Ryanair Priority Boarding - yet another rip off plus boozy passengers

[Wottknott]

I paid for Priority Boarding from Alicante, Spain back to the the UK. The only priority you get is in the aiport terminal, boarding first from the gate descending to the ground floor level, where you wait for the bus to collect passengers to take them over the airport tarmac to the aircraft. After that is a free for all.

When the first bus drops the passengers off, opening it's doors, all the passengers including, priority and non priority get off (get off is polite - actually shove and push). Then a rush to the plane steps. Depending on who runs fastest to the aircraft steps resulted in who boarded first. When I boarded I mentioned this to the crew who informed me it happens all the time and to complain on my return. I will be and I'm going to request a refund.

There was a poor Spanish family with 3 young children, twins and toddler, who by the time they had got off the coach, dodged the rush, put the buggies down and boarded were at the back, wondering why they had bothered to pay the extra for priority boarding. Poor things.

To top it all a group of drunk passengers (outbound and inbound), no Ryanair flight is complete without them it appears. I have not encountered the same level of acceptance towards drunk passengers on other airlines. The drunk swearing doesn't make it a very family friendly flight. Take earplugs for the kids if you are flying with them. I won't be using Ryanair again.

Sounds ghastly!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH - I go in two weeks - first time flying with DC, told dh we should drive!

So if it's a free for all does that mean that the dc may not get seats next to us? Do they at least make sure that younger dc are next to a parent?

I never pay priority boarding - I find just asking someone nicely if they would be willing to move so we can all sit together works fine - after all, no-one wants to be sitting next to an unaccompanied child!

Never noticed boozy passengers on any of the flights I took with Ryanair - usually my bad boozy passengers experiences have been on long-haul where the booze is free.

Passengers must have been drunk before the flight, as you are only allowed 100 ml of liquids on board and the drinks cost a fortune!

I'll never fly Ryanair again after flying to Reus a few years ago. They opened the doors at the terminsal, cue the mad glaswegian mums shouting "Run! Run!", the look on the terrified air stewardess's face was priceless. I mean - did they think it was like a bus? That it would go without them? Or that maybe there weren't enough seats and they'd have to stand in the aisle? At least with vueling you get designated seats

If DC's do not get seats next to you, tell them to sit down, then, ask the adult passengers to swap as your children get air sickness (that makes them move). Then if no luck ask the crew, then if no luck quote the following:

CAA's Seating Allocation Guidelines for families that children are to be seated with an accompanying adult for safety reasons. See here www.caa.co.uk

I only did it as I didn't want to arrive too early and queue with my kids at the gate in the terminal. As it was, it's all nonsense, we did get seats together, but so did everyone on the first bus, but they must have been queuing at the gate for ages.

Just glad my kids are older now. Used to fly easy jet and they used to ask for those with kids, or mobility requirements to board first. I don;t think they do that anymore either. MN should take this further and campaign for families to fly together on low cost flights, for no charge with young children.

ib - booze is not free on many long haul now. BA and Virgin charge,

Thanks for the tips Wott. Ib - I agree with the no-one wanting to sit next to kids thing, hoping we'll have to split up and DH gets DS1!

I've only really flown long haul before so this is all a bit of a shock to me - Tenby next year I think (must be due a good summer?)

Easyjet still do priority boarding for families with under 5's - or at least the website said they did when I booked last week.

It was the same with Easyjet but i've noticed that if and when you have to use a bus they load those on with a priority to the back of the bus and then ONLY open the back doors of the bus so the priority people can get off first. This certainly happens from Bristol nowadays.

Wott - goes to show how long it's been since I've flown with them :)

Good to hear that easyjet still board those with young families first. I think that's best for everyone.

Yes ib, I remember those days too!!

Ryanair are the pits. Ryanair at Liverpool airport are worse than the pits!
I could bore you with the details but I think you get a flavour of their customer service from the other posters.

However I can throughly recommend Monarch. We flew with them in May and were treated especially well for a budget airline: polite and helpful staff, easy boarding, allocated seats and staff that took your buggy for you rather than having to faff around with it on the tarmac whilst your children try to run off.

I'm a well seasoned flyer and am totally hacked off with Easy Jet and Ryanair for various reasons which I won't bore you with - I've gone back to flying scheduled which is often much cheaper if you book well in advance!!!!

All you unhappy people might like to look at for a bit of a giggle.

wottnott, do BA and Virgin really charge for drinks now? I thought that was all included on long haul?

PMSL Drayford

We flew easyjet to Marrakech. No priority for under 5s in practice I'm afraid. Not at Manchester either although the cabin crew did ask other passengers to move for us. We were travelling with a 1yo and a 3yo so fairly obviously under 5. If I were to fly with them again I'd get there early, find the departure gate and camp by the desk. Make yourself known to the staff and they should let you through sooner.

Drayford - love it :)

MOS - I think you are right and they are free, but the crew don't like coming round that much with the drinks on long haul. There were 3 drink trolly trips on Ryanair on a 2.45 min flight.

I know on BA and Virgin you get alcohol free with meals, but the crews are reluctant to trolly just drinks up and down otherwise. MOS, I never drink alcohol on flights so I'm not that clued up. Water and soft drinks are not charged for anyway on long haul.

These drunks on my Ryanair flight were sitting in the row in front of the emergency exit. One was in the emergency exit row. On BA they won't even let pregnant passengers sit in the rows or in front or behind of the emergency exits, as it is a safety precaution.

cktwo - I like Monarch too.

wottknott, don't get me wrong, I'm not an alcoholic, its just with 6 of us travelling it will get a bit expensive having to keep buying drings DS1 always manages to chat up the lovely female cabin crew and get endless supplies of drinks. He ended up FB friends with a few last year after a trip to KL.

mos - OMG @ your DH and Facebook crew - now that is what you call social networking at altitude!

I love Ryanair. It depends on where you fly. Alicante and Liverpool is mentioned here. I would then expect the type of person described. Its not really Ryanairs fault.

I have just flown Ryanair, and we all got seats together even though we were at the back of the queue.
It was a basic flight, no tvs or anything, but it got us safely there and back from EMA just fine.
Can't complain really.
I wouldn't worry too much.

FairyMum - you sound like a complete idiot "Alicante and Liverpool is mentioned here. I would then expect the type of person described"

Do you know anyone from Alicante or Liverpool? And people who use these airports travel from many places close by, like Chester and even Valencia. Are these places slightly more appealing to you? Very shallow views.

As an aside, we are flying ryanair in a couple of weeks (from stansted though - are we posh or not? ) anyway, have printed boarding passes out to get there but I understand we have to print out return ones as well? Where are they??? I can't see them online!

you can only do it 15 days in advance see here.
So if you are going for less than 15 days you can check in to come back just before you leave.
Otherwise you will need to find internet & printer access on holiday, or check in at the airport (v expensive).