alanR normally offers good advice, but only you can decide which is better for you @:-)

I don't travel with luggage, only carryon, so for a two hour flight I'd suck it up and save $$$ and time. The only exception would be if I could get *A miles to requalify for UA status, but even then it would have to be a bunch of miles to make it worth $100

EmailKid

I'll be in Europe for 3 weeks, and this is the only flight I'm worried about. We are allowed 32K (70 lbs) for international flights, and they never weigh the carry on. I take a small spinner samsonite carry on with me where I keep my computer and stuff...

I can be squashed a bit to save hours sitting around, but I'm traveling alone to London, and don't need any more hassles.

Also, when you buy a ticket on Ryanair, you pay for the priority boarding, plus the 20kg bag (but they can hit you for overage, and how much is that?).

And do they cancel their flights much?

Can you pay with a gift card? AX or Visa? to avoid that charge? On the other hand, I get a lot of insurance by using my AMEX card, I'm certainly not going to buy travel insurance from them.

And what is this "text message" stuff? Do you really need that, or can you just print out the reservation on a piece of paper?

I dunno. The more I think about it, Aer Lingus sounds better. Especially since I'm only one person.



BA is sold out on their non-stop flights, and I checked EasyJet, they don't sound much better. I only have to go one way, thankfully.

All I know about Ryanair is what I read here in BT forum :-:

Most, if not all of your questions have been answered by FTers in various posts right here in BT, and since I haven't flown Ryanair nor do I plan to in the near future I'm no expert on the subject.

IIRC their carryon is a little smaller than what pretty much all other airlines allow, so be careful there, and IIRC they still make you put everything in it, including newpapers

So with luggage that $100 savings gets much smaller. Also, in IROPS you are more likely to get protected by Aer Lingus - i.e. expect nothing from Ryanair (again, from what I read here in BT)

EmailKid

Okay, so I checked, and Aer Lingus has the same crappy baggage rules. 10K (22 lbs) in the cabin, and 20K for a suitcase. Geesh!

So I guess I'll have to make sure I'm not packing anything I don't need.

I usually don't pay attention to the luggage, since if I use an airline card to pay for domestic flights, I don't pay for the suitcase. And to Europe it's always been free. Can't believe all this garbage about luggage, paying for it in advance being cheaper, getting gouged at the airport if you're over... that is just nonsense....

My empty suitcase seems to be about 10-11 lbs, and the carry-on is about 7 lbs. Used to be you wanted heavy suitcases so they wouldn't get banged up so much. Sigh.

A little OT, but welcome to the world of $100 per barrel oil and airlines trying new ways to stay in business / squeeze the customer (depending on your point of view).

EmailKid

In my experience, while Easyjet is a similar low-cost experience, they are much more reasonable if you make a small mistake - and are generally not trying to catch people out like Ryanair appears to do.
(Their cabin baggage is also standard size and is not weighed )

There are a number of issues compared here:-
http://gospain.about.com/od/ryanair/tp/ryanair_fees.htm

I decided to go with Aer Lingus.

It's a bit more and I have to connect, but I really can't deal with all those hassles. The more I read about Ryanair, the worse it gets.

There's actually a fairly fast connection through Cork. Never been in Ireland.

Thanks for the info.

Avios Miles are now a great way to get around Europe (especially flying into or departing from Spain or England). 1 way awards are only 4500 avios plus $20 using BA. Also cost effective using Iberia for anyone with the award miles.

In your situation,where you just want to turn up with large heavy bags, probably traditional carriers are best.
However if you can work within the limitations/rules then Ryanair are great at getting from A to B cheap.

Exactly.

I get the impression that s/he hasn't read up on what will/would be a new experience and assumes that what legacy US carriers do is what the European LCCs do. About baggage and other fees, it's the total price to be paid that's important, and I think most of us do the calculations. As for texts at a fee, why bother? Has s/he travelled with Spirit Airlines, for example, who apparently now charge for hand baggage?

Given that EI operate pretty much the same way in Europe as FR - except that FR have a much, much bigger route network than EI - I suspect that s/he will find the EI experience interesting.

FWIW I don't think that FR seats are any less roomy than the legacy carriers. They have no recline, which I find an advantage. And FR are probably the most punctual airline in Europe.

Anyway, horses for courses.

Don't want to be a voice for NK, but let's not spread misinformation @:-)

So, while quite a bit smaller than the standard carryon, and given the name personal item, you CAN take hand baggage for free.

Bolding mine.

EmailKid

I wouldn't say EI is the same as FR. Yes they are a bit budget, but when I commuted with EI (Regional), I never once saw them charge anyone for oversized carry on. They would just take it at the gate or on the plane if it didn't fit. The last time I flew them, when moving back to the UK from Dublin, my carry on was probably double the Regional limit (which is tiny) and I managed to shove it under my seat and nobody said anything (and I also had a second small carry on that nobody said anything about either).

As you say:Looks like a charge to me.

Apart from you, who's comparing Spirit seat pitch? (My comment was about FR.)