I am planning a month long trip to Europe this spring and need some advice. I have never been to Europe but many friends suggest the rail system. Another friend recommended Ryan Air for the great prices and time saving aspect. Their prices are amazing and end up being cheaper than a rail pass would be. (We are going to London, Dublin, Paris, and Rome.) Has anyone ever flown on Ryan Air? Pretty dependable? Any major cons to flying vs. trains? Thanks!

The rail system in Europe is great, but you can't beat the airfare on Ryan Air. I flew Ryan Air London (Stansted) to Berlin for $27 and loved it. Don't get me wrong, they are a no-frills airline, so don't expect a free meal or someone walking around offering pillows and a warm wash cloth, but they have brand new planes, a good safety record and one of the best ontime records in Europe. We left 15 min late due to no fault of the airline (a guy tried to check in a stranger's bag as his own because she had gone over the weight limit, which is a big security no-no especially after 9/11), but we arrived 20 minutes early in Berlin! Wow! Just make sure you understand their baggage policies. I think you can pay if you go a bit over the weight limit, but there is a cut off point for # of bags and weight, I think. My husband and I were on a 3 week trip and our luggage was fine - no extra charges.
Ryan Air is a great way to go, but if you want to do some site seeing between Paris and Rome, the train is s good option.

Put Ryan Air in the "SEARCH" section and you'll read forever including your questions asked very often. Have a great trip!!! Mike

HI,

I've never flown on Ryanair, but will be soon. Easyjet also has the same kinds of great deals. So also check them out at www.easyjet.com. Both Ryanair and easyjet get positive reviews by people on this board.

Both airlines are great, as long as you are okay with secondary airports. Nothing to be worried about; I have flown both.

Yes, both RyanAir and the one we used, EsyJet (and a few other thrifty airline companies) are a good, cheap way to get around in Europe.

But you have to take in consideration also:

A. They fly out of small, farther away airports, not Heathrow, which are less accessible by public transportation.

B. Once you book on one of those airlines, to CHANGE the booking is very expensive!

If you have limited time in Europe, use flights. Taking the trains will take longer, but YOU'LL ENJOY THE SCENERY!!!

As Steph mentioned Ryan is really strict on the weight of your suitcase (but they didn't weigh my carry on backpack). They use small out of the way non-major airports in most places so that could add to your travel time between places and to the expense since you have to get to town somehow and it can usually be a Ryan bus.

Can anyone answer a question I have about checked baggage on Ryanair? I understand it's 15kgs per person, but can I only check in one bag or can I check in multiple bags with combined weight up to 15kgs?

The reason I ask is because the Ryanair website doesn't say anything about a one bag limit (except for hand luggage), but previous posts about Ryanair on Fodor's suggest that there is a limit.

Thanks.

We flew Ryan Air to Dublin and found it just fine (and extremely cheap). Make sure you leave yourself plenty of time to make connections to the train to Stansted Airport. Also, we didn't realise just how big that airport is and how long it takes to get through customs and to the appropriate gate.

Elizabeth Rosenthal of the International Herald Tribune -- the essential English-language newspaper for travelers -- has recently written an article about RyanAir, with loads of insights. You can find it on the paper's Web site, iht.com, using the site search function

Thanks for all of the great insight everyone!

aspinxtreem writes: "I am planning a month long trip to Europe this spring and need some advice. I have never been to Europe but many friends suggest the rail system. Another friend recommended Ryan Air for the great prices and time saving aspect. "

I flew RyanAir Dublin-London (Luton) and EasyJet London (Luton)-Madrid. It was before RyanAir began its service to Spain and Portugal. The principal shortcoming was RyanAir baggage weight allowance (1-checked piece, 15-kg (33 lb) limit). Charges for overages were significant. There are more European discount air carriers now (German Wings, for example) so competition may be forcing them to 'loosen up.'

RyanAir Flights are pretty reliable and usually 'on time.' And as their network expands, they serve some major European cities' principal airports.

Ryanair's prices are usualy stated 'ex taxes & fees.' I booked a RyanAir flight: Dublin-London (Luton) on the Internet (5 GBP) - with taxes & fees it was 19 GBP (including a credit card service charge - but one must charge it to a credit card in order to buy the ticket). Also: It's an E-Ticket: al you get is a confirmation number. If you're all right with that, go for it!

aspinstreem, in what order are you visiting the cities you mention? Because be aware that the bulk of Ryanair's destination are out of the British Isles. If you fly Ryanair into "Paris", this will leave you at Beauvais, 60 miles north of Paris with only a bus connection to the capital (1 1/2 hours). For one way connections out of London, BMI is a "real" airline (member of Star Alliance with Lufthansa, United, Thai, etc. ) flying out of Heathrow with fares as cheap as Ryanair or EasyJet. FYI, the tube fare to LHR from central London is in the vicinity of £4 (and can even be combined within a travel card), whereas going to Stansted or Luton (home of most low cost) will set you back £ 15 to £ 20 (sometimes more than the actual air fare! ). For a thorough information on all low cost connections in Europe, try www.whichbudget.com

I'm dubious about using the 'no frills' airlines because they don't offer any sort of service if things go wrong. If your flight is cancelled, they won't book you on another one or pay for a hotel for the night, you just have to hang about at the airport until they can fly you (maybe to a destination airport miles from your intended one). I certainly wouldn't use them if I needed 2 connecting flights : if you miss the 2nd flight, even if it's their fault, you are still on your own & have to buy another flight. Ryanair are known to be the worst for this sort of thing.

I'm afraid, for the first time I think, I really disagree with Caroline. When a flight is only costing you £25 return including taxes, then the "small" chance of a cancellation is a price worth paying, and actually Ryanair's on-time record is one of the best in Europe (WAY better than BA, for instance)

FYI ryanair have got a sale on - book by close of play Monday for flights from 99p (+taxes). I'm looking to book a quick trip now just beacuse of the price.

Here's the URL for the Elizabeth Rosenthal article cited above:

http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/01/...le/flying.html

She makes some interesting points.

Hi Kate. I was just really put off by a newspaper article comparing what different airlines would & wouldn't do for you when things go wrong & Ryanair came over as really bad. Can't remember which paper but it was about a year ago, I think. Being in Scotland we nearly always have to get two flights to get anywhere on the continent, so it certainly put me off anything involving a connection. How I envy people in the south-east who can just jet off for lunch in Venice for £21 ! (I have got friends who can do this.)

I've flown both Ryanair and Easyjet and they are fine. Actually prefer Easyjet as they allow a bit more weight for your luggage. Just make sure you do NOT miss your flight or have luggage that weighs too much...these both will completely cancel out any saving you may have had. But if you can prevent both of these, you can save a lot of money.

I think Elizabeth Rosenthal's experience is on the extreme end. I've been delayed significantly with Air Canada and Alaska Air and no doubt others, so delays are not a problem restricted to budget carriers.

I also didn't understand the part about being forced to cab from Stansted to Heathrow - what about the National Express bus?

And as so many point out, you should not book a two-ticket itinerary on any airlines with tight connections, as you have no protection whether it's a budget carrier or not - I suggest an overnight stay.

Ryanair also sells travel insurance that should help with some of the possible problems that can go wrong, but I haven't looked into it as it is restricted to European residents from what I can tell.

Ryanair seems to have decided the "over the pond crowd" isn't worth catering to any more....While fine for weekenders & quick business jaunts, their current luggage limitations and lack of assistance when something goes wrong make it very risky for those of us from the US who usually go for longer periods & accordingly need to take more along with us and need connections, etc.

I flew Ryanair in 2001, when their luggage restrictions were strictly enforced, but not as onerous as they now are. In fact, then, I thought the luggage restrictions they imposed were fine; it made us pack light and that's a good thing. Now, it is just a means to an end....profit center. And way too low a weight limit for many of us, especially on our way home with vacation purchases! A shame, really.