If you haven't been, the US Pret site calls the shop "a cross between a good restaurant, an Italian coffee bar, and a bullet train," and Ryanair is the airline that last year asked passengers if they would be willing to give up their seats for cheaper fares (http://www.ryanair.com/en/news/free-flight-would-you-stand).
In the phenome, "Blue Ocean Strategy," (BOS) W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne argue that Pret a Manger correctly identified that existing market options did not meet market demand for a fast, healthy, and reasonably priced option (105-106). While the British Pret site admission that they were started by college friends with "woefully little experience in the world of business" shows that you don't need to read BOS to come up with BOS business plans, Pret serves as a fine example to apply elsewhere. Below I applied the BOS strategy canvas to Pret:
Pret clearly goes against the grain of both fast food options and nice restaurants, converting far and near non-customers. When we went to Pret, I was impressed that everything I saw looked appetizing, with sandwiches that took your Panera ingredients a step more creative, seasonal soups and espresso drinks. Prices were about right to tempt daily and it's the kind of place you just feel cool going to.Ryanair is a bit more controversial. In a WSJ article/interview published on 12/10/10 entitled "O'Leary Pilots Ryanair Into Lead With 'Mad' Ideas for Cost Cuts," it is clear that Ryanair's business model is unique not only in messing with the strategy canvas to deliver a unique mix of benefits to passengers, but also that the company is trying to change consumer behavior. Charging for checked bags means that fewer people will check bags and Ryanair needs fewer people to load and unload those bags on planes. The infamous, and since revoked, proposal of charging to use restrooms will push more people to go before boarding, which will reduce the number of restrooms needed on a plane, freeing up space for more paying passengers. Another WSJ article dated 2/01/20 called "Ryanair Aims to Bank on Rivals' Pains," explains that while it's a tough time for all, their ancillary revenue scheme is paying off financially. Here's a similar shot at classifying how Ryanair is different:
So what's it actually like? To manage the baggage size and weight limits I had to leave my standard US-size carry-on (too wide), managed to fit clothes for 4 days in my laptop case, and took the advice of fellow bloggers to simply cram a bunch of crap in my pockets. I was concerned when the plane we were to board arrived only 30 minutes or so before our scheduled departure, but they pulled it off (things like removing seatback pockets have trimmed cleanup time). The flight was on time and the cheapest fare I've ever paid (something silly like $5). It was no big deal to ignore the repetitive pestering to buy drinks, snacks, magazines, and smokeless cigarettes. However, I underestimated how far away the airports were. I spent a lot more money and time getting to Billund from Sonderborg, and to our London hotel from Stansted, than the flight itself. My verdict: unless I can fly out of and into a convenient airport, it's not worth it. Put a value on convenience and factor it in. For me, it was novel to fly once, but I got a bad taste in my mouth, and I didn't even try the smokeless cigarettes.
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