Blog on travel: Decrypting the Online Travel Industry & Travel 2.0 » barcelona http://www.blogontravel.com All you ever wanted to know about hospitality & travel industry! Mon, 17 Nov 2008 03:34:47 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.2 en hourly 1 RyanAir nightmare at a poor promotional event in Barcelona! http://www.blogontravel.com/ryanair-nightmare-at-a-poor-promotional-event-in-barcelona/ http://www.blogontravel.com/ryanair-nightmare-at-a-poor-promotional-event-in-barcelona/#comments Mon, 18 Sep 2006 12:23:43 +0000 Sylvain http://www.blogontravel.com/ryanair-nightmare-at-a-poor-promotional-event-in-barcelona/ The ireland based company Ryan Air decided to organize a promotional event giving away free round flight tickets (17€ with taxes ) to people waving banners displaying messages against the spanish airline Iberia on the famous place called Plaza Cataluña in the city center of Barcelona.

‘With this initiative we wanted people to see for themselves that flying with Ryanair is much better than flying with Iberia,’ said Ryanair’s executive for marketing and sales in Spain.

Manifestantes reunidos por Ryanair en Barcelona300 people were present, but unfortunately when RyanAir staff ran out of flight claim forms to distribute, the promotional event turned out to be a nightmare for RyanAir. Indeed people started protesting against the staff, complaining that they complied with all the requisites and thus that they were honestly eligible for their tickets. Local police rescued RyanAir staff in a local police station and people started changing the name Iberia on their anti-Iberia banners for RyanAir!

Throughout the day, RyanAir hurried-up to offer their apologies and announced that they will distribute 1,000 more tickets.

RyanAir organised this event without any previous notice to the local institutions, and will finally have to respond for false advertising as many of the unlucky persons present at the event went to the police station to file an official complaint against RyanAir.

Iberia replied and stated that ‘it showed how little confidence this company must have in their own service if they have to attract customers in this way.’

Sources:

http://vueltaalmundo.blogspot.com/2006/09/vuelos-gratis-con-ryanair_05.html

http://www.barcelonareporter.com/index.php/news/comments/tables_turned_on_ryanair_during_publicity_stunt_against_iberia_in_barcelona/

http://www.lavanguardia.es/gen/20060904/51281933415/noticias/ryanair-pide-disculpas-y-ofrece-otros-mil-nuevos-billetes-gratis-barcelona-iberia-consumidores-clickair-girona-mossos-milan.html

http://www.elpais.es/articulo/economia/Boicot/Barcelona/campana/promocional/Ryanair/elpporeco/20060904elpepueco_6/Tes/

Photo: REUTERS

Update: RyanAir Spain did not say if it was linked or not to this event but they just announced the replacement of their marketing and sales director for Maribel Rodriguez, who is the former marketing director of GB Airways for Spain and Portugal.

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