gooseman13

We're taking my 88 year old grandmother to Europe, and will be doing a hop from London to Rome. Some in the family say don't take her on Ryanair, but don't have a specific reason why not. Other than schedule frequency, what other reasons would there be not to fly Ryanair? I'm most concerned about long lines, seat comfort, and I guess how annoying the onboard experience is (I know Ryanair used to hawk lotto tickets and such). I'm not as concerned about distance of the airport from the city.

Having not flown Ryanair in about 8 years I'd appreciate your first hand experiences.

irishguy28

Cost. People sometimes make the assumption that Ryanair, Easyjet (or whichever low fares airline) is always/automatically the cheapest option for whatever route they are booking. If you look at all options, you may find a cheaper alternative.

Also factor in the costs of checked luggage - you still can check at least one bag for free on most European legacy carriers, but when you travel on a carrier that requires payment for luggage, this can quickly become a far more expensive ticket. Be especially aware of the need to observe ALL posted limits (size and weight restrictions, etc; also be aware that hand baggage will be closely inspected so observe the restrictions on hand baggage too (number, weight, size of items)) and pay for all luggage in advance. Also be aware of the requirement to check in online and print all boarding passes correctly (correct format, etc) to avoid exorbitant airport fees for baggage acceptance/excess baggage/boarding pass issuance. Ryanair posts all its charges online - and it applies them rigorously - so make sure you follow all the rules. Otherwise, you will end up paying considerably more than you had bargained for.

Assuming one or both of you are travelling on non-European passports, also be sure to visit the landside Ryanair document check counter at each airport before you go through security. Regardless of whether your passport/visa is in order, and even though it is widely known that US passport holders do not require a visa to travel in most European countries, holders of non-European passports will not be allowed to board any Ryanair plane if each boarding pass hasn't been stamped at the landside document check counter to indicate to the gate agents that your ability to travel has been verified. The gate agents simply are not allowed to perform this check or to allow you on board, and if you present a boarding pass without the necessary confirmation stamp along with a non-European passport, you will not be travelling (there will not be enough time for you to go back landside, have your boarding pass stamped, re-clear security, and board).

gooseman13

Thanks for the notes. The document check is a good point - is that typically a long line to have to wait in?

sfx

Ryanair have allocated seating now.

look at easyjet or other carrier with skyscanner.com

if you are taking checked luggage, fancy a drink on board, and a more personal service, the price may not be cheaper or even cheapest.

the main issue with Ryanair is if something goes wrong, they aren't there to help or put it right.

redtailshark

Pfui! The strident naysaying is all ideology. As a fellow UA 1K who flies FR from time to time, ignore the ideologues and evaluate the product and delivery.... you must know that FR is punctual, safe, efficient, great value.... as a 1K, you won't even notice that much difference except in the punctuality/efficiency domains where FR whips UA Meantime, what you will appreciate is the lack of hypocrisy...MOL does not pretend to offer you good service and you won't get it. There is no overpromising and underdelivering from King Leprechaun. Even checked bag fees are reasonable and since nobody checks, you'll find FR can deliver fast bag retrieval at the other end. That's been my experience @ EDI, MAN and DUB anyway. No free coffee....but then again, no quality free drinks @ IAH PC E either.

The only issue, and it's a big one, is irop. FR is cataclysmic in such a situation, to the degree that if your destination is served once every three days - like a number of FR cities - then you must have a backup plan (BA Avios/juicy Starmiles ready for redemption etc.). If this happens, you may as well throw the FR itin in the trash can and begin again, it will save time and aggro compared with attempting to avail yourself of "service recovery" from MeanGreen.

gooseman13

Thanks all, I am not concerned about cost insomuch as I will do out the cost calculation taking all of FR's fees into account and if they aren't cheaper than of course we won't go with them.

My concerns are more with comfort. I prefer to avoid lines with her as much as possible, so if FR requires that we wait in line for a document check while BA doesn't, that might be a reason not to fly with them (all have US passports). BA would likely be out of LHR or LGW, while FR is out of STN. My recollection is that LHR is miles long and requires a lot of walking, not too sure about the other airports.

I see that FR has premium seats with extra legroom, so that is a plus as well.

The point about issues during IROPs is also valid, that will be a risk we will have to determine whether is worth it or not.

sfx

walking? just book assistance. free at uk airports, she can skip security, and get a boggy ride to gate. will get on the plane ahead of econ

gooseman13

Thanks sfx - what does assistance entail?

trooper

The "strident naysaying" is hardly ideological when caused by experience of FR's IRROP handling... which even this threads FR defender describes as "cataclysmic"

How one can defend an airline while admitting THAT is beyond me....

"Yeah, great airline, don't listen to the naysaysers.. but , just BTW, if the flight is cancelled.. go buy a ticket on another airline cos FR will leave you stranded"

Well.. GREAT!

sfx

Very easy.
Either ticking a box online or phoning up after to place the request.

Gatwick as an example. Same at any UK airport with any airline.

Your gran (and one person with her) go though different security, have a desk and special waiting area in lounge, will be called at the correct time and driven on buggy to gate. Depending on airport, will be boarded first or before economy pax.

ChicagoAlex

Also, be aware that many Ryanair flights board and deplane by stairs. If she isn't able to handle the 12-15 steps up and down to the plane, I have heard that they will provide a lift, but there have been stories of these services being unreliable. Make sure you communicate with them early and often if you will be needing assistance with this.

sfx

if someone can't manage the stairs, an airline at EU airport must legally provide a alternative assistance. but should be booked inadvance

dddc

As for on board comfort, Ryanair and Easyjets seats do not recline. I had a late flight home after a week of sightseeing and just wanted to doze but couldn't do it in the upright position.

Another time we were held on the ground before take of for 2.5 hours and the had a 3 hour flight. Very tiring.

Also check which airport you fly to/from. LHR and LGW are easy to get to. LCY is the closest in central London and the airport is small but access to the planes is via stairs.

There are some charter flights from Luton were the seats recline (Monarch) but I found legroom limited on them.

irishguy28

I actually think that's one of the plus points of the LCCs.

Particularly in tight-pitch economy seating, reclining seats are a nuisance to everyone else. I also think it is completely unnecessary on planes that generally cover only relatively short distances. One of my pet hates on short-haul travelling is having the misfortune to be seated behind one of those people who want to have their seat reclined for the entire flight.

I appreciate that some people do like to try to snooze on such flights, but the degree of recline would never appreciably increase your chances of sleep.

redtailshark

This.

We agree... recline functions on locos with 30 or less inches of pitch are very different realities than the same function in BA WT+ or UA E+. Recline diminishes everyone's minimal comfort on FR and the like. So prevent it.

Clearly, an opinion based on the real experience of loco sectors ex-DUB. I suspect, @ig28 might be......

an experienced frequent flyer of Leprechaun international airlines

@trooper.... ahahah! Now, I can be an apologist for Air Leprechaun. Although I do acknowledge the irop issue so I'm not pretending they don't have problems. But there are workarounds to this. Booking FR for cities where they have multiple daily service is not a problem. Or booking FR if I have a couple of days potential leeway on a trip vs. return to work (e.g. Wed return, but could extend vac to Sat if needed).

I've never been stranded by FR myself.

Considering the value they offer, and the punctuality of the service, this risk is worth it. Also it's not like you can't ever be stranded by legacies, look at the BA forum. I even sat next to a DUB-based airline lease expert from Aviation Capital one time, on a US domestic F sector, and he told me his experiences using FR led to the same conclusions. He flew FR multiple times a week.