experiences of Ryan Air?

[hatwoman]

what's it like? am both gobsmacked and suspicious of how cheap it is

just do a trawl.. the only posts on here tend to be WTF type things. my only experience was that it was about as comfortable as national express and the herd onto the plane mentality, pay extra for anything you can't carry (incl baby stuff) doesn't add to a warm relaxing travel experience.

If you kind of treat it like going on National Express, then it's fine - gets you there, but inelegantly.

Make your DH stand at the front of the queue to get on the plane and save seats for you and the DCs as it is like a cattle crush.

Check prices carefully as by the time you add taxes, luggage charge, checking in charge etc, other airlines can be cheaper. And be very careful about the airport - they can be a long way from the stated city

It is a bus with wings I love Michael O Leary

Agree with the other posts.

It's the queueing to get on that frustrates me. We tend to pay extra for priority boarding when we travel with the children because there's 5 of us and they can be difficult about 1 person getting on early and saving seats. We travel with hand luggage only and do online check-in.

However, they are usually on time (last week we landed 30 minutes early) and once in the air it's fine. There's not much leg room and the in-air food is shockingly expensive but the flights are quite short so it's bearable.

Where we go in France there's no alternative so we've flown with Ryanair alot!!

I flew with them to Tenerife, on the way home we were at the airport before check in opened. Managed to be last on the plane due to horrible security queues (not their fault I guess). But they then refused to let my 7yo daughter sit next to me or anywhere near me for the 4 hour flight back. There were only 2 seats available, different sides of the aisle and different rows and they wouldn't move anyone even though DD was sobbing and pleading to sit next to me.

Used tolike Ryan air. However,their costs have shot up alotover the past few years -at least they have if you actuallly take luggage with you andlets face it, families do tend to have one suitcase per person plus carry on bag- also have to pay just to check in at airport ,as online booking is only ifyou have no luggage for the hold.

Planes seem to be really messy inside.
No refreshments available when big delay at airport.

No leeway at all on baggage weighing overlimit.

Mean,unrealilsatic allownance for cases in hold.

Charge extra for "priority boarding" BUT all it means is you a part of a massive group who hang around at the gate,so it is a masssive scrum to get on the plane, children, frail , disabled etc all getting squashed, pushed, barged etc .