ferrier50

Hello,

I have an option to fly either Ryanair or Easyjet. Price-wise not much of a difference. If you had a choice, which would you choose?

Also, has anyone flown Meridiana airlines? Apparently it's one of the Italian budget airlines.

Thanks.

WillTravel

I've had two flights on Ryanair and two on EasyJet. Both held to a good schedule, had pleasant staff, and worked flawlessly. I can't think of a reason to prefer one or the other, besides schedule and price. Note that both airlines have loosened their carry-on policies lately.

Nidwaldner_Chris

I think there is a difference. Ryanair is known for having a "take it or leave it" attitude with their passengers if anything goes wrong. Ryanair is less flexible than Easyjet in this regard. The CEO who started the company is infamous for saying things like all we promise is a cheap flight and nothing else. Easyjet also has much better luggage allowance for carry-on and check-in.

janis

If those were my two choices -- I'd use EasyJet hands down.

For one of the no frills airlines, Easy Jet at least tries to sort out problems. On Ryanair you are totally on your own.

Dave_

All things equal, I would also go with Easyjet. I travelled with both and never had any problems so far but I find Easyjet are more professional in most ways. Everything seemed slightly more organised wiht Easyjet.

You say the price isn't different but I would also consider the flight times to avoid having to trek out to one of London's airports too early in the morning. Lots of their flights are around 6-7am which are best avoided if you need to travel to the airport that morning.

WillTravel

EasyJet claimed on their web site that they do not have carry-on restrictions anymore, subject to a specific size requirement. In my experience two weeks ago, it seemed like they do have a restriction of 10 kg, and they did not measure the bags. Check on the web site for the checked-in restriction.

Ryanair says they now have a carry-on restriction of 10 kg (and specified luggage size). Again, check on the web site for the checked-in restriction.

Note that both of these airlines have changed their policies in the last couple months or so.

Phil

ferrier:

You may also notice that EasyJet generally serves airports that are more easily reached, in contrast to Ryanair, which flies into a few airports, mainly former military airfields, which are precariously served by public transport.

It is certaily worth your while checking "ground transport" of your intended destination.

Phil

PatrickLondon

It may be unkind, but Ryanair has been nicknamed 'Eire O'Flot' - but I have no personal knowledge, so I'll just shut up.

Kate

I'd go with Easyjet because of the luggage allowance. Ryanair have cut their check-in luggage allowance to just 15kg (Easyjet is 20kg). And they are VERY strict about charging.

Also, Easyjet's new carry-on policy is now no weight restrictions - provided your bag is a sensible size (ie you can fit it into one of those bag size thingies, which looked quite generous last weekend), and that it's not so heavy that you can't lift it into the overhead.

Ardfert

Note that these two airlines tend to fly different routes and so rarely compete directly.Ryanair flies to a lot of peripheral airports so they have less congestion to deal with and have a much better on-time record than Easyjet.Generally Ryanair is cheaper by a significant margin if you book early but if you book near the time of flying they can charge very high fares indeed.

AR

Another vote for EasyJet. In an interview last weekend with the Sunday Times, Ryanair's CEO - Michael O'Leary - came accross as a nasty idiot. He reported that complaints to the company are ignored (worse, but I can't repeat the language). As for the increase in carry on allowance, it was hinted that he wants to stop all check in baggage by charging £50 per item to go in the hold.
EasyJet have a (slightly) higher air of professionalism about them. Mind you, to defend Ryanair's policy of using smaller airfields, it is often more convenient to land directly into Brittany rather than Paris or Montpellier rather than Nice.
I just think that EasyJet are friendlier. I've been treated like a naughty child by Ryanair staff for not standing exactly where or how they want. It was like being back in school. With the no-frills airlines, you get what you pay for (or haven't paid for!) when it all goes wrong.

ealing_calling

EasyJet is easier. Never had a problem on A'dam or Geneva flights. And, all their Swiss flights are crewed by/operated via a Swiss company -- very efficient.

caroline_edinburgh

Another vote for Easyjet, due to aforementioned Ryanair attitude.

brit_chick

I vote for EasyJet all the way, they are so much better than Ryanair. I only fly Ryanair when I really have no choice (OK so that's about six times a year... I know what I'm talking about!)

Ryanair's attitude to their customers sucks and I have no faith in the competence of the cabin staff who are always messing about. Let's face it, if you were in that industry, would you actually choose to work for Ryanair or would you only work for them if you couldn't get a job with another carrier? No-frills is great but courtesy costs nothing.

Like Phil says, always check your onward transport. You could end up paying more for your train/bus ticket to get where you want to go than you did for your flight!

I have also flown Meridiana (from Amsterdam to Florence). Their service was very good, indistinguishable from that of a high-cost carrier (as, by the way, is that of EasyJet). But they weren't that cheap when I booked.

By the way, the reason Ryanair has such a great punctuality record is because they grossly inflate their flying times. There is no way it takes 2hrs 30 mins to get from Italy to London, but by scheduling their flights that way, they can claim to almost always arrive "on time". Their turnaround time on the tarmac is about 10 minutes, so if they are late, they have to wait for a take-off / landing slot at every airport and their schedule is messed up for the whole day, which can result in long delays for afternoon/evening flights. You are never compensated for missing a connecting flight, even if it's also with Ryanair.

But they are incredibly cheap, if you book far enough in advance... and the market will decide.

ferrier50

Thanks for all your replies!

Easyjet seems to be doing really well in comparison to Ryanair.

A few more questions...

I just missed a sale on Ryanair for September. Which puts its prices slightly more than Easyjet. If you buy a ticket on Ryanair or Easyjet and it goes on sale between the period you purchase the ticket and when you fly, would either offer you the discounted price? Has this happened to anyone?

We're leaving next month and I'm wondering whether there's any likelihood that tickets for that period will go on sale again.

I asked about Meridiana since it departs and arrives in the actual airports I preferred. Less transfer time, but the price is just over $50 (Cdn) or so for each ticket. And I haven't heard much about this airline's reputation. I saw a few posts complaining about delays and cancellations.

kappa

> I'm wondering whether there's any likelihood that tickets for that period will go on sale again.

It seems to me, at least with Easyjet that I check the rates from time to time, the principal is the ealier you book, the cheaper. So I'd say buy it now !

Nidwaldner_Chris

I have received credits from Easyjet towards future flights when the fare has dropped (Note not as part of any special sale). You can read their policy on this http://www.easyjet.com/EN/book/regul...l#pricepromise

Another plus for Easyjet is they only charge 10gbp to change per flight segment or name on a reservation up to 2 hours before a flight. Ryanair charge 15gbp.

WillTravel

For the average person taking a single flight or two I doubt you will notice any of these issues with Ryanair. Ryanair's "on-time" record is over 90% - I agree they inflate the time the flight a little but at least you can pretty well count on being at a certain place at a certain time. With either airline, show up in plenty of time to complete the check-in prior to them closing down the window.

David_London

For me Easyjet wins every time. I wouldn't readily give my money to Ryanair which operates under the rule that customers are at best an inconvenience!

When you factor in the long and expensive trek to out of the way airports that Ryanair use, the small conveniences like free sandwiches and cups of coffee, the absence of customer service, the reasons for flying with Ryanair diminish on careful consideration and flying with its much derided competitors increase. You don't say where you are flying to, but I presume Italy, when all the costs and convienience etc are talken into account you might get just as good a deal with BA, Alitalia, BMI etc

WillTravel

BMI is a good deal too if you get a cheap ticket. For flights out of Heathrow, I expect small to significant delays, based on my recent experience.