mp413

I am considering Ryanair for a short trip to Paris from Venice. I hate flying (admittedly my fears are irrational, but they're there nonetheless), but the fares are unbelievable so I am considering it over rail anyway. I am wondering if the planes are really tiny? The consensus on this board seems to be that Ryanair is safe...but no mention of plane size, which would definitely be a factor in my decision. If anyone can comment I'd appreciate it!

JimF

The flights I have taken on Ryanair were 733. That's the same aircraft used by Southwest in the U.S. I'm not sure, but I believe their approach is the same as Southwest: standardized aircraft and standardized replacement parts, reducing maintenance inventory costs. If that's accurate, all of their planes would be the 733. Others should correct me if I am wrong.

Jim

JimF

I just realized it was the Boeing 737, not the 733.

Sorry.

Jim

Steve_James

http://www.ryanair.com/about/aboutfleet.html

Hope this helps ...

Steve

AnselmAdorne

Yes, they're Boeing 737s, but I'm not sure what variant. mp413, that's not really tiny.

Anselm

college_travelers

Ryanair utilizes Boeing 737 aircraft. Listed below is a link to their fleet:

http://www.ryanair.com/about/aboutfleet.html

Here is a picture of a 737-800 in Ryanair colors:

http://photos.airliners.net/e6cfe70c...8/1/791184.jpg

Most likely you'll be aboard a 737-800, a new, state of the art aircraft. Just remember, no window shades, your seat doesn't recline, no seat pockets, and really no service. I just read an article in Airways Magazine about Ryanair.

Mr. O'Leary, Ryanair's CEO, brags about providing no service to customers. He even states that they don't take customer complaints because customers can't complain because they are only providing "basic transportation at the cheapest fare possible." If you want the cheapest rate possible, fly them. They'll get you where you want to go. Good luck.

JoeTro

They are definitely not puddle jumpers or prop airplanes that I have flown many times. Lots of seats, often times never completely full. Have no fear. I recommend them.

JimF

I completely agree. The size of the aircraft is plenty adequate. The quality of the service is not. There is none.

It's as if you are a box, shipping from point a to point b, via Federal Express.

Jim

mp413

Thanks so much everyone - that mkes me feel much better! I don't think I could deal if I reached the end of the jetway and saw a plane with propellers that was supposed to take me over the Alps! But a 737 I can handle.

Thanks again!

happy2travel

I am also interested in flying Ryanair. I'll be flying from Amsterdam to London, so it's a pretty short flight.

However, I am intersted in knowing how rigid the airline is regarding baggage allowances. I will be away for 1 month, the first 2 weeks being a transatlantic cruise, so packing very light isn't really an option. I agree that the fare is very reasonable, but how much will I be paying for additional baggage weight?

Thanks for the help!

WillTravel

Does Ryanair do that route of Amsterdam to London? I don't think so, but EasyJet and BMI do.

Kate

happy, the budget airlines are very strict on baggage allowances and they will charge you (heftily) for going over the limit, so they may not be the choice for you.

Ryanair has a stingy 15kg for checked baggage, and 10kg for hand luggage.

WillTravel

I don't think BMI is that much better on intra-Europe flights. Their carryon limit is 7 kg. I think the checked limit is 20 kg, but I'm not sure.

Where2Travel

No, there's no Ryanair route from Amsterdam to London. There are great fares to be had on Easyjet (to a choice of Gatwick, Luton and Stansted airports) though. Otherwise it's BMI to Heathrow if you want a no-frills airline.

EUJet fly Amsterdam to Kent International but I doubt it would be worth anyone flying there unless they lived locally and were driving to the airport.

Where2Travel

No, there's no Ryanair route from Amsterdam to London. There are great fares to be had on Easyjet (to a choice of Gatwick, Luton and Stansted airports) though. Otherwise it's BMI to Heathrow if you want a no-frills airline.

EUJet fly Amsterdam to Kent International but I doubt it would be worth anyone flying there unless they lived locally and were driving to Kent airport.

jhides

I can't address the extra baggage question, but I would say that you should have no fear of flying Ryan Air, as long as you fully understand what "no frills" and "no customer service" mean.

I just found out the hard way that, if you're flying from point A to point b, then B to C, you have to check out at B, claim your baggage, and check in all over again as a new passenger. also, they do have a customer service phone line, but it costs something like 1.60 euros per minute to call it, and I got hit with a 28 Euro bill when I had to sort out some flight problems.

I'll fly Ryan again, but you should be aware of just how "no frills" it is.

Intrepid1

EasyJet doesn't operate "connecting flights" either so this is standard procedure for these two budget carriers but that shouldn't affect your trip anyway.

Kate

By the way, BMI is NOT a no-frills airline. It's a standard, full service, schedule airline just like BA - a very good airline as it happens. However, they do some bargain priced fares for certain flights if you book early enough, so they're always worth looking at.

Where2Travel

Kate, yes you're absolutely right about BMI. I just associate them with the no-frills lot for some reason.

It's probably that I don't recall many frills when I've flown with them. The seat allocation thing is such a non-issue for the short flights we're talking about here and a dry sandwich plus tea/coffee hardly registers.

WillTravel

BMI does have a tiny bit more space, I think, than EasyJet or Ryanair. And with BMI, there's the miniscule chance of being upgraded to business class (it happened to me!).

I think that for London/Amsterdam, EasyJet and London Gatwick are probably the best combination of cheap and convenient.