4 days as some of their routings have only a 2flights/week frequency (some even 1/week).
All in all I do understand flying Ryanair as I do so myself. I am a leisure traveller but fares aren't my only motivation. Problem is most 'permium' carriers are becoming LCCs servicewise with the branding and fare of a premium one. I actually prefer FR over SN in quite some situations nowadays: better times, better fares and a cheaper fare. Servicewise... Well as long as you assume everything will go as promised (ie no delays/cancellations) I really don't see any difference: I pay for food, beverages, luggage, seat selection... in both cases. I even find Ryanair more flexible when they have schedule changes than others (eg willing to rebook my whole itinerary simply due to a small difference arrival timings...).

Over the years, Ryanair has earned more of my respect. No sorry let me correct that sentence, Ryanair has kept the same level of respect it always had, only the other carriers that form the comparison have worsened.

@UAPhil
If Ryanair cancels or reschedules a flight they will not rebook you on another airline.
And if you dont have more than 1 flight per day to that destination it can suck big time.
This is the most inconvenient thing about Ryanair and Wizz air..
Really the only think that motivates me to fly with them are the 10€ tickets (1 carry on and 1 handbag/laptop bag included)..

My philosophy is that "life is too short to fly Spirit Airlines". Looks the same for Ryanair and the other European ULCC's.

(Actually, knowledgeable frequent flyers can ensure they have reasonable cost backup plans, such as using miles on another carrier if the ULCC strands them. It's the infrequent flyers who may be hung out to dry.)