After years and years of resistance I finally had to give in and fly Ryanair to attend family function in Newcastle this May. On previous occasions I had flown EI but as Ryanair were now the only airline operating this route there was no other choice - apart from flying to Manchester/Glasgow and taking a train, which would have made no sense at all, as well as unmasking me as an airline snob.

The fare was something in the region of 60 euros with a very convenient schedule leaving Friday evening and returning late Sunday night. Having read so many disaster stories about delays, lost luggage, early check-in closure etc I was not looking fwd to this journey. However, to their credit everything went very smoothly and timewise was spot on: unlike big carriers Ryanair don't add 30 mins' padding to the schedule. Drinks and snacks were on sale on board but I didn't bother. The return sector was also uneventful, apart from a group of yobs being boisterous during the safety announcement whereupon the cabin attendant finally took a more forceful tone with "Pls show a bit more respect to the cabin crew during the safety demonstration !!"
I though it was very well put...

Despite my doubts I couldn't find a single fault with either the booking process or flight itself. They do have a bit of an image problem and of course are not the most 'prestigious' airline to travel with. However, as far as getting from A to B goes they are more than adequate. Then again, I wouldn't like to be in a position where things do go wrong with them - you'd need nerves of steel for that.