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!