Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to fly with Ryan air? Anyone had any experience, good or bad?

168 replies

dandycandyjellybean · 07/04/2011 08:38

prob wrong place but need a quick response. Trying for a cheap holiday and their fees seem very good. I know you have to pay extra for baggage, but are there any other hidden extras? Any advice gratefully received. Smile

OP posts:
dexter73 · 07/04/2011 09:12

I've flown with them and they were fine. No problems at all.

MissMcGeek · 07/04/2011 09:15

I've never had a massive problem with Ryanair in the 10 years i've flown with them, and i fly with them a minimum of Twice a year (4 flights in total). There was one incident when i was 5 mins early for the boarding gate, but because their clocks were 5 mins out they closed and charged me £40 on the next flight.

I wasn't all that bothered about it to be honest though, just one of those things and i got on the next flight ok.

Booking was no problem. It's generally common sense to read as you go when booking ANYTHING or paying for anything online anyway, so the only way i can see you being overcharged for something is if you are impatient enough to rush through it.

Easyjet on the other hand Hmm..... but you aren't asking about them :)

mousymouse · 07/04/2011 09:17

we once had the case that they wanted to charge me for the nappy change bag...I had my bag as well as baby's.
talking to the manager sorted that one out.

dreamingbohemian · 07/04/2011 09:19

I don't understand why they can't assign seats anyway -- can it possibly be so expensive to have a piece of software that spits out numbers?

I don't usually care where I sit myself but I really feel for families, the elderly, etc., when that huge scrum forms at boarding. IME ryanair people never bother sorting it out, it's always awful.

have been using flybe lately, not much more expensive and it's all assigned seating so everything is very civilised

Quenelle · 07/04/2011 09:19

Priority boarding works depending on the airport. You're actually only first through the airport door, which might be onto a transfer bus, which makes you last off the bus and onto the plane.

Other airlines give families of young children priority anyway, but not Ryanair.

Bigger problems can arise if your flight is cancelled for whatever reason, friends of mine had to transfer to another airport in Ireland to get home after their flights were cancelled. Check the small print.

Personally I don't like their fuck you attitude. Agree with Rosa about the costs mounting on their website, I won't fly with them again if I can help it. EasyJet seems like a luxury airline compared to Ryanair.

shmoz · 07/04/2011 09:23

I fly with them all the time as they do the best deals from UK to Poland. I couldn't get around the uk on public transport for the same money!
Crew have always been pleasant and helpful. They allow a car seat/travel cot/whatever to be checked in for £10 each way which is a bloody bargain (easyjet don't for instance). Ok it's expensive to check baggage (again the same now on most budget airlines) but they have a 10kg hand baggage allowance which is good.

As already stated on here, make sure hand luggage is the right size, don't buy food or drink on board, don't expect much leg room, you will be expected to get in your seat and be ready for departure promptly as they don't have a great deal of turnaround time.

Between DP and me we've probably flown with them about 40-50 times, never had a problem with them. (Hope I'm not speaking too soon as DP is flying into UK tonight with them!)

I've never had any extra money screwed out of me by them.

Jan 2010 tried to fly from Poland to UK, flight was cancelled due to a couple of mm of snow at Bristol (sigh), the staff were incredibly patient and helpful with rebooking/refunds for the 200 odd people.

Can't fault them.

(no, my surname not O'Leary btw!)

wellieboots · 07/04/2011 09:27

They are OK as long as you are aware of all the extras - paying with anything other than a prepaid Mastercard, checking in (not like you can get on the plane without doing that....), wheelchair surcharge which they stick on right at the very end. Don't buy any of their food (or scratchcards!) and they also try to sell you travel insurance, be careful of that - No I would not like insurance is an option in a list of countries of residence!!

As long as you are prepared for it to mount up as you go through, you'll be fine

changeforthebetter · 07/04/2011 09:27

Ooh please watch Grin I've heard so much crummy stuff about them I wouldn't probably touch them with a barge pole but none of the airlines treat their passengers that well.

hairylights · 07/04/2011 09:30

They are fine I you read and comply with all the terms.

mummylin2495 · 07/04/2011 09:33

We have used them several times, its all been fine.Just make sure you stick to their luggage rules and check sizes of your hand luggage bag.

Maryz · 07/04/2011 09:36

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Bucharest · 07/04/2011 09:36

It makes me laugh tbh all the righteous indignation when people don't read their terms and conditions and then expect to be let off.

It's not 24 hours to New Zealand. It's a 2 hr journey.....

whoneedssleepanyway · 07/04/2011 09:37

They lost my bag, and my friend's bag apparently it is not unusual...

GibberingGinger · 07/04/2011 09:40

I would never fly with them again. Last time I flew with them I booked the flights about 4 months in advance. They then changed the times but neglected to email me (ok maybe I should have checked their website the week before flying, but I had all my stuff printed out so didn't expect any problems and the flight out was ok). So I arrived for my return flight from Germany to find the flight had already left. They basically just shrugged and said, your problem. I was stuck in an obscure airport with no help from them to get home.

And their whole attititude whilst flying with them leaves you feeling grubby and stressed.

WinterOfOurDiscountTents · 07/04/2011 09:46

I've flown with them a hundred times and never a problem, including with 3 children, prams, car seats etc.

I don't know what people expect for their money. You can fly all over Europe for far less than train fares around the UK, and people seem to want 1st class treatment for budget prices.

Think of it as a bus, and get on with it. Oh, and the fees and charges are all very obvious, you can read them in advance of booking. Generally its the people who don't bother that whine about extras and not being aware of charges.

Bucharest · 07/04/2011 09:48

It used to cost me a month's wages, 3 planes and about 20 hrs to get home.Now, even with the add-ons I can do it in less than a day's wages, 1 plane and 2 and a half hours.

dreamingbohemian · 07/04/2011 09:49

Bucharest it's not about the T&C, it's about as Quenelle put it so well -- their fuck you attitude.

I don't need the frills, I do read the T&C. But I think they treat their passengers horribly. It's not just the rules, it's the way they're implemented.

As you say, it's 2 hours, they can't be nice to their passengers for 2 hours?

DiscoDaisy · 07/04/2011 09:50

Would rather chew my own arm off than fly with them again.

ChickensHaveNoEyebrows · 07/04/2011 09:50

Well, they're bastards. But they're cheap bastards. Think of it like catching a bus and expect no help whatsoever. Also, weigh your baggage if you're checking in a bag and make sure that you remember that a handbag is carry on baggage. We fly with them regularly (Midlands to Dublin) and it's generally pain free. I wouldn't fly further afield with them, however. Oh, and priority boarding is total toss. You are all getting on the same plane.

ajandjjmum · 07/04/2011 09:51

Awful.

May be worth risking if it's really cheap, and time isn't important to you.

But I hate them - and that's based on several experiences, not just one!

vmcd28 · 07/04/2011 09:53

Haven't used them for a few years, but the 8 return flights that we've flown with them, all were as expected - no frills, and got us where we wanted to go at a fraction of the cost.
We were stung once cos we took one big case, which we ended up having to pay excess baggage for, as it was too heavy. If we'd taken exactly the same stuff but in two small cases it would have been fine

Bucharest · 07/04/2011 09:53

I've always had really friendly cabin crew as well. Fussing over dd, helping me with pushchair (I'm invariably alone) Never a problem. I even faxed them one Christmas when we flew home because they were so lovely with all the children on the flight, wearing Christmas hats, giving the children bits and bobs.

nondomesticgoddess · 07/04/2011 09:55

I flew with them from Stansted to France and was very nervous about how it would go. But it was all fine. We paid for priority boarding as our children were 1 and 3 at the time and we thought it might be easier. The cabin crew were brilliant with the children and we could take the pushchair right up to the plane with us.

From what others say, it sounds like it can be a bit hit and miss though!

IhateMarlo · 07/04/2011 09:55

Be very careful when booking as they will imply that you have to have certain extras.
Also be very careful if you are going with just hand luggage as said above they will be checking right up to when you are at the gate to walk to the plane. Last time we traveled I had bought a new bag smaller than the size they tell you, and I was still pulled out of the q several times.
You need to check that times etc haven't changed up to the day you leave.

rookiemater · 07/04/2011 09:56

We have found Ryanair to be fine.

We bought some really light bags and a luggage scale to make sure each bag was less than 15kg as they are really pernickety about it, couples were getting turned away if one bag was 15.2kg even if the other one was 14kg.

Also make sure you turn up exactly on time, don't give them any excuse not to let you on, and bring your own food as mega expensive.

They are rubbish if the plane is cancelled though. We were flying back from Bergerac last year with Jet2 thankfully as all the Ryan air people were indefinitely delayed in the lounge, but as it was less than 2 hours before the stated boarding time, anyone who arrived wasn't being allowed in - even though the plane wasn't there yet!

Swipe left for the next trending thread