Ryanair wtaf???

[MangosteenSoda]

I’ve never traveled with Ryanair before so had only heard of their awfulness.

Trying to book a flight for my disabled dc (not a mobility disability) and myself and the system will only let me select certain seats for the disabled passenger.

It’s giving me an option of two seats to choose from on the whole plane which isn’t very full at all. Moreover, neither seat has an available seat next to it, so it’s effectively trying to get me to book seats several rows apart (at the closest) for me and a non verbal tween.

Just wtaf?

Yeah, I know that. Assistance around boarding is always variable.

The point of this thread was how difficult they made it to actually book the flight to begin with. Once assistance was selected, I only had a choice of two seats on the whole plane for my dc. Neither of which was possible by their own policies, let alone our own needs.

The only way I could book our tickets was to not select assistance. The seat next to one of the ones available for assistance passengers was not available to book when assistance was selected, but was free to book once assistance was not selected (and therefore it could be charged for).

A chip on my shoulder because I just want to be able to book a couple of seats on a plane and choose and pay for them?

What in your world is normal about RA giving me the choice of 2 seats that don’t even fit their own policy of not having an under 12 sit unaccompanied, before even bringing his disability into the mix? That’s entirely what this thread is about.

You have made a lot of assumptions about who does and doesn’t need assistance here. In my local airport the assistance lane caters for people with disabilities and people with young children, usually pram age. Essentially, anyone who might struggle in a massively busy space. I am, by using this lane, managing my dc not having a meltdown. When abroad, again, having assistance just means for us, using the quiter lane. That’s it.

Which airport are you talking about that denies you assistance because you haven’t selected it with the airline?

Never heard of such a thing. They’re completely separate operations. You’re being difficult

I fly with them 40 odd times a year and while they do disembark front and rear I have never seen them not do front. So the front row will get you off quickest. It also always opens before rear.

I have genuinely never heard of having to book assistance when you book the flight, nor have I ever flown to or from an airport where it is in the boarding pass, either printed or as an online QR code.

out of interest (as I am physically disabled) would you mind sharing which airport it is (so I can avoid it?)

fwiw I just book normal seats and then ring the airline about a week in advance. They always fuck up some aspect of it anyway so I confirm the details with the special assistance desk when I arrive (who always have the ability to move your seat on a plane).

Travelled with my FIL on RA. Booked the flights, chose our seats, paid and then booked assistance at Stansted and the airport in Spain afterwards. As others have said, the best approach to avoiding queuing is to hang back and board last. This wasn’t possible with the airport assistance but you did then get to bypass the queues at each end of the flight. If you’ve paid to take a bag on board they’ll still find room for it.

I don’t think I’m being difficult to be surprised (and annoyed) to be having a much more difficult time booking flights with RA than I have had with other airlines. Simply following airline process and government disability legislation presumably.

Malaga is one airport where I have had to fill out an online form at check in (on two separate occasions) to access the disability security line and they checked the booking before allowing access to the form. Other airports have been less formal than that, but have still had to show the boarding pass with assistance request before going through the quiet line.

It’s a really simple thing. It shouldn’t result in not being able to book suitable seats. I don’t get why you are so irritated by the idea of a profoundly autistic kid being able to access a less busy queue.

Huh.

i’ve been to Malaga recently - 2021 ish.

can’t remember who we flew with but it was me (permanently in a wheelchair) and my mum (uses a wheelchair at an airport as she’s old and can’t walk far).

we definitely didn’t need to do any forms and we hadn’t got assistance on our boarding passes but they did take us through a crew security and passport check so I suspect if you’d checked in at assistance you wouldn’t have needed to go through the public security lines at all.

we wound up at our gate two hours before the flight and had a lovely relaxing (multiple) cups of coffee.

That’s because someone else has already selected those seats.

You can select fast track but all that means is that you sit on the plane for longer whilst everyone else is boarding. Are you not better just waiting til everyone has boarded then get on last? To disembark, stay in your seat until everyone is off the plane.

When you book online, there is a box you can check after each passenger stating whether or not assistance is required.

Sometimes I have seen this as an addition on my son’s boarding pass. Last couple of times, Jet2 printed a boarding pass at check in without asking if we wanted physical copies or not (I always have electronic ones ready).

As mentioned above, I have been asked to fill out an electronic form at Malaga a couple of times before being sent to the assistance lane. Porto and Lisbon also checked eligibility before sending us through the assistance lane.

We have only travelled in Europe for the last five years using EasyJet and Jet2 so all of these experiences are related to those 2 airlines. Prior to that I lived in another continent and used full service airlines, so different experience again I guess.

We flew out of Malaga Easter last year and January this year and Jet2 got us to fill out a form that got emailed to us before sending us to the assistance lane.

Tbf, the people on the assistance lane might have let us through anyway but that’s what happened. I think last Easter was the first time I had experienced that in Malaga, had flown out in Jan 25 also and don’t think we needed it then.

Actually no. When I ended up booking the tickets without selecting assistance, one of the greyed out seats next to the disability seat was available to buy. It just wasn’t available when assistance had been selected.

I booked two different seats in the end towards the front of the plane, but most seats were available to buy as the flight is currently very empty. It’s that RA will not allow passengers to select most seats when you register a disability.

If you child can't cope with a busy queue I'm not sure Ryanair would be the best airline to use. The only way to avoid the queue is to hang around and get in the queue last. It's unlikey the area you'll be in will be quiet.

We have flown with Ryanair in the past (don’t anymore as seats are too uncomfortable for my bad back!) my son has asd we have always been able to book two seats together free of charge but yes they are not the ‘premium’ seats. If it isn’t automatically allocating 2 seats together you need to ring them. We skip all queues both ways and choose to board last to have minimum time queing to get on the plane. If you want a front seat you will have to pay unfortunately.

BTW jet2 are much better and similar prices particularly if you get free child placement.

Ryanair is barely an airline so unfortunately none of this is surprising. Have you flown with them before? At most airports you won’t be able to avoid a queue because you get funnelled in and out, often onto a bus to or from the airport. Being on or off the plane first or last often doesn’t matter.

We used to use Ryanair 5-10 times a year.
After investigation, we found that BA were a more economical and convenient option.

Please OP don't fly with Ryanair. Unless you are going to visit a terminally ill person or for a funeral and there is no other option. By other option, going to a nearby airport with someone else followed by a three to four hour train journey is a better option.

Mr O'Leary loudly objected to having to provide facilities for disabled people when laws were implemented.

I travelling with Ryanair all the time and have very positive experiences regarding this. My son has SEN and severe Asthma - I always booking normal seats together and MAKE SURE YOU ADD SPECIAL ASSISTANCE BEFORE FLIGHT. You can do it online, just few clicks and can chose what kind of help you'll need- I always take help through the security checks and gates. It's free. Once you're at the airport- go to their desk, you'll get a person who will go with you. Sunflower lanyards will be given for you and child. Some airport have even special corridors, as my son can't go through perfume shops where staff literally spraying perfume without asking (rg Stansted). You'll go through special security line and will be taken yo special waiting areas. Once boarding started- staff always asking if we want to board first or last. It depends on airport, don't forget to book special assistance both ways also. We never had issues, some airports have super facilities, like cars to drive you straight to passport control when arriving. Have a nice flight!

Well, I guess it depends, we fly with Ryanair since 2019, few times a year as family abroad. I have super positive experience. The only one issue we had last summer- when our flight was delayed for 3 hours- member from special assistance team (who clearly had disability himself)- laughed us at waiting area and told us to move out as we're the only ones here, clearly someone had a bad day I guess .As usually they are amazing, once one lady spent literally 40mins on security checks holding my baby as my SEN child had a meltdown.

Why not try reading the OP's posts where she explained that she had tried this but couldn't be stuck on the phone whilst working through a queue of 200 whilst looking after her disabled child.

Maybe have an algorithm that doesn't think it's appropriate to seat a cognitively disabled child passenger on their own?

Im not irritated, couldn’t care less tbh. Just baffled at you being unable to separate an airport from an airline.

What on earth has the queue got to do with the seat? 2 completely separate operations as many people have pointed out. Your kid needs help getting through the airport, so deal with the airport instead of faffing about selecting shit you don’t even need on Ryanair.

It is very simple, but you’re choosing to be difficult

FFS, do you really know so little about neurodivergence? Try standing in a queue with a non-verbal ND child who becomes massively anxious about queues and waiting as they become increasingly distressed and go into full-blown meltdown and you might understand why a decent society tries to help the parent of that child so he doesn't have to queue.

The seat that was greyed out may have been selected for you to sit next to the person needing assistance.
I've always been put next to dm when asking for assistance automatically.