Originally Posted by
potfish
This statement surprised me, so I did a bit of research to see if it's true and could only find evidence to the contrary, e.g.
http://uk-immigration.ukresident.com...n/uk-visas/29/
Forgetting the families angle, legal residence in the UK is not enough to get you into other EU countries without needing a visa (first hand experience of helping a UK-resident Zimbabwean friend get a visa for France) so it's expected that Ryanair should check non-EU passport holders have the required documentation for their destination.
The argument is then whether it's fair for them to charge only the affected passengers for this extra procedure, or spread the cost amongst everyone.
This is only true between the UK, Ireland and the Schengen area. Within the Schengen area, people get a single visa that entitles them to enter all the Schengen countries, so if they get on a plane in one Schengen country they can be assumed to have the right to land in another, and no passport check is necessary. It would be more reasonable if Ryanair only charged this fee for flights between the Schengen area and other countries (and between other countries).
That said, since when do Ryanair need a reason for any fee? Just keep it in mind, along with all the other relevant fees and transport costs, when you compare fares. Ryanair still works out cheaper than any alternative in many if not most cases.