A friend recommended we use Ryan air to travel throughout Europe this summer - Does anyone have any experiences, or tips? this seems to be an economical route ? whats the catch here?

Yes, they are reliable. You can count on a consistent level of no-nonsense service and lower fares. You can also count on often having to fly in/out of out-of-the-way airports (sometimes an hour or so from the city you're actually visiting) and no-frills onboard service. Most who favor the carrier cite the fare reduction as offsetting the inconveniences; critics don't agree with that value equation.

Watch out for their VERY strict limits on luggage both checked and carry-on. I suspect that they make up for their low fares partly by their extraordinary high charges for overweight baggage.

Also Ryanair show no mercy if you're late for a flight. Friends of mine were flying Ryanair from Dublin to London Stansted and then on from there to Sweden. They missed the Swedish leg of their flight because the flight to London was delayed, and had to pay the full fare on a later flight - even though it was Ryainair's fault that they missed the flight in the first place.

Hi<BR><BR>their website quotes punctuality stats.<BR><BR>I use them fairly often, and I am happy with the cost / value I receive. <BR><BR>Peter<BR>

&lt;&lt;Ryanair show no mercy if you're late for a flight.&gt;<BR><BR>Translation: Ryanair operates their flights on time for the rest of us who are on the plane on time. We're sorry for you if it wasn't your fault. But we don't want flights to run late.<BR>

The best tip is to read the FAQ's on their website. They do not guarantee connections or transfer luggage even if both flights are Ryanair. Which is no problem as long as you use them only for "point to point" trips.

I don't know about the overweight charges - my travellling companion had a duffle bag weighing about 60 pounds and was not charged extra. We did however check in together and I had only about 10 pounds in my bag.<BR><BR>I echo the be on time comment. While waiting for our flight, I saw a man miss his flight by about 15 seconds - too bad!<BR><BR>You also want to be early so that you you are one of the first on the plane and have a choice of seats.

Hi Sue,<BR><BR>Given a choice - Ryanair vs Easy Jet - Easy Jet wins because:<BR><BR>1. fares can be nearly equal.<BR>2. Easy Jet has better destination airports.<BR>3. Ryanair 'extra charges'<BR>4. Personal experiences on both airlines (Ryanair had some 'staff/management' labor issues and cancelled flights)<BR><BR>You may want to look at both airlines as alternatives.<BR><BR>Have a great trip.

I'm guessing you may be from the US and I've heard people offer the comparison that Ryanair are equivalent to Southwest Airlines in the US. With Ryanair you can get really cheap fares if you book well ahead and are flexible with your travel times. For the consumer they've introduced a level of competition on Ireland-Britain routes in particular which has shook up the established carriers & resulted in better value for consumers overall. However on the negative side, read the small print, make sure you have photo ID on checkin, don't go over the weight limits. Ryanair do not have the best reputation for good customer service in the event of any problems arising due to weather etc. but some of the offers on fares (which are for real, but check the small print) are too good to miss. For details on some of their out of the way airports they fly to check their website at http://www.ryanair.com Paris is really Beauvais, Brussels is really Charleroi, Frankfurt is really Hahn

Hi<BR><BR>Came home by Ryanair yesterday .............. 30 minutes late.<BR><BR>5 of my last 6 flights have been late.<BR><BR>Still good value.<BR><BR>Peter<BR>

"Are we going to say sorry for our lack of customer service? Absolutely not. If a plane is cancelled will we put you up in a hotel overnight? If a plane is delayed, will we give you a voucher for a restaurant? Absolutely not. Our customer service is about the most well-defined in the world. We guarantee to give you the lowest airfare. You get a safe flight. You get a normally on-time flight. That´s the package. We don´t and won´t give you anything more on top of that", said Steve Keenen, Ryanairs chief executive to the (London) Times.

Ryanair are great - they are simply the best airline in Europe. I fly with them all the time.<BR><BR>The FR/Ezy comparison is so stupid - these are low cost airlines, they compete with the bus not each other.

Ryanair may be fine for providing cheap airfares with minimal customer service as long as you've read the rules, but to call them the best airline in Europe is a HUGE stretch. The service on Austrian Airlines or Lauda is 10x better. I'll take an intra-Europe flight on Lufthansa, Austrian, Lauda, Crossair, or Swiss any day over Ryanair.

topping for Bhakti

Just see this posted that absolutely replied to my hesitation. Thank's to author: upup

Hi<BR><BR>you may be interested to know that on 22 August Ryanair Stansted - Nimes unexpectedly left and arrived on time !<BR><BR>It is still good value transport.<BR><BR>Peter<BR>http://tlp.netfirms.com

I travel Ryan Air frequently as they are the chepest carrier from Dublin. A few things though. I liken it to taking a bus....you get on the plane a take whatever seat is available, you pay for drinks/snacks and it leaves if you are a bit late like a bus and won't stop for you! But I would reccommend it as a great cheap alternative to many airlines. I fly it for business and pleasure and only had a few delay...no more than any other airline. Also even though the airports are amaller ones outside the city the transport busses are always outside (brussels/paris)and you can buy a round trip ticket as you get on for your return. Stanstead is great with the trian and I never have any hassle. Its worth the money I save and have more to spens at my destination. Go for it.