Nobody can be definitive. If yours are too big and you take them then you run the risk of them being taken from you and being charged to put them in the hold. Anecdotal stories of others getting away with it won't help you. If you have to buy suitable bags, there would be no reason to discard them after the trip.

If Ryanair are famous for one thing, it's that they stick to their rules, down to the last millimetre. You might get away with bags that are a fraction too big, but if the gate check person stops you, you'll be hit with a painful charge to put them in the hold.

Ryanair sized bags would be too small for US carriers (and also, technically, too wide in one dimension - although no one checks here). Since the trip is for 3 people, that means 3 bags that are too small to be useful for most of our travel, while tripling the price of the tickets (that and my bag collection is getting pretty extensive, something will need to be discarded).

FWIW our carryons traveled on Ryanair last year, but it was just one flight and I am not sure how representative that was.

They are more lax than previously, but you do occasionally see them checking.

I have a rucksack specifically for Ryanair travel. It measures 50x40x20 when full and only cost around £15. Main advantage is that it can be folded down when no longer needed. I'm sure you can get something similar in the US at a similar price?

This is a side trip to a longer trip, so the 3 of us have to bring a (US)-standard-sized carry on plus a second smaller bag (backpack, no issue on size with those, should be within Ryanair second bag dimensions).

I guess we may have to risk it. Will report here on how it went.

Any doc checks recently?
 

So I was successful in grabbing a ticket between Belgium and Israel for EUR 10 each way, I wanted to check with you about their doc check policy with non eu passport holders. Amazingly, the fare is still active since last week, Ryanair must be having a hard time selling off.

Op recommends to check in as late as possible to get a free priority q, but as a Canadian passport holder, there are some posts instructing to get paper BP.

I read their policy, it doesn't say anything that needs to be stamped on bp. That leads to me think that stamp can be placed on anything: on my passport or even on a piece of paper.

Any recent experience on stampings?

I have a feeling that I may well have an entire row to myself, but I thought I would like to check in as late as possible as recommend.
>Irrespective of a passenger's visa requirements, all non EU/EEA citizens must have their travel documents checked and stamped at the Ryanair Visa/Document Check Desk before going through airport security.

The Ryanair app will not display a mobile boarding pass to a non-EU/EEA citizen. You will be forced to use the online check in and print the document.

I recall entering my address including country, but not passport info. Their system assumes that I m a citizen of country which address was entered? It must be a pita for EU citizens living outside EU.

Anyway, I won't take a chance and check in early and print my BP. Thanks.

BTW, is there still any benefit for me to install the Ryanair app on my mobile devices? Like free streaming entertainment like Southwest, United, etc?

There is no onboard entertainment on Ryanair. There is no point whatsoever in downloading the app, as you will not be able to use mobile boarding passes.

As a non-EU/EEA passport holder, you must print your boarding pass on paper [having it issued at a check-in desk at the airport attracts a fee, unless you are a Flexi Plus customer, and similarly having a boarding pass reissued at the airport attracts a fee for all customers] and the Doc Check desk will only stamp your printed boarding pass (A4, one-sided print only).

Your suggestion above that the "stamp" could be placed in your passport or on an otherwise blank piece of paper makes no sense. The idea of the stamp is to show the gate agent boarding your flight that you have been cleared by Ryanair to fly the sector for which you offer the boarding pass, and every time you fly you must obtain a new doc check stamp for each new boarding pass. If you show a boarding pass without the stamp physically on it, then showing them a Ryanair Doc Check stamp on any other piece of paper means that you have not followed procedure and have not had your boarding pass for that sector checked. Ryanair staff should never place the stamp on anything other than a valid Ryanair boarding pass, so being able to show a stamp on any other piece of paper will mark you out as suspicious. You will not be boarded and will be unlikely to go landside to have your boarding pass stamped and get back airside in time to take your flight.

When you check in online (or on the app), you must provide your passport or ID card details, including nationality. This is common practice in Europe, as many countries (including the UK and Schengen zone) all required advance passenger information.

Ha ha ha! You've clearly never flown Ryanair. Your at-seat entertainment system is a safety card glued onto the back of the seat in front. In terms of audio entertainment, you can escape with adverts for the "Getaway Cafe" or "exciting scratchcard game". Occasionally you'll be treated to a "extra special offer available on this flight only", typically BOGOF scratchcards or 10% off perfumes. And then the fanfare (or whatever they've replaced it with this month) when you land on-time.

In case you're interested, this is your entertainment: http://c8.alamy.com/comp/CYDW88/ryan...ack-CYDW88.jpg. That's the old version, which they have now updated to include the infant flotation devices.

(I clearly fly with Ryanair too much)

It's my first time flying Ryanair in 10 years, yes, I recall that instruction on back of seat. It wasn't yet the era of smartphones and I don't think they charged issuing boarding passes that time, so it'll be my first time with this new (to me) process. There was certainly no 'doc check desk', I assume check in agents did it. Back then, seats were unassigned, 2 doors open front and rear. I don't remember priority boarding existed. No online or self check in.

I tried to check in today, I see I can enter my passport info there. But Ryanair wants EUR4 further than 4 days prior? No, thanks, I'll print it at my hotel, I really doubt they even charge EUR4.

Southwest is a no frill airline, and they've been having free streaming entertainment for years. I can imagine it uses a lot of bandwidth, but it should be cheaper than installing IFE monitors, and I have a feeling that the provider (Netflix? Gogo?) is footing the bill, not Southwest. So if Ryanair could find some partner who pays it (possibly with a lot of ads), it'll be a win-win. I've heard FAs love IFE, so pax get destructed and make their job easier.

I'm surprised Ryanair doesn't charge carryon, though. Wow, Spirit, Frontier, they all do.

Not going to happen. The days of seatback screens are limited, and these days, any passenger that needs entertainment is probably carrying their own device and therefore won't need whatever is offered by the airline, particularly if it is charged. There is little demand in Europe for onboard entertainment - I'm struggling to think of any European airline that offers it on shorthaul, other than Norwegian- and even onboard wifi has been slow to take off with European airlines. Ryanair also would not like the distraction of the IFE or of customers seeking assistance from the staff with the inflight IFE - their staff have targets to reach as regards sales on every flight.

You don't get priority q. If you check in late you may get one of the more expensive seats (i.e. exit row, first row or front rows) that haven't sold yet.

remember they now allocate middle seats first (to those not paying for a seat).

a couple of weeks ago it was only 12 hours before departure that the final middle seat disappeared ... and i was able to check in !

Is there still a fixed order of seat allocation? Previously, it was very predictable. But now I don't fly with Ryanair so much, I haven't been able to observe anything properly.