Winter Flights: Open Letter to Ryanair 

Dear Ryanair

This coming Tuesday (1 Nov) is the end of your summer flight programme to Ibiza. Many thanks for once again serving the island so well over the last 7 months and judging by your prices it looks like you had a good summer especially as you appear to charge more for Ibiza flights than other destinations but that’s your business and if people are happy to pay then good luck and well done to you.

I know that Ryanair isn’t everyone’s cup of overpriced inflight lukewarm tea but I’m a massive fan especially since you seem to actually like your customers nowadays rather than treat them like cattle. You give them assigned seats so there’s not a massive scrum at the airport and you even dropped that silly idea of charging customers to use the aeroplane toilets. That was always a strange  plan especially as you relentlessly flog booze throughout all your flights (but business is business).

So as we approach your winter flying schedule may I ask a small favour which may sound a big ask but I assure you makes perfect sense.  We all know that as of Tuesday you will have hundreds of nearly new aeroplanes stored in hangars all over Europe for the winter months so could you please put one of those lovely jets to good use and schedule direct winter flights from the north of England to the beautiful island of Ibiza. Ibiza has a burgeoning population of over 200,000 and is open for 12 months a year these days, it is 2016 after all and the whole world seems connected except for Ibiza in the winter (and Menorca but lets not even go there!)

At the risk of upsetting other areas may I suggest that Manchester would be an ideal winter hub as it serves most of the north and also the midlands. I’m sure you will agree that this is a massive catchment area especially if you are the only ones offering this service.

Ryanair already operates an extensive winter flying program in and out of Ibiza to Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia and Malaga so slipping in an extra plane to Manchester 4 or 5 times a week shouldn’t cause you too many operational problems.

You have the planes, you have the staff, you have the infrastructure and you have an island that’s just begging for more winter connections. You may say that there isn’t enough demand but I can assure you that there is. You might have to lower the prices during quiet weeks but you would clean up over Christmas and New Year (and Ibiza is AMAZING over the extended holiday season).

We have a precedent you see, British Airways (apologies for swearing in your language) started a few years ago offering a couple of direct flights a week between London City and Ibiza and they have smashed it charging decent money. They now operate almost daily and they don’t give it away for free either.

The BA direct flights are great but the problem with London City airport is that it’s in the arse end of nowhere (pardon the phrase) for anyone who lives north of Watford (and that’s quite a few people by the way).

So thats the small favour I’m asking. A direct flight between Manchester and Ibiza 4 or 5 times a week from November until the end of March. It would help the island enormously plus it would open up Ibiza to whole new demographic of weekend travellers and that’s a win/win right?

Have a serious think about it because it would be great for you to offer your loyal customers something in the winter rather than just milking the summer for all it’s worth. 

You can thank me later, profit share not required

Yours sincerely
Martin Makepeace
A happy Ryanair customer
Usually found in seat 17F

P.S. As a great man once said “you may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one”. 

Author: Martin Makepeace

Englishman living and working in Ibiza since 1991. Entrepreneur with a passion for villas, boats, sunsets and San Antonio. Read my blogs, listen to my podcasts and get involved in the debate. View all posts by Martin Makepeace