Ryanair...can this be real?
 

I'm looking for flights Paris to Rome roundtrip in October this year. I've seen the "Ryanair" name several times on this site. Their website is giving me 133 euros roundrip non-stop for 2 of us (not each!) Can this be right? It's quoting me like under 5 euros for the return leg (the outbound is weekend, that is why I figure it is 4x as much as the weekday fare). Anyway, can this be right? Is there a consolidated spot on here that lists pluses/minuses of Ryanair? (We live in Texas and fly Southwest all the time [read: no reserved seats], and we're fine with that. We would purchase the pre-boarding option for another 6 euros each.) Anyone? thanks!

Yes, it's real. Personally, I love RyanAir for their prices. Things to be VERY aware of:

- You're flying out of Beauvais, NOT Paris. Beauvais is an hour north.
- Luggage restrictions are absolute: follow the guidelines on their website.
- They reserve the right to change flight times. Last year, one of mine was changed by a couple of hours. Even though I had plenty of notice, it was somewhat annoying.

I'm sure there are posts all about RyanAir, but these are my observations after using them on 5 flights last summer.

cody, thanks for info. Is there somewhere I can find out what their safety record is? (I presume that European authorities have as much concern re air safety as the NTSB, yes?)

We flew Ryan Air from Rome to London for a similar deal. We couldn't weigh our bags before-hand, and had to re-pack our bags on the airport floor. When they give their weight limits, they really mean it.

If you do have to check something, it costs you ($8usd/bag I think)

Seat pitch was the worst I've ever experienced.

Totally worth it for $ saved, though!

Ryanair has never had a fatality in its history.

..or a serious injury, although, it's only been about a 20 year history.

The only critism I've heard about their safety is that they make their pilots fly close to the maximum hours-per-year allowed.

I forgot to mention earlier...don't forget to get a quote with taxes that can add another $40-$60 per trip. Also, you need to be CHECKED-IN 40 minutes prior to flight or you have to buy another ticket!

<<< Their website is giving me 133 euros roundrip non-stop for 2 of us >>>

Does that taxes & Ryanair charges (per passenger per flight), CC fees (per passenger per flight), baggage fees (they are per flight per bag), did they try to add on optional insurance / check-in / priority boarding fees (per passenger per flight) and do you know how much it's going to cost - in time & money - to get from Port Maillot in Paris to Beauvais?

Also do you know their luggage regs - 15kg checked, 10kg cabin and that you have to be checked in 40 minutes before flight otherwise you don't fly, don't get a refund and have to pay top price ($220 for the flight alone today) if you have to rebook for a later flight

Have you checked out Vueling & Air Berlin from CDG or Easyjet from Orly?

Does that INCLUDE taxes & Ryanair charges, etc etc

Sarge:

if you'd rather fly to Rome from closer-in Orly airport, check out www.easyjet.com/en

I think they may also allow a few extra pounds of checked luggage than Ryanair, also.

the only thing i would not pay extra for on ryanair or easyjet is the priority boarding rights.

all said, i much prefer easyjet and vueling, iberia, air france to ryanair at same prices..
but when there is a big savings.. i fly them and have not had any problems with them.

pay heed to the observations given here, especially the access to the "other" paris airport.

Ryan Air is less than Southwest in everyway including price. We have flown on them 6 times since November and will probable do so again.

However, never ever plan to make a connecting flight. Once we scheduled to change planes in London (Stanstead). Well, to do so you must clear immigration, baggage, customs, and recheck-in, go through security, and get to the next gate. We just made it, running bare foot through the terminal. Ryan Air is a point to point destination airline (They will tell you this.)

Also, nothing is free. You can buy food and drinks on the plane or bring your own. You can also buy bus tickets and get a lottery ticket to win a future free flight. And of course duty free stuff.

Seats are uncomfortable but the flights are short.

Luggage is a problem just like stated above. Lots of repacking is done in the airports. Be sure to adhere to what it says on the Web site. In all respects, Ryan Air has no mercy.

The flights are typically out of minor airports near major cities. They seem to have done a good job scheduling buses from the main train stations or other central points. Check their Web site for the bus details; however, they may be out of date. Nevertheless, you should be able to catch a bus in time.

About the only thing budget airlines never cut corners on is safety. They are also pretty good about keeping to schedule, because their profit margins require them to do so.

Show up on time for check-in, travel light, bring your own snack if you need one, and don't mind that the airport (eg Paris Beauvais, Frankfurt Hahn) is nowhere near the destination city, and you will be fine with Ryanair. If they cancel a flight or anything goes wrong, don't expect compensation from Ryanair, though. All they guarantee is to get you from point A to point B.

<<< All they guarantee is to get you from point A to point B. >>>

All they guarantee is to get you EVENTUALLY from point A to point B.

It could be several days or weeks after your flight as they will only book you on their next flight with space. And on a heavily used route that could be several days

Do any of the experts on this thread know how many people Ryanair flies every day without incident or is that an elephant in the corner?

Turn up early for checkin to avoid getting bumped.
Otherwise they're OK.

We fly Ryanair a lot because it's so cheap. Sounds like most passengers have the same experience.

*Make sure you've gone through all the pages on the website to add in all the costs (including checked luggage).

*Make sure your bags are within weight.

*They really do cut off check-in 40 min. before.

*Bring your own food/drink.

*Don't bother with priority boarding. At many (most?) airports, they bus you to the plane so you'd still have to race the herd to be the first up the steps to the plane.

I would never fly Ryanair - I've read too many reports in the newspapers here about people being stranded abroad when their return flight was cancelled. Unlike a normal airline they won't put you on a competitor's flight or pay for accommodation. Your choices are a) accept a refund - probably not much use to buy another flight at short notice, if you paid peanuts to start with; b) wait for the next Ryanair flight with a seat - which as Alan said could be weeks; or c) make your own arrangements - we often read here of people having to pay hundreds of pounds to do this, e.g. hiring a car to drive home from Paris or flying from Brussels via Rome.

I'd rather pay more to fly with any other airline.

Last time I went to the site you had to provide a lot of personal data before you could see the final price.

Is this still the case as I personally resent having to type in copious information just in order to find a price?

Stick to their rules... the scramble for the non assigned seats is the worst thing that I've encountered (2 trips) so overall Ryanair is great value.

What does Dukey mean by incident?

If "crash, or something like one" the answer's all of them. Hardly a near miss or a burst tyre, in spite of the media's near obsession with finding simething they can tar the airline with.


If "occasion on which a passenger has physically assaulted a member of staff or would have done if they'd had their way", the answer is virtually none. Flying Ryanair, however good for your wallet and physical safety, is seriously contra-indicated if you've got high blood pressure.