What's flying with Ryanair really like?
Jun 23, 2011, 7:32 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 26
What's flying with Ryanair really like?
I'm shortly going to be flying with Ryanair for the first time and am actually quite scared!
I'm envisioning being packed in like cattle, with no form of entertainment, rude staff and a charge for breathing.
Can anyone tell me what flying with Ryanair is really like?
I'm envisioning being packed in like cattle, with no form of entertainment, rude staff and a charge for breathing.
Can anyone tell me what flying with Ryanair is really like?
Jun 23, 2011, 7:46 am
#2
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: SUX
Programs: BA Silver; HHonors Gold; SPG Gold; Points but dirt with everyone else
Posts: 8,050
Flying FR is made out to be like hell on earth, but it's not really that bad. You're fortunate to be flying them in the summer, as it decreases the likelihood that weather will make a mess of things for you.
The seat pitch is not all that different from any other carrier's economy class, once you factor in that there are no seat back pockets jammed with magazines. The seats don't recline, but the flights are short, so it won't really matter. If you and your party meat the exit row criteria, try to snag one upon boarding. (I got an exit without paying for priority boarding just by ensuring to queue up early.)
They are sticklers for rules (size and weight) when it comes to carry-on baggage, so read the rules, read them again, and read them a third time. Then follow them carefully to avoid being hit with a charge at the gate. Make sure you do online check-in and have your boarding pass. (Print a few copies and stash them in different locations if you're prone to misplacing things.)
The in-flight experience isn't awful. They will spend the entire flight trying to sell you things, so bring headphones and zone out.
The seat pitch is not all that different from any other carrier's economy class, once you factor in that there are no seat back pockets jammed with magazines. The seats don't recline, but the flights are short, so it won't really matter. If you and your party meat the exit row criteria, try to snag one upon boarding. (I got an exit without paying for priority boarding just by ensuring to queue up early.)
They are sticklers for rules (size and weight) when it comes to carry-on baggage, so read the rules, read them again, and read them a third time. Then follow them carefully to avoid being hit with a charge at the gate. Make sure you do online check-in and have your boarding pass. (Print a few copies and stash them in different locations if you're prone to misplacing things.)
The in-flight experience isn't awful. They will spend the entire flight trying to sell you things, so bring headphones and zone out.
Jun 23, 2011, 7:51 am
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 26
Thanks for the info 
I'd forgotten about my other worry - getting something wrong and being hit with a huge charge for it!
About a year ago my friend and her partner travelled Ryanair with just hand luggage. I was going to borrow the bags they used seeing as they must fit the guidelines.
Do you know if Ryanair have shrunk their hand luggage size limits recently?
I'd forgotten about my other worry - getting something wrong and being hit with a huge charge for it!
About a year ago my friend and her partner travelled Ryanair with just hand luggage. I was going to borrow the bags they used seeing as they must fit the guidelines.
Do you know if Ryanair have shrunk their hand luggage size limits recently?
Jun 23, 2011, 7:54 am
#4
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: CDG, SFO
Posts: 211
. Don't expect legroom (if you're tall, pray)
. Don't expect free food (and food on board, when you pay, is overpriced)
. Don't expect to pay to go the lavatory (at least not yet)
. Don't expect to have to stay up all flight long (not yet)
Apart from that, planes are safe, FA's have always been nice to me (even more than air france, actually).
To sum it up, with ryanair, it's not about flying, it's about getting from point A to point B on time, safely. Quite simple, and usually cheaper than regular airlines whose intra european service is quite a shame.
And to me, despite all the discomfort, it still seems the most valuable way to fly when you compare the cost (it helps ease the pain about the legroom
)
Jun 23, 2011, 7:56 am
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 26
Well....
. Don't expect legroom (if you're tall, pray)
. Don't expect free food (and food on board, when you pay, is overpriced)
. Don't expect to pay to go the lavatory (at least not yet)
. Don't expect to have to stay up all flight long (not yet)
Apart from that, planes are safe, FA's have always been nice to me (even more than air france, actually).
To sum it up, with ryanair, it's not about flying, it's about getting from point A to point B on time, safely. Quite simple, and usually cheaper than regular airlines whose intra european service is quite a shame.
And to me, despite all the discomfort, it still seems the most valuable way to fly when you compare the cost (it helps ease the pain about the legroom)
. Don't expect legroom (if you're tall, pray)
. Don't expect free food (and food on board, when you pay, is overpriced)
. Don't expect to pay to go the lavatory (at least not yet)
. Don't expect to have to stay up all flight long (not yet)
Apart from that, planes are safe, FA's have always been nice to me (even more than air france, actually).
To sum it up, with ryanair, it's not about flying, it's about getting from point A to point B on time, safely. Quite simple, and usually cheaper than regular airlines whose intra european service is quite a shame.
And to me, despite all the discomfort, it still seems the most valuable way to fly when you compare the cost (it helps ease the pain about the legroom
)The flights four and a half hours too, so not that short....
Jun 23, 2011, 1:03 pm
#6
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 7,605
Most of the problems occur before you get on the plane and are caused mainly by people who think rules don't apply to them or didn't bother to read the rules in the first place.
So when they say hand luggage 55x40x20cm they mean it has to fit into a box that size so you need to check for anything that sticks out like handles or wheels.
When they say one piece of hand luggage they mean one piece of hand luggage, not one piece plus handbag plus rucksack plus newspapers plus meal deal plus the duty "free".
When they say 10kg hand luggage they mean 10kg - not 10.01kg.
When they say 15 or 20kg of checked luggage they mean exactly that.
Jun 24, 2011, 10:17 am
#7
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: London
Posts: 1,117
Ignore everyone who says that Ryanair is fine - it's a living hell, the FA's beat you, spit on you, often force you to cower on the floor just for kicks, cover your head with a sack for the rest of the flight if you so much as look at them the wrong way, whilst in theory you can use the toilet in practice you're not actually allowed to, most of the time they don't bother to pressurise the cabin these days, it's rare for the cabin lights to ever be turned on even on night flights so take a torch, at some airports they don't use the stairs any more and you now have to climb up and down a ladder (watch out for the wooden ladders with broken or missing rungs), the pilots often aren't qualified properly (fake certificates from the internet abound), and the ex-Belarusian air force pilots consider themselves above the petty considerations of air traffic control, the fuel used is often dodgy having been obtained through siphoning off oil pipelines in the Niger delta, hold baggage is routinely stripped of the metal pull tabs on zips (taken away to be melted down for recycling into drinks cans), and bags that have been in the hold are often found to be quite highly radioactive, likely a result of the uranium smuggling that the crews often partake in. All in all it's little wonder than most Ryanair passengers suffer a nervous breakdown after flying with them.
Jun 24, 2011, 11:14 am
#8
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: MHT/BOS <--> World
Programs: AA Plat 2.8MM
Posts: 4,629
Ignore everyone who says that Ryanair is fine - it's a living hell, the FA's beat you, spit on you, often force you to cower on the floor just for kicks, cover your head with a sack for the rest of the flight if you so much as look at them the wrong way, whilst in theory you can use the toilet in practice you're not actually allowed to, most of the time they don't bother to pressurise the cabin these days, it's rare for the cabin lights to ever be turned on even on night flights so take a torch, at some airports they don't use the stairs any more and you now have to climb up and down a ladder (watch out for the wooden ladders with broken or missing rungs), the pilots often aren't qualified properly (fake certificates from the internet abound), and the ex-Belarusian air force pilots consider themselves above the petty considerations of air traffic control, the fuel used is often dodgy having been obtained through siphoning off oil pipelines in the Niger delta, hold baggage is routinely stripped of the metal pull tabs on zips (taken away to be melted down for recycling into drinks cans), and bags that have been in the hold are often found to be quite highly radioactive, likely a result of the uranium smuggling that the crews often partake in. All in all it's little wonder than most Ryanair passengers suffer a nervous breakdown after flying with them.
One reason I am unlikely to fly RyanAir again is they will not rebook on other carriers when things go wrong and sometimes delays can go on for more than a day when things go really wrong. Legacy airlines will generally rebook me, minimizing the likelihood of a very long delay. Otherwise Ryan are fine for short flights when you don't need to take much with you, IMO.
Jun 26, 2011, 3:34 am
#9
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Loftus Road UK
Programs: AA Lifetime Plat; BA GGL; Virgin Gold; United Silver; Hilton Dia; IHG Spire; Marriott Tit; Hertz PC
Posts: 337
My FR rules of thumb are:
- Consider for short flights up to 2.5 hours
- Take hand luggage only (Make sure it conforms to all their rules)
- Flying to smaller / out of the way airports can save a lot of time (depending on your destination....)
- Their first out last in flights from UK maximise weekend breaks value in your destination - had many w/e breaks in new cities for under 100GBP ai without needing to take any days off work if you book ahead and plan well
- Look out for empty Exit row seats - many people think they are reserved and they can't sit in them
- Take your own food on board
- Take a paper / book / I-Pods etc. to keep you engaged for the whole flight
- Expect what you pay for - anything over that is a bonus!
- Consider for short flights up to 2.5 hours
- Take hand luggage only (Make sure it conforms to all their rules)
- Flying to smaller / out of the way airports can save a lot of time (depending on your destination....)
- Their first out last in flights from UK maximise weekend breaks value in your destination - had many w/e breaks in new cities for under 100GBP ai without needing to take any days off work if you book ahead and plan well
- Look out for empty Exit row seats - many people think they are reserved and they can't sit in them
- Take your own food on board
- Take a paper / book / I-Pods etc. to keep you engaged for the whole flight
- Expect what you pay for - anything over that is a bonus!
Jun 27, 2011, 2:17 am
#10
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 189
Flying Ryainair is like traveling in a coach which accidently flies. Don't expect much, but you have a reasonable chance to get to your destination in time.
757DUD
One small addition: If you don't have an EU-Passport there are some special rules. Make sure you follow them to the point, otherwise the plane probably leaves without you.
757DUD
One small addition: If you don't have an EU-Passport there are some special rules. Make sure you follow them to the point, otherwise the plane probably leaves without you.
Jun 27, 2011, 6:22 am
#11
Join Date: Nov 2006
Programs: Flying Blue, easyJet Plus (!)
Posts: 1,762
Neil
Jun 27, 2011, 6:24 am
#12
Join Date: Nov 2006
Programs: Flying Blue, easyJet Plus (!)
Posts: 1,762
Neil
Jun 28, 2011, 7:38 am
#13
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Birmingham, UK
Programs: OW E, *A RCC, BE P. IHG Plat Amb, Accor Plat, BW Diamond. AMEX Plat
Posts: 95
Nothing wrong with Ryanair if you read the rules and apply a bit of common.
Bag Drop, check-in online and print your boarding card on a standard A4 page (not double sided and don't be a cheapskate and print 2 per page). Bag drop opens 2 hours before and shuts at -40 so just make sure you turn up between them times as no rewards for turning up first or last. You CANNOT pool your bags so don't argue with them if you buy BAG1 for 2 passengers and turn up with 17.0 and 11.0. If you have a non-EU passport then you need to go to the Visa Check desk and get that stamped as you will turned away at the gate if you don't.
Hand Luggage, if it fits in the crate it fits and if it doesn't you get charged £40. Don't bother buying a "soft shell" bag that is exactly the dimensions and cram it to the brim as it obviously expands beyond the dimensions. All shop purchases, mini pouch bags and laptops must fit inside one bag.
Boarding, they call the flight -40, priorities queue down first and then everyone else behind. Loading front and rear steps so see where the "priority sheep" go first and you go the opposite side. Staff are only rude if you are arrogant to them so just help them out and they'll get you there on time. Gate closes -20 and you will be offloaded with no offload calls so don't wait until the queue dies down as you'll be booking another flight.
On Board, you pay for the flight and so you get the flight. It goes on time and it goes quick. If you want pre-boarding drinks etc.. then fork out the £100s for a full-service flight. Buy a meal deal at the airport before as drinks and food are expensive on board. Put some films on your iPhone and just chill out and relax. Ryanair I found are fierce with agents so expect all your bags on time as the agents will get hammered for any lateness.
Bag Drop, check-in online and print your boarding card on a standard A4 page (not double sided and don't be a cheapskate and print 2 per page). Bag drop opens 2 hours before and shuts at -40 so just make sure you turn up between them times as no rewards for turning up first or last. You CANNOT pool your bags so don't argue with them if you buy BAG1 for 2 passengers and turn up with 17.0 and 11.0. If you have a non-EU passport then you need to go to the Visa Check desk and get that stamped as you will turned away at the gate if you don't.
Hand Luggage, if it fits in the crate it fits and if it doesn't you get charged £40. Don't bother buying a "soft shell" bag that is exactly the dimensions and cram it to the brim as it obviously expands beyond the dimensions. All shop purchases, mini pouch bags and laptops must fit inside one bag.
Boarding, they call the flight -40, priorities queue down first and then everyone else behind. Loading front and rear steps so see where the "priority sheep" go first and you go the opposite side. Staff are only rude if you are arrogant to them so just help them out and they'll get you there on time. Gate closes -20 and you will be offloaded with no offload calls so don't wait until the queue dies down as you'll be booking another flight.
On Board, you pay for the flight and so you get the flight. It goes on time and it goes quick. If you want pre-boarding drinks etc.. then fork out the £100s for a full-service flight. Buy a meal deal at the airport before as drinks and food are expensive on board. Put some films on your iPhone and just chill out and relax. Ryanair I found are fierce with agents so expect all your bags on time as the agents will get hammered for any lateness.
Jun 30, 2011, 7:13 am
#14
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 3,072
I have traveled on on one r/t on Ryan Air.
The flight was on time and orderly.
I have an American passport so I had my BP stamped at the counter before security.
I got where I needed to go and for a fraction of the price of a legacy carrier.
The flight was on time and orderly.
I have an American passport so I had my BP stamped at the counter before security.
I got where I needed to go and for a fraction of the price of a legacy carrier.
Jun 30, 2011, 6:08 pm
#15
Join Date: Jul 2008
Programs: I am a lowly ant
Posts: 1,751
I flew FR once, I had to drive two hours to the airport then at the other end it was 1.5 hours from the airport in the middle of nowhere to where I wanted to go with no train and an expensive coach service. Wasn't worth it at all.