Ryan Air
 

Is this a reliable airlines? prices are pretty cheap...I am traveling with 3 other people and we are all college students who don't mind a bit of sketchiness but i just wanted to see if anyone else has use them or if they just rip you off in some way.

deep discount no frills airline. YOu will pay for checked luggage and any food and drink. Very little leg room, and usually fly into secondary airports, so travel times into the city may be longer and more expensive than flying with another carrier. Also, prices quoted dont usually include tax which can raise the fares considerably. But it is a "real" airline. Consider it like taking the bus, but with wings.

Ryanair is actually one of Europe's biggest airlines.

Before booking, I would suggest to read the fine print VERY carefully.

As ellene said, they will charge you for checked luggage, and have a lower limit of 15kg. Each gram above that gets charged as excess luggage.

Also check the airports where you want to go with Ryanair:
Barcelona is not BCN airport (near the city of Barcelona), but Girona, a good distance north of Barcelona.
Frankfurt is not the major international hub, but Frankfurt-Hahn a landing strip in the middle of nowhere 100km west of FRA.
This list goes on and on.

It's not that they would deliberately cheat or lie, but you have to read EVERYTHING very carefully.

I would never ever take Ryanair on legs where it matters to get to my destination in time, e.g. to catch another flight back.

If something goes wrong (delays, cancellations) you are on your own.
They neither care nor help, even if it's been their fault - regardless of what the law says.

Check out what others say:
http://www.ryanaircampaign.org/

Air fares are an indicator of the level of service they will provide. The use of the words 'rip off' is not appropriate. Unhappy discount airline travellers have no one to blame but themselves. They did not read the information available. Airlines like Ryanair are a wonderful source of transportation for millions who cannot afford a premium carrier.

When our Ryanair flight from Malmo was diverted due to fog, they provided coach transportation back to the original airport (Stansted).

There are Rules & Regulations in force re. air traffic (cancellations, delays, etc) in the European Union.
Cheap airlines have to follow those regulations, as well as business class-only carriers. This is no "service" issue.

I think I never said that Ryanair was a "rip off": but READ their fine print.

I also cannot understand people who book Ryanair or similar, and expect to be treated like royalty and invited to free wine and cheese above the clouds. That is absurd.

But LCC are not necessarily the cheapest option for air travel in Europe.

1. Check the dates. LCC often travel during off-peak times. Can you get to the airport at 6am, or from the airport after 11pm, if necessary.

2. Check the luggage limitations. If Ryanair only allows 15kg (appr. 30 pounds), can you travel with that allowance? Check fees for extra kilos and add to your calculation.

3. Compare prices, including necessary transfers to your final destination. Regular airlines often offer comparable prices when you book in advance or during promotion periods, when available.

I have just booked with Ryan Air for a trip to Spain - and have been amusing myself with reading web reports of the issues people have with them.....

I have no problems with the no-frills bits - that's why the fares are so low. But I am a little concerned about reports of how people say they have been treated when things go wrong (ie late or cancelled flights). Basically, they don't have too much trouble getting their money back for a cancelled flight, but that's ALL they get without extra effort. The only people who report having been able to get compensation for the extra cost of getting to their holiday destination (even on a later Ryanair flight which they had to book on the spot at the full price) or for the cost of an airport hotel to avoid having to sleep on the airport floor, have been those willing to sue RyanAir in the Irish Small Claims Court (apparently quite easy to do remotely for a cost of €15).

The only thing I can report first hand are

1) The web site is NOT good at explaining what the full costs are - you are presented with an up-front price that seems attractive, then on the next page shown what the "taxes and charges" are, then on the NEXT page shown that you will be charged for hold baggage. Note that although you can pay for up to three hold cases per person, the total weight per person (not per case) is 15kg - with no weight pooling allowed between the group, and a hefty charge per excess kilo.

There is also a fee for "airport check in". (The free "online check in" is actually a very good idea - you print your boarding card yourself - but of course is not an option if you are checking hold baggage. It seems a bit off, if you are paying for baggage, to be also charged extra for the check-in that you then can't avoid. Note particularly that if you select "online check in" the system automatically assumes you want to pay for "priority boarding" (you have to notice the separate hyperlink if you want to turn that off).

Be warned that priority boarding (available to any passenger for ta charge) just means "called first to the departure gate". If you are at an airport that busses you to the plane, there is still a free-for-all when you get off the bus. (Hint - If there IS a bus make sure each member of your party travlels near a different door, so whichever door ends up nearest the plane, one of you can race up the steps to bag a set of seats together). The point is that there is no seat allocation at check-in, so no way of guaranteeing that your group will find seats together on a full plane.

2) The only time I have flown with Ryan Air I was appalled to find that there are TV screens all over the plane booming out commercials (no programmes) all the way. I did manage to turn the volume down a bit while the trolley dolly was not looking. I gather they still have these screens.


I think I've just put myself off my holiday ! No I haven't - Valladolid, here I come !

Before any Ryan-ophile or company hack comes on to say "Stop moaning, you wimp - you get what you pay for", can I just reiterate : I don't mind the "no frills" (ie having to pay for food and drink on the plane, less legroom, a smaller baggage allowance, and no seat reservations) - what I find fault with is

1) The attempt to disguise the total cost comparison (hiding the extras and baggage restrictions several pages deep, and automatically selecting priority boarding when you choose "online checkin")

2) The poor record of customer service when something goes wrong and you DON'T get what you paid for (ie a flight at a specified time to a specified place).

Google "RyanAir" and "problems"

I suggest people read this - www.ryanair.com/site/EN/faqs.php?sect=CHARGES - and realise what it means

For example if you use a CC to book the flights then you are charged £2.00 (€3.00) per passenger per leg - not per booking as most companies would do.

And if you are a typical American work out what the excess baggage charges will be before booking - you get a 15kg allowance per passenger not per bag.

Ryanair (note it's one word) is very good at making people think it's cheap and they can be, but only if you read their rules and follow them to the letter.

And NEVER rely on them for anything important - they will get you to your destination - but that may be several days time

One final thing - if you think you have found a way to get round Ryanair rules be assured that you haven't, that Ryanair know about it and you are going to get bitten big time

In addition to the weight restrictions, there are restrictions in the dimensions of the bags. There are "measuring" slots near the ticket counter. If the bag will not fit in the slot, be prepared to pay extra. Also, you can take the bag to the counter to check the weight ahead of time. One lady's bag weighed 25 kilos. At 8 euro per kilo, she had to pay 80 euro extra.

IMO the most agressive and sly tart in the world.

Sleep with her and (and I frequently do) and you may get the ride of your life. If your are unlucky you'll feel as though you died from the AIDS you contracted from her!

How many airline classify kids under two as excess baggage?

there again how many airlines get you across Europe for E1 plus tax?

I also recently noticed that there is an additional fee for travellers with non-EU passports, so keep that in mind as well. (A few Euros/GBP I think).

In the end though, you still end up with a round trip ticket within Europe for less than $50, which ain't bad at all!

asalamy

That's a good one - racist possibly. Not quite - but very Ryanair

TO be fair to Ryanair (for once) I think the "bag size measurer" is only for cabin bags, not checked luggage.

With people pushing the cabin baggage limits (to avoid the hold baggage charges) they have to be sure that bags will fit in the lockers. So many people now bring bags on board that are in effect medium sized suitcases.

asalamy it's a fee for not being able to use online check-in. It isn't specifically non-EU as there are several categories of EU passport holders who don't qualify for online check-in either

The checkin rules don't discriminate by nationality; Ryanair's T+Cs clearly (to the extent anythging's clear with these guys):

"Where a passenger is unable to avail of Online Check-in by reason only of not being the holder of either a valid passport or a National Identity Card, issued by the government of an EU/EEA country, any airport check-in fee paid will be refunded upon application"

Has Ryan Air changed its weight policy? When I took it, there was a 15 kg limit per checked bag, but I also had a 10 kg limit for a carry-on.

The 15kg limit is definitely the TOTAL weight of checked luggage - not per bag.

At the end of the day it is a fee for having a non-EU passport, but at least now I can explore trying to get a refund!

The problems I frequently read about in the newspapers here relate not to getting to your destination, but getting back. If your flight back is cancelled, you can have your money back - which will be way too little to book an immediate flight with another carrier. Or a seat on the next Ryanair flight with space - which may be days away, with you having to pay for your own accommodation until then. I've read too many horror stories about people having to pay to hire a car & drive back (also paying for a ferry) from Germany, for instance, to ever book with Ryanair. Plus the CEO has such an unpleasant attitude I would not want to give them my business.

On reading the above one might almost be inclined to get out the horse and buggy instead of flying by Ryanair. Now I am no great fan of the airline but still I use it a lot,as does 1,000,000 people every week.They use the most modern jets from Boeing,travel to many major airports in Europe as well as remote ones and if you get the hang of their website you can get very good value indeed.See www.ryanair.com for details

I agree that you don't see the full costs up-front. You need to go through the purchasing pages to get an idea of the full cost of your ticket (checked bags, credit card handling fee, etc.).

Also you should be aware that if you are using a credit card from a different currency they will use their exchange rate. There is a link on the page where you enter your credit card information -- you must click on that to show what exchange rate they are using (even if the receipt is in pounds or euros).

Definitely comparison shop with other airlines.

asalamy - you get it refunded if you aren't eligible for online checkin. However knowing Ryanair you'll have to ring a £1 per minute phoneline, wait for 30 minutes then get told you can have a refund but there's an admin feee of £70 to pay

There is an EU regulation about the "cancelled/late" issue. It says something about you being due for "a refund OR hotel accommodation". The trouble is that the reg doesn't say who gets to choose WHICH half of the OR. Presumably the reg was written before cheap flights came in, so it would have cost the airline more to refund the money than to pay for a hotel, so the passenger would be happy either way (because if they took a refund, the money would pay for a ticket on another airline).

Ryanair seem to be interpreting it as "the airline chooses which you get", so guess which they choose ? They refund your £30 and then say they have no more obligation to you. You are left with a choice of no holiday or paying a lot more than £30 to get there (or home).

I just read the terms and conditions of Ryan Air: 15kg is the checked luggage limit; there is a 10kg additional allowance for carry-on.

I wish they had an airline like Ryan Air when I was in college. We used to have to spend hours/sometimes full days of our breaks to travel to other parts of Europe.

My family and I flew Ryanair for 2 flights this summer (3 adults 3 teens). Knowing their weight restrictions, we decided to pay for 1 checked bag each when we made the reservations. I think our 22” bags were slightly over the carryon weight limit and we didn't want to pay the exhorbinant fees you pay for excess baggage at the check in if your bag is too big to carry on the plane. One flight took off about 15 minutes late and the other flight was on time. We did not have to make connections. The cost including all taxes and fees and 1 checked bag each for six people was $247 or 178€.

All in all, the flights were fine and we would travel Ryan Air again. Observations include the fact that you feel somewhat like cattle with all of the lines, being herded here and there and the fact that the amount of selling that their attendants have to do on these short flights is ridiculous - everything costs extra on the flight(i.e. food, drink, the newspaper...).

Certainly as everyone above said, read the fine print and make certain that you know where the airport is so that you account for travels between the airport and your destination city (I believe that a bus is provided in most if not all remote locations).

Good Luck!

It is a college kid's dream come true. I wish we had them in the USA! Definitely take their buses into the city. It is much cheaper than a taxi. Have fun!

We have two airlines in the US that use similar business models. Skybus and Spirit.

I've taken AlanRow's suggestion and am currently attempting to "apply" to RyanAir to get my airport check-in fees returned per their Terms and Conditions. No reply recieved thus far (surprisingly!).

I knew it wouldn't be easy, but just curious if anyone has ever been successful in communicating with RyanAir via the fax number they provide for the Dublin Customer Services office?

I love ryanair and have never had any problems, but then again i never travel with a lot of baggage and i know that i get what i pay for.

A lot of the problems seem to stem from people not reading what they are booking. eg it does state that you have to pay charges for extra things and i don't have a problem with that

Another good one is easyjet and they fly into the major airports of the cities. (they also show the prices with taxes)

Just an update - I recieved confirmation from RyanAir about the refund of my Airport Check-in fee today. It only took 10 business days, which isn't bad at all.

i'm still totally confused by ryanair's regulations..

so if we buy tickets for online check-in does it mean i can't check in a bag at the airport? how much is it if i check one bag under 15kg? i realize my entire party will be charged but im willing to pay this because my carry on bag is filled with camera equipment and i can't pack that stuff in my checked bag.

I believe that the standard charge for checked luggage is different if you pre-pay it when you book your reservation or wait until you take your flight.

ok..so i found my own answer to this haha..

according to the site
"No checked baggage is permitted when using Online Check-In (including mobility equipment which must be carried in the hold of the aircraft). One item of cabin baggage per person, weighing no more than 10kg and with maximum dimensions of 55cm x 40cm x 20cm, may be carried into the aircraft cabin free of charge (due to security restrictions - certain items cannot be carried in cabin baggage) - "

hmmm ok..and my party opted for the online check-in :( i guess i can change this and book my own flight and cancel the one w/ the party? but does my entire party get charged the cancellation fee?

Remember you need to have checked in at least 40 min. before flight time.
Otherwise, even if there is sufficient time to get onto the plane (which is not unlikely as they mostly fly to really small airports), they won't let you on anymore.

Also departure times are often not too good if you have a job.

The concept may be good for people with lots of disposable time on their hands, but it doesn't work for me and I won't touch them again.

'Remember you need to have checked in at least 40 min. before flight time.
Otherwise, even if there is sufficient time to get onto the plane (which is not unlikely as they mostly fly to really small airports), they won't let you on anymore'.

I second this. IME, they are absolutely rigorous about enforcing it. You could be at the airport in plenty of time, yet if there are any unforseen holdups (eg security delays) and you aren't checked in by -40mins, you aren't going. I have known them actually unload the bags of people present in the terminal rather than let them board.

It's true that if you are on a cancelled Ryanair flight, you are well and truly stuck. They may eventually put you on another flight, but it could take days. If you are stuck in Sardinia or some such place, you are in a particularly bad way. See their terms here:
http://www.ryanair.com/site/EN/faqs....ncelledflights

Compare to EasyJet:
http://www.easyjet.com/EN/Book/regulations.html#delays

Now, in theory, if you have the right travel insurance, you should eventually be compensated if something untoward happens with Ryanair. And Ryanair does cancel very few flights - it's just that it is very bad when they do.

I have probably flown with Ryanair 50 times. And I have stopped.

The extra charges really do mount up, especially the buses from the airport to your destination. The buses are very cramped. I spent 2 1/2 hours on the coach from the "Paris" airport to Paris proper, although that was admittedly in rush hour. But factor this into your plans.

I've found that if you need to fly in peak time (weekends, or before 9 or after 10), Ryanair is no cheaper than a premium carrier. And if you have to fly last minute they are more expensive (its part of their business plan).

As everyone has said, read the fine print and it can work out perfectly. BUT if anything goes wrong such as a delay, its a pain. And, finally, if you're a nervous flyer don't do it. Yes, their record is great but aggressive selling and swift turn around don't make you feel secure.

Sorry for the massive reply but I think they give a bad name to low cost travel.

<<< hmmm ok..and my party opted for the online check-in i guess i can change this and book my own flight and cancel the one w/ the party? but does my entire party get charged the cancellation fee? >>>

What you'd all have to do is NOT checkin online and go to the airport to checkin instead - then you will pay the fee for the bag plus the fees for airport checkin.

Ryanair don't charge a cancellation fee

BTW if you aren't a citizen of an EU country you can't use online checkin with Ryanair

I suggest you have a good read of Ryanair's Travel Questions which are to be found in the top right hand corner of their homepage

wow so I did read that part..I read it wrong initially so I didn't know that you had to be part of an eu/eea country in order to do online check in...soo airport check in it is!