While in Europe, we might have to take a plane from Austria to Italy. Ryanair has some really cheap fares right now, but I wanted to know if they were a reputable company - does anyone have any experience flying with this company? Any thoughts?

I used to fly with them to go to/from Ireland. I have given up now because I hate the free seating, their lack of punctuality and their inflexible attitude. <BR> <BR>However, given the fares - and the length of their flights (all short) they are fine...you get what you pay for!

Anna, <BR> <BR>What do you mean by "free seating"? Does this mean that you don't have reserved seating? One thing that I didn't like was that you couldn't even e-mail their company to ask questions - perhaps a cheaper deal isn't great in the end!

free seating means no seat numbers are allocated. You DO get what you pay for but sometimes its worth the extra hassle if all you want is a cheap flight- I have had no problems with them.

Yes, free seating mean sthat you get a boarding pass without a seat number on it - you just take what is available when you board. You still get a seat, obviously. but you will have to race quite a few people for exit rows etc.

Hello, Ela. I flew Ryanair from Venice/Treviso to Brussels and the flight was fine. The aircraft is older, the seats are a bit worn, but the plane got me where I wanted to go ... cheaply and quickly. This definitely is a no-frills airline -- you pay for a beverage or snacks and it's first come, first served seating, as mentioned above. <BR> <BR>Where are you flying from/to? Trains from Austria to Italy go through some incredibly beautiful scenery if you are concerned about flying a discount airline and are considering the train. <BR> <BR>Feel free to drop me an email if you wanted more specific info. <BR> <BR>Have a wonderful trip!

They are reputable and cheap, but the 'free' seating can be tough depending on the flight and how competitive your fellow travellers are! That said, we have travelled several times from the UK to Ireland with them and friends travel frequently from London to Glasgow using them. I reckon Austria to Italy will be fine - shortish flight. I reckon it's worth it and, to be honest, unless you're really fussy about where you sit, the 'free' seating isn't a problem at all. We always manage to get 4 seats together (3+1/ 2+2/ 2in front, 2behind etc) If it's a big savibg, do it!

Used Ryanair London&lt;&gt;Dublin, and it was perfectly fine for a short hop like that. If you've ever flown Southwest Airlines, you'll know what 'free seating' means. <BR> <BR>Not much in the way of refreshments, but those flight attendants had the duty free carts in the aisle in record time.

Ryanair is a cheap no fills Irish airline with a good safety record, brillant prices and a get what you pay for service, <BR> <BR>Cathy

Be careful! We flew from London to Frankfurt thinking we were landing at the main airport in Frankfurt. Not so! The plane landed at Frankfurt,Hahn airport, a 2 hour bus ride to the Frankfurt train station. In the States, we wouldn't call an airport that's located 2 hours away a LOCAL airport! Also, the plane was an hour late in leaving London. The free seating deal wasn't a bother to us but we're familiar with Southwest. Good Luck!

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You can fly to Trieste and save a lot of money for shopping ! I used it to fly to London , for 50 € !! Not bad at all

in spring 2000, i booked london (gatwick) to dublin for only 4 pounds plus tax (tax was about 30 pounds). However, if i had gone a day earlier, the price would have been about 30 pounds plus tax. Carefully seach a few dates if you have any flexibility. <BR> <BR>the flight was fine - it was full so it is best to try to get close to the front of the line. It is even cheaper that Southwest Airlines as they don't even give you free peanuts. They also try to sell duty free and phone cards and who knows what else during the flight. <BR> <BR>Be on time (as you should if you want to get a good seat). The close the door promptly - saw one fellow in dublin miss it by about 10 seconds.

I flew with them just last week between Sweden and Stansted, and I agree with the above descriptions. Cost was about $46US for a one-way; other airlines wanted nearly $400US for the same flight. However, I don't think Ryanair fly between Austria and Italy. They serve Salzburg and several cities in Italy, but all flights to/from Salzburg connect through Stansted. I think train or bus could be a better option.

Ryanair just lost a big lawsuit filed by Sabena, against whom it had been running ads claiming Sabena had "rip off" fares and (the ads compared the fares for various destinations). On at least one occasion, Ryanair got caught comparing their lowest promotional fare against Sabena full fare business class (without noting the class difference in the ad). When apples to apples were compared, the difference between Ryanair and Sabena flights were as little as $5 to $10. One should note, also, that Ryanair flies in to Charleroi, which eumphemistically refers to its airport as Brussels South. However, transportation from the airport to Brussels (or wherever) is spotty, especially when compared to the real Brussels airport which has 3 trains an hour directly from the airport itself to Brussels and points beyond. <BR>Also, according to reports in The Bulletin, the English language newsmag in Belgium, Ryanair no longer offers meal or lodging vouchers for any delayed or canceled flights. Ryanair passengers claimed in the Bulletin that their flight from Italy was canceled because the passenger load was too low and when asked to provide accommodations or alternate flights, Ryanair personnel simply handed out copies of their new "you're on your own" policy and walked off with no further explanation. A huge caveat emptor for this airline! <BR>BTilke

We flew roundtrip from London to Shannon. No problems. It is pretty much Southwest Airlines. Bought tickets online in the States before we left.

We flew RyanAir twice while visiting Europe a couple of weeks ago. The prices are great (we paid 8 pounds for London-Dublin and 9 irish pounds for Dublin-Manchester), and we found the service to be just fine. <BR> <BR>It's true there isn't reserved seating but that didn't bother us at all. Both our flights departed and arrived on time and we found the flight attendants to be quite friendly and helpful <BR> <BR>I guess it depends on whether you want cheap prices or luxury services. We wanted to spend our money on other things so we booked cheap flights, and weren't disappointed at all. <BR> <BR>I'd fly RyanAir again in a heartbeat! <BR> <BR>