Ryanair reduces service in Germany because of eco-tax

[sn26567]

Ryanair German service reduction in S11

With German Government introducing “Eco-tax” on airfares in 2011, Ryanair announced major cuts out of its 4 main bases in Germany. From 27MAR11, service out of Berlin sees 56% flight reduction (122 weekly flights, loss of 4 routes), 29% for Bremen (58 weekly flights and 8 routes), 21% for Dusseldorf Weeze (84 weekly flights, 13 routes) and Frankfurt Hahn sees a loss of 9 routes and 150 weekly flights.

In total, Ryanair will be canceling 41 routes, 414 weekly flights to/from Germany.

Affected routes, to be canceled as follows:

Berlin – Bremen
Berlin – Frankfurt Hahn
Berlin – Kaunas
Berlin – Dusseldorf Weeze
Bremen – Alghero
Bremen – Gdansk
Bremen – Kaunas
Bremen – Liverpool
Bremen – Memmingen
Bremen – Milan
Bremen – Trapani
Dusseldorf Weeze – Birmingham
Dusseldorf Weeze – Bydgoszcz
Dusseldorf Weeze – Gdansk
Dusseldorf Weeze – Gothenburg
Dusseldorf Weeze – Kaunas
Dusseldorf Weeze – Krakow
Dusseldorf Weeze – Kerry
Dusseldorf Weeze – Oslo
Dusseldorf Weeze – Santander
Dusseldorf Weeze – Valladolid
Dusseldorf Weeze – Wroclaw
Dusseldorf Weeze – Zaragoza
Frankfurt Hahn – Agadir
Frankfurt Hahn – Gdansk
Frankfurt Hahn – Gothenburg
Frankfurt Hahn – Klagenfurt
Frankfurt Hahn – Prague
Frankfurt Hahn – Santiago de compostela
Frankfurt Hahn – Seville
Frankfurt Hahn – Wroclaw

Source: Airline Route

[Acid-drop]

good news for the german companies ...
the clients can pay a few euro more, germany isn't exactly a poor country like ireland.

[regi]

I have read comments on several websites with the message: "This extra tax is increasing the ticket so much that many customers will stay away. "
Than follow some explanations about tourism , lost jobs and so on.
Suddenly I woke up, this is just plain BS !
How on earth can somebody - let us say a poor student - defend his statement that this tax of 10 € is increasing his trip so much that he cannot do that city trip anymore? Does this student sleep on the street to avoid the cost of a youth hostell? Does he scavange the litter boxes around McDonnald's to avoid the cheapiest meals? What is the transport cost from a remote airport to the inner city, example Bergamo to Milan? And have you also witnessed that students seem to cling on the newest mobile phones, real iPods and brand cloths? ( I have one lingering around here in and around my house so I know where I speak about )
If a student is too poor to pay that 10 euro tax he is certainly too poor to go on a city trip at all. He should be doing a student job.
A family of 4: 40 euro extra. But do we realize what this family will spend during their holiday ? Have a look at their mobile phone expenses and you will see a much bigger increase than 40 euro.
Or...aha...are some of those LCC in fact contributing to low labour cost imports from Poland and other poorer European countries? I remember a documentory of a Polish GP doctor who flew up and down Poland-Scotland. But even for this doctor, this tax should not be too much because it is deductable from his expenses - as far as he declares his foreign income.
I don't like extra taxes but I would like to see real figures to defend a blunt revenge action by Ryanair.
And don't forget , dear Ryanair defenders, that Ryanair came already to Ostend and left us here again, without any extra airport tax or lack of local cooperation.
The Netherlands quickly dropped the tax because passengers chose to depart from German and Belgian airports. But how much does it cost to a student in Amsterdam to travel to Düsseldorf or Charleroi ? Up and down? Much more than 10 euro.
A friend decided to depart from Paris instead of Brussels to fly long haul, for a price difference of 80 euro. I asked him how he would get to Paris, a 2.5 hour trip. His brother would take him. Great , I responded, and are you aware that you have to fork out toll tax on 4 trips, combined with fuel and wear on your car on 1.000 km? Didn't matter, he was still convinced he had saved 80 euro.
I just don't understand the stupidity and total lack of interest of some people anymore - even people with high degrees. But that is my problem, I guess.

[andorra-airport]

Stupidity or not Regi, people DO stay away. And with a company like Ryanair moving away, the people will do as well. I am sure Maastricht will get more flights, maybe Eindhoven and Liege too.

[euroflyer]

I am quite confident not many people would have stayed away. Of course yes, there is something like a "price signal". So if a family can go for a weekend trip for lets say (only the flights) 90€ it can be that they do it, but for 120€ they will not. And not because they cannot afford it, but more because it FEELS to expensive to them. But I guess most of the route cuts now announced would have been cut anyway simply because they are not succesful (for many reasons maybe). FR keeps cutting existing routes and opening up new ones quite regularly, it is part of the business model. And it is part of their business model as well to try to blackmail local authorities, airports and governments into special conditions for them. I hope the German government will not be impressed here. By the way LH is fighting against this eco tax in the same way as they fear more pax from outside Germany will use connections via CDG, AMS, MXP and so on because of the price increase.

[Acid-drop]

it's exactly that. People are stupid. And the companies who know how to take advantage are big.
Now, for ryanair, it's very likely also black mailing...

[regi]

Stupidity or not Regi, people DO stay away. And with a company like Ryanair moving away, the people will do as well. I am sure Maastricht will get more flights, maybe Eindhoven and Liege too.

What if the Netherlands would have maintained that tax? And now with Germany joining the club? I think that they feel stupid at Den Hague. They should even reintroduce it to avoid tax evaders. And ask Belgium to introduce a similar tax. I am 100% sure that "The worlds most favourite airline" would have to bow its head if it is confronted with a regional black out.

[RoMax]

What if the Netherlands would have maintained that tax? And now with Germany joining the club? I think that they feel stupid at Den Hague. They should even reintroduce it to avoid tax evaders. And ask Belgium to introduce a similar tax. I am 100% sure that "The worlds most favourite airline" would have to bow its head if it is confronted with a regional black out.

I think eventually more european countries will introduce an eco-tax. If many countries do it, pax can't go to another airport/country and the country gets its tax without losing pax to other countries. They only have to make sure that they keep transfer pax eco-tax-free, otherwise even more passengers not originating in Europe will avoid Europe to transit and will use the Middle East even more.
Ryanair would be happy.

[Megaman]

European union should implement a european eco tax to fund the eu budget.

[cnc]

wth? there shouldn't be an eco-tax at all...

[earthman]

Stupidity or not Regi, people DO stay away. And with a company like Ryanair moving away, the people will do as well. I am sure Maastricht will get more flights, maybe Eindhoven and Liege too.

What if the Netherlands would have maintained that tax? And now with Germany joining the club? I think that they feel stupid at Den Hague. They should even reintroduce it to avoid tax evaders. And ask Belgium to introduce a similar tax. I am 100% sure that "The worlds most favourite airline" would have to bow its head if it is confronted with a regional black out.

In the Netherlands airlines cleverly and very effectively blamed a significant decrease of the number of passengers on the tax, and nobody really bothered to check whether the decrease was in fact caused by the tax: a spike in fuel prices also caused a decline, and due to media attention, people discovered that foreign airports were much cheaper, tax or not. Now there is a new government, which I think is rather unlikely to introduce a new airline tax, as all coalition partners claim to be against it.

[euroflyer]

European union should implement a european eco tax to fund the eu budget.

you CANNOT implement an ecotax to fund anything ... And do not get me wrong, I am not against a modest form of ecotax.

But an ECOtax, by definition, is introduced in order to guide consumption in a certain, eco-friendly direction. Which means in this case: less flights and pax.

EITHER
the tax is succesful, than people change behaviour, but you have only a small income from the tax (because less people fly or drive cars or whatever), so no possibility to fund anything
OR
You do not really want to guide consumption, but only to fund the state, the EU or whatever. Fine, but than you do not want people to change behaviour, you just want them to pay more to the public authorities This is than just simple taxation of whatever and NO ecotax. It is more a special, additional VAT on certain products than.

But of course ecotax sound so "good" politicians love to use the word. Any first year economics student however will know this is just for show and has nothing to do with "eco" They just want more of our money

[Acid-drop]

RTBF and LGG confirm ryanair is in discussion with Liège airport :
http://www.lesoir.be/actualite/economie ... 809274.php

They talk about Bologna (Italy) and Gerona (Spain)

A few comments :
- Ryanair has always had good contacts with LGG, but the walloon gov always wanted to keep most pax trafic in Charleroi.
- While I'm a supporter of LGG, I continue to think that moving lines from germany to MST or LGG for only 8 euro is stupidity. But this is what people wants it seems.
- LGG is probably best for medium-haul links, and MST better for short haul
- it's a good opportunity for LGG, Charleroi is now so big that it's not concidered as competition anymore. Charleroi is saturated.

[airazurxtror]

Ryanair is not unknown at Liège, as FR flights are diverted to LGG when there is fog at Charleroi, for instance.
Another plus for LGG : there is no curfew there, whilst CRL closes at 23.00 for non CRL-based aircraft ...

[regi]

Ryanair is not unknown at Liège, as FR flights are diverted to LGG when there is fog at Charleroi, for instance.
Another plus for LGG : there is no curfew there, whilst CRL closes at 23.00 for non CRL-based aircraft ...

Yes, Ryanair is quite familiar with Liège, with diversions not only from Charleroi but also from Beauvais. Good for the coach companies.

[Acid-drop]

Some guy from mst-aviation is talking about the move from all Weeze base to LGG.
Ryanair is not joking this time ... but i'll believe all this only when it's done.

[Acid-drop]

update:
http://trendstop.rnews.be/fr/belga/1066 ... heure.aspx

it just confirm everything : nothing signed, wait and see, CRL first for pax, LGG after hours.

[andorra-airport]

Unconfirmed news on internet says that Ryanair will soon open Liege - Bologna...... Lets wait and see.