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Original poster

Has anyone flown with Ryanair and not had any problems?

70 replies

Linnet · 02/05/2010 20:58

We are maybe going to go to Barcelona in October and the cheapest flights we can find are with Ryanair.

Has anyone flown Ryanair to Barcelona or indeed has anyone flown Ryanair?

You hear such horror stories about cheap airlines and I've never flown with one before.

Are the horror stories to be believed or have you flown with them quite happily with no problems?

Thanks

OP posts:

rubyrubyruby · 04/05/2010 13:58

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

glastocat · 04/05/2010 14:03

I've used them loads and never had any problems.

ChippyMinton · 04/05/2010 14:05

I've flown many times with ryanair, both with and without the DC. Treat it as a bus, and have low expectations of service. BTW the shuttle from Girona to Barcelona was very well organised the couple of times i've used it.

Tidey · 04/05/2010 14:08

I've flown to Barcelona with EasyJet, absolutely no problems and would recommend. I would avoid Ryanair if at all possible though.

chocolateshoes · 04/05/2010 14:12

I've used them, Jet2 & Easy Jet loads of times to different destinations. We have only had 1 problem - that was Ryanair when our lauggage didn't arrive in Rome. The problem was there is no Ryanair desk there so I had to struggle to explain in Italian that the luggage hadn't arrived and there is no one around to help you. Then because I'd spent ages sorting out the missing luggage we missed the Ryanair coach into Rome & the airport was then dead & miles from anyweher. We didn't get our luggage until we arrived at the airport fro our return leg!!!!

jessia · 04/05/2010 14:14

I have flown with them 4 times, on all occasions the flights themselves were OK, staff fine, just as friendly as anywhere else. OK so they're cheap and cheerful but all the other cheap airlines now charge for hold baggage etc. too.
The only thing I hold against them is that on one occasion they changed the flight schedule (though several weeks in advance) which meant we would have missed a connection so we had to book overnight accom. but I suspect that was due to booking a summer holiday in the winter before summer timetable was scheduled.
I flew with 2 kids, hand luggage only for a week last year and it was perfectly doable, even though as usual I was last in the queue and they don't do priority boarding even for people with small kids. But then I'm the sort that does everything on a shoestring and nothing fazes me - it was either that or not go, so I knew which I'd rather.
Interestingly, the air hostess I spoke to said it is only Ryan Air in the UK that is so bad, she said she used to work for them based in France and it was like working for a different company.

LadyPeterWimsey · 04/05/2010 14:15

Never had any problems with them. I think the trick is to make sure your expectations are very low. When I was younger and flying internationally I always thought an airline trip was something special and a chance to be waited on a bit. This is not the attitude to take with Ryanair. As someone said earlier, think of it like taking a bus.

For us flying Ryanair is the difference between being able to have a holiday abroad or not. All 6 of us flew to the south of France last year and back for sixty quid. I'm prepared to put up with a lot of discomfort for that, but I know lots of people aren't.

Aitch · 04/05/2010 21:20

for the record, ciampino airport is not miles from rome at all, i tend to get a taxi from the airport as its only 30 euros (there's a cap, the ride isn't metered) and they take you to your door. this is not, in fairness, something that ryanair pushes as they want you on their bus.

given that the bus is about ten, i think, if there are a couple of you it's easier to get a cab.

Fimbo · 04/05/2010 21:39

I flew with them for the first time in February to Malga from Stansted. I was really nervous because of all the bad press that Ryanair gets on here and all the on-line reviews too.

We arrived about 3hrs early for the flight and all the check in desk were open and you could go to anyone of them, we only had to queue for 20 mins max. Plane was on time, we also made sure as soon as the gate number went up on the screen we made a move for it. Seats all together everything fine.

Coming back at Malaga there were separate desks for each flight, which only opened about 2 hours before each flight took off. There was a screen announcement saying which desk numbers would be for our flight, so I stood with our luggage immediately this was announced whilst dh sat on the seats with the dc. Check-in then opened 20 minutes before the stated time. We were about 4th to be served. I did this because there was an Easyjet (yes not Ryanair!) flight going out to Manchester and the queues were horrendous. Ok I had to stand at the check in for over an hour but it was worth it (to us!). In the departure lounge, all Ryanair flights had one section, so by process of elimination of which flights were going out and which were left, we along with some other passengers worked out which gate we were going to be at, which it was, so again we were about 6th in line.

I think Ryanair are ok as long as you check, check, check everthing on the website and add in all the extras, check in on line etc etc and make sure you are super early for the check in and boarding gate.

thisisyesterday · 04/05/2010 21:42

we found that BA was the cheapest tbh! once you factor in paying for luggage allowance, food and drinks on plane etc etc

Whoamireally · 05/05/2010 11:19

Isn't it unfortunate though that so many people have posted saying that you are basically forced to have very low expectations of Ryanair in order to not be horribly disappointed?

Having to adopt that attitude just allows Ryanair to get away with more and more shit.

suwoo · 05/05/2010 11:25

My parents live in France and the bastards Ryanair are the only ones who fly the route into 3 of the nearest airports, so they have us over a barrel (as it were).

We are flying in June with the 3 DC and they have cancelled the lovely daytime flight I booked and moved us on to the 23.00 flight. Nice!

I fucking hate them

UndertheBoredWalk · 05/05/2010 11:31

I've flown Ryanair a lot over the last 10 years. I've never had any problems with them, and always fly with DD who is disabled.
I think the assistance service you get is down to the airport rather than ryanair. Certainly has been for us, it is airport staff that deal with us, not ryanair.
We always have to board last, but seats are reserved for us at the front of the plane.
have never been delayed or lost luggage, although since it got so expensive to take luggage I usually try to get away with hand luggage where I can.

Whoamireally · 05/05/2010 11:47

suwoo my parents are flying to Ireland next week and same issue - you have to put up with Ryanair shit because you have no choice, and people (I include myself here) are only now starting to realise that flocking to the cheap airlines in droves has in actual fact driven competition out of the marketplace. So Ryanair gets away with even more shit.

Salbysea · 05/05/2010 22:02

suwoo they did that to a friend of mine
she was traveling with kids and booked a flight at a reasonable time and it was changed to silly o clock. I don't think they ever intend to fly at the advertised times - they put them up to get bookings then change

suwoo · 05/05/2010 22:06

You know what sal, I hadn't even thought of that! I bet you're right.

Bastards x 1 million

Nettiespagetti · 15/05/2010 23:06

They did that to me once changed flight time with no notice! Turned up for flight to be told it's been changed to next day!! I was fine as my folks live near prestwick but there was a young Irish girl who had travelled by train from Aberdeen to prestwick to catch flight. To be told none and they would not put her up anywhere! She came home with us overnight but what a predicament to leave young girl! That was some 14 yrs ago and by my reckoning they have got worse not better!!!

Bastards bastards bastards, treat customers and staff like shit and make you listen to tons of crap announcements music all journey!! Hate them hate them hate them!!

LadyInMauve · 28/05/2010 10:48

On the routes I use they are not actually any cheaper than Easyjet when extras for luggage etc are taken into account. And Easyjet have better flight times and offer 100% better service. Have used Easyjet to my parents in Spain loads of times and never had any problems or flght changes.

Used Ryanair once from Liverpool to Spain. Utterly awful and literally had to fight to get seats with DCs despite having paid for priority boarding. Their idea of priority boarding is to give you a 30 second head start in the sprint across the tarmac to the plane. And people were literally sprinting!

MK79810 · 16/07/2011 00:28

The worst airline ever. You may end up paying much, much more than you think you will, or as in my case, losing money through being flown to the wrong country. Ryanair recently dumped us in Spain instead of Portugal in the middle of the night. Their departure was delayed and I suspect they didn't want to pay penalties for the late landing, so it was cheaper for them to dump people in a different country. They offered us to complete our journey by coach - 7 hours' hell across 2 countries through the night in +30 degrees heat, no aircon, no toilet, no drinks. Arrived at the destination a day late, holiday ruined.
I shall never fly with Ryanair, it's the worst airline ever.
No refund or compensation for the disrupted flight, even though it's through their fault.
Had problems with them before, pretty much every time I flew with them. Would advise you to stay away from Ryanair.

Theas18 · 25/07/2011 16:50

Um we've flown Ryan air a few times and it is fine BUT I wouldn't do it with small children as the stress would be huge! We first flew when youngest was 9 or 10 and I didn't care if we were sat together or not- I figured if she got some stranger to get her bag up and down, get up so she could go to the loo etc

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