EasyJet and Ryanair - new check-in rules
 

I'm flying EasyJet in a couple weeks, as I'm sure some others are this summer also.
I received the following information release in email:
http://www.easyjet.com/EN/News/saturday_12_august.html

Note that EasyJet check-in desks now open THREE hours before departure, and that check-in closes promptly *40 minutes* before departure.
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I'm not flying Ryanair, but I thought I'd check their rules too.
http://www.ryanair.com/site/EN/notic...e=060811-UK-EN

Ryanair is being uncharacteristically generous in allowing free flight changes:
http://www.ryanair.com/site/EN/notic...e=060810-UK-EN

This probably won't help anyone traveling from across the Atlantic, but it will help Europeans.


Note that passengers are now limited to ONE piece of hold luggage weighing no more than 20 kg (44 pounds). In combination with the rules about no carry-on luggage, if traveling from the UK, that will mean everything must go in that single piece of luggage.

Looks like Easyjet allows one checked luggage of up to 25 kilos, whereas RyanAir allows one checked luggage of up to 20 kilos.

For each additional kilo over the allowance:
Easyjet charges 5GBP per kilo
RyanAir (not too clearly stated) charges 5.50GBP per kilo

Is Ryanair waving the fee for checked bags now ... it seems terrible to profit off of this. Since they charge for checked bags, and now you can only check bags, are they removing the charge?

"Is Ryanair waving the fee for checked bags now ... it seems terrible to profit off of this"

Why would that mean anything to Ryanair?

Ryanair haven't got to be the world's second largest international airline (by passengers carried) by worrying about trivia like what people think of them.

The checked baggage charge remains in their website. And it's essential to their business model.

I don't see why Ryanair shouldn't profit from checked luggage. They don't require passengers bring luggage. It's quite possible to go from London to Rome, for example, with just passport and money, and then decide to buy clothing and toiletries there if you want to.

The main problem for passengers like me is that we often have something like 1 smallish suitcase, 1 small tote or shopping bag, and 1 purse. That's now impossible for either Ryanair or EasyJet, departing from the UK. I'm rethinking my suitcase size, so that everything can be tossed in there. (Of course I'll have a transparent plastic bag for the absolute essentials like passport, money, and bank cards.)

Yes you can buy clothing and toiletries at your destination, but you'd also have to discard them before flying home. A weird way to holiday!

I'm not only rethinking my suitcase size but type as well as I have a soft skin one. I think it is best to invest in a good hard case suitcase if my video and digital camera, as well as other breakables, has to go in there. I've seen them load and unload those bags!

But you could be visiting relatives or friends who will lend you clothes, you could get something for 5 Euros at a thrift shop, who knows.

I'd love to travel like that but the wife likes to take the kitchen sink away with her.

Speaking of cameras. I am going to Spain on a photography trip. I usually carry-on my camera equipment. I have hard Pelican cases but don't believe the airlines will permit to lock them once they've been searched.
BS

Presumably your equipment is expensive. I think that you have no great options, but I'd still suggest insuring and shipping the cameras to your first destination. Many people have reported losses and thefts.

Glad I'm going to blow off my Easyjet/Ryanair tickets and fly Air France instead. The check in requirement is, get this, 20 minute before departure! There's no need to arrive any earlier than 30 minute before departure. That was the instruction from the Air France agent. Sure, it costs a bit more (10 euros more) but it's worth it just based on the pain & suffering from flying discounted airlines.

That's all fine and dandy, but be warned that if anyone flies from a UK airport at the moment, they'll not get through security if they only check in 30 minutes prior to departure as the checks are meticulous and slow - regardless of whatever airline you're travelling with.

there are information links on this thread
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34852040

I've always used carryons with Ryanair or Easyjet, and it's just frustrating to think they'd be charging me if I'm doing everything right ... i.e. they encourage carryon bags, which is what I would be doing were it possible to do so. At any rate, the fee isn't that much.

DAX - the 20 minute requiremnet is a theoretical absolute minimum. Given that it may take an hour or longer to get through security lanes after one has checked in, to say nothing of getting to the gate afterward (hoping it has not been changed since the time one checked in) anyone who shows up at the airport 30 minutes prior to flight time is ery likely to have an unintentionally extended stay.

I'm perplexed about EasyJet's restrictions. They haven't updated their site in general to reflect the newest restrictions, so they still have old, incorrect information on some parts of the site. And they say 25 kg of luggage in their Aug. 12 release, but it does not specifically say only one piece of luggage.

Thanks AR & Seamus for your warning, I will call AF again to confirm the exact time requirement for departure out of Montpellier. I was hoping a small airport may have shorter lines but 30 minute may be too good to be true. They already took our US passport numbers, expiration date, birthdates, etc in order to speed the check in process when I booked the one way ticket.

One word of warning about Montpellier, DAX. They screen everyone before filtering into the actual departure gate for international flights - even though you have already been screened entering the main departure lounge. It takes an absolute age to get through at the best if times and I can't imagine what it's like at the moment.

I'll be going through once again on September 17th and 19th.

AR: Really appreciate your info about MPL. It got me thinking and thankfully I haven't paid for the AF tickets yet. We just want to minimize having to go through long lines, so we bought ourselves TGV first class tickets to Paris for less than the Air France ticket price. We like the fact that we leave downtown & arrive downtown in 3 hour & 15 minutes !!!!