to consider flying with Ryan Air?

[beals692]

There's a destination I've wanted to visit for a number of years but I've always been put off because the only airline that goes there from my nearest airport is Ryan Air.

I'm not an airline snob and have travelled with other budget airlines but I know Ryan Air have got a reputation all of their own. I always hear horror stories about Ryan Air online (e.g. about people suddenly having to pay huge sums at the airport to be allowed to fly because of something somewhere in the small print) and the response to any problems always seems to be 'well, what did you expect if you fly with Ryan Air' and that you deserve everything you get if you fly with them.

I had thought about travelling to another UK airport in order to be able to get a flight with a different airline but I'd incur a lot of extra costs (travel, airport hotel) and would have less time at my actual destination (which is just a European city break).

WIBU to fly with Ryan Air and can anyone give me any tips on how to avoid the pitfalls of booking and flying with them?

[maddy68]

I use Ryan air all the time. Never had any issues. Just make sure you get to the gate early to get a seat all together. Or pre book them.

[Theodorous]

I am an airline snob because crappie lines are horrible. If you don't mind the depressing scramble and really horrible crew it's fine. I would rather walk over glass

[DonnaDishwater]

I'm flying with them in a couple of weeks. What is the deal with printing off your boarding pass? I need to do it at work because I don't have a printer at home but when I looked I couldn't figure out what I needed to print.

[MyBodyIsAtemplate]

I think they are quite good actually. never had a problem.

[SwedishEdith]

They've always been absolutley fine and the crew have been lovely. Thye get criticised a lot for trying to sell on board a lot but, tbh, found them to be no different to Jet2. Was worried last year about strictness of baggage allowance - they didn't check anyone in the end despite loads of people clearly having bags that were too big for the cage thing.

Donna - can't remember the details now but think they'll email the link to you 14 days before you leave. Remember to print off your return pass as well

[elQuintoConyo]

I have been flying with them and easyjet for more than ten years without any problems.

If you're worried about being 'stung' by extras hdden in the small print, ask someone who has travelled with them to sit with you while you book/be at the end of thephone to guide you through.

If we use ba, w have a one hour drive plus parking fees at our end. If we fly ryanair, it's a cheap 15 minute bus ride

[Monetbyhimself]

Ryairair will get you where you want to go in time. But their staff are, IME the rudest and most obnoxious people ever. I have seen them reduce an elderly lady and a mum struggling with a flight phobic child to tears and for that reason I don't use them anymore.

[Cuxibamba]

I quite like Ryanair, it's comfy enough, sure food is pricey but it isn't a necessity so it doesn't affect me, I just take my own. The staff have been generally lovely to me- I had a panic attack on a flight once, they were great, and when DS1 had his first and only ever seizure, they were brilliant. Never had any issue with them and I think they're generally quite good to fly with. No one I know has ever had issues either.

[adoptmama]

YANBU just remember to do the online check-in (which they will text/email you to remind you to do) and print off your boarding card.

[DonnaDishwater]

How far advance can you do the online check in and print off your boarding card? I'm flying saturday morning, will I be able to do it on Friday at work?

[Pippilangstrompe]

They are fine. As others say, check you fulfill the baggage requirements. If your bag is too heavy or too big, then you will have to pay a lot extra. Make sure you print off your boarding card in advance.

[Pippilangstrompe]

You can print off your boarding card up to 15 days in advance, so Friday at work should not be a problem.

[AlpacaLypse]

I think if you prebook extra legroom seats (which we do, as DP is 6'4"), they are automatically priority boarding too. In fact I'm sure they are, we did it last summer so that dtds and I could be certain of sitting together and as near to DP in his front row seat as possible.

If you read the small print and obey, it'll be fine.

There's confusion about the extra bit of luggage thing. I think if you've got a carrier bag of duty free goodies from Airside shops, you're allowed those. I wouldn't risk the handbag thing.

Of course there's nothing to stop you wearing a Parka sized coat with a shed load of pockets!

[RocknRollNerd]

I fly Ryanair regularly for work. They have improved immeasurably in the last few months since MOL said they had to sort out their customer service. You can now take on a small second bag eg WH Smith bag with magazine, drinks etc or a small handbag, they will let you sit in an emergency exit seat if they're not reserved and you get there etc. They've also given up trying to flog you stuff every. bloody. minute. of the flight, as an example it was about 8 on a one hour flight last year (magazines, food, fags, duty free, lottery tickets, train tickets, more lottery tickets, phone card, etc) it is now down to about 4 and they don't repeat things like the scratch cards.

[adoptmama]

make sure you check in online - dont just print your boarding pass!

[justwantitmadeforme]

Flown once with Ryanair, it was my first time flying and it was fine, probably better now though due to them finally having allocated seating.

Go for it.

[Coffeethrowtrampbitch]

I've always thought they were fine, but recently my mum got an Easy jet flight where her hold luggage weight 14 kilos, then got a Ryanair flight where she was told it weighed 21 kilos and charged extra.

So if there is a dispute over your baggage I would insist on checking them with different scales.

I would have done that, but instead my mum phoned me to shout at me because I had booked her flights

[CountessOfRule]

One of the reasons Ryanair are cheap is that they minimise their airport staff. They won't print you a boarding pass because they don't have a printer landside so they have to pay to use someone else's.

Follow the rules to the letter, expect only what you'd get on a crappy cross country (ie not intercity) train and you'll be fine.

[LCHammer]

Theodorus - it's ok if you can afford to be an airline snob. For me it's the difference between £1200 or £430 (4 return tickets). In years past this mightn't have been a problem. Now it is, so you cut your cloth...

[LizCurly]

I honestly think some of the rumours are started by aerlingus and BA.

[Neverhere]

We fly with RyanAir sometimes however would choose easyjet or jet2 before if they were similar prices. Just check all rules and be prepared for a basic service (and trying to be sold stuff constantly!).
Check the destination - sometimes it's better to get a slightly more expensive flight and be closer to the city at the other end.

[Topseyt]

They are fine for fairly short haul flights, and to be honest, from where we live they have so many of the flight slots sewn up that there is often not much choice but to fly with them.

It is definitely no frills. If you can travel with just a small holdall then do.

Their public image does leave something to be desired, but I think it is a work in progress.

[mustbetimefortea]

I always need to book a bag in the hold and choose to get priority boarding/allocated seating to ensure I get to sit next to ds. I work on the flight costing between 5 and 10 times what the advertised fare is. Paying a booking fee for each passenger each way although it is just one payment really hacks me off.

The analogy of travelling on a bus is very apt and I know a budget airline pilot who says it is like driving a bus for him.

[beals692]

Hmm...Well, I've tried to book! I got to what I presume was the last page, put in my credit card details. There was a pop up box saying not to keep pressing things (which I didn't) as it could take up to 45 seconds to go to the next page etc. Then it seems to have got stuck.

I'm on a page that says 'payment' at the top , all the boxes that I completed have disappeared and there's a booking summary on the right hand side (which was already there before I'd given my bank details and submitted the booking). I've received an e-mail about 'myRyanair registration' but nothing actually saying my flights are booked. When I log back in, there doesn't seem to be any record of my booking. Has anyone else had this?

I daren't really risk booking more flights in case that booking is somehow still in the process and does eventually go through so I'm a bit stuck. Any suggestions?

[LCHammer]

I'd wait for confirmation by email. I got mine immediately. I booked via Opodo and got email about the Ryanair part of the journey, the EasyJet and one from Opodo. My head hurts.