Hi everyone,

I don't have any experience with Ryanair. Can US Citizens purchase tickets from their website?

Anyone help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Anyone can if one's credit card is accepted for payment.

Just be aware of FR's policies re: anything that doesn't go as planned. The fares are very low and basic but so is the service.

[This message has been edited by terenz (edited 08-27-2003).]

Also note that you will not arrive at the major airport in the city, sometimes not even in the same country.

Also be aware of which routes you are planning to buy tickets on as FR may end up cancelling some and just refunding you the money (then you're stuck if you have firm plans).

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/s...029823,00.html

US residents can buy tickets from the Ryan air website without a problem. FR uses only electronic tickets, so just print out the email confirmation and bring it to the airport, along with the credit card you used to pay for the booking (the passenger MUST have the card with them when they check in).

Ryanair are generally fine - they operate much like Southwest (no complimentary food or beverages, no preassigned seating), and will generally use smaller airports rather than the main airport in a city (the Ryanair website has detailed information about airport locations which you should read before booking). While these airports can be 50 miles or more from the city, buses and other public transportation is generally provided (make sure you get a timetable for the return bus/train trip to the airport)

One thing to note is that most European airlines are far less flexible than US carriers on things like same-day standbys and changes to bookings. If you book a 6am departure from London Stansted to Milan, do not expect to be able to change this to a flight later the same day.

Ryanair take this approach to the extreme - allow LOTS of time to get to the airport as, if you miss the check-in deadline by even 1 minute, you will forfeit your ticket, even if the flight is delayed. Also note that Ryanair do not compensate for delays (though these are rarely more than a couple of hours).

Finally, beware of booking early morning departures, especially from London Stansted. The airport is a 90 to 120 minute journey from central London and early morning transport options in London can be patchy. You need to aim to be at Stansted 2 hours before the flight in order to compensate for any delays en route.

Good luck and enjoy your trip to Europe!

P.S. Don't forget to try out Ryanair's competitors to see if your flights might be cheaper. Main UK competitor is Easyjet (www.easyjet.com), whose hub is at Luton, near London (easily accessible in 45 minutes by train from central London). Other competitors exist in Germany (www.germanwings.com, www.airberlin.de, www.flyhlx.com), Scandinavia (www.flysnowflake.com), Belgum (www.virgin-express.com) and elsewhere. None of these sell tickets on Expedia/Travelocity etc so you must visit their individual sites to see what's on offer.



[This message has been edited by House (edited 08-28-2003).]

This is a pretty isolated problem - the only routes affected are those to and from Charelroi (near Brussels) and Strasbourg. No other routes are under any threat (despite what our beloved British press may say!), so feel free to book tickets for dates up to 4-5 months from now.

My general advice would be to avoid Ryanair like the plague but it depends on the route. More relevant information would be helpful e.g.

1) Where and when are you flying to e.g. Aer Lingus or BMI are often cheaper when flying to Ireland. Also as stated above, the cost/time involved in getting from the arrival airport to your destination city often outweighs any savings made.

2) Are you planning a same day connection from your incoming US flight? If so, it's not worth the hassle or risk of connecting LHR/LGW to Stansted.

3) Do you like running? No pre-assigned seats means a sprint/scrum for the better seats onboard. Previous experience of rugby may also help.

All this is assuming things go to plan, and you don't have to rely on Ryanair's "customer service" dept.

On a positive note they have forced the major airlines to reduce their prices so I am grateful to those people who believe their "low price" marketing BS and continue to fly them.

Everyone,

Thanks for all the information! This has been really helpful.

I am flying from Paris-Milan January 1. Will Ryanair be okay for this route? Or any other suggestions for this route?

While FR may be good for people who can live by their quirks, I would hesitate to fly that route on that particular day as transportation to Beauvais and from Bergamo airports may be limited.

...verging on non-existent and no doubt at 2-3 times normal rates.

I'm not going to bash Ryanair as being in the marketplace as they fill a nitch of being a TRUE FLYING BUS. But I think Southwest is NOTHING like Ryanair.

Right

- Lines at SWA for check are not as bad as Ryanair. (SWA has check in kiosks... forget anything like that at Ryanair). Be at the airport 2+ hours before or forget getting a seat, OR end up getting stuck in a line from hell.

- Check in bag limits are low... I think they make money of those checking in slightly "what they call oversized bags"

- Boarding the plane is a nightmare... Always seems worse than people boarding SWA

- No free "anything" on board... SWA at least gives you a savory snack and soft drinks



[This message has been edited by NickP 1K (edited 09-08-2003).]

Thanks everyone for your help. I booked a flight on Easyjet for $15 from BVA-Milan.

I agree to an extent, but I also note that RyanAir often offers airfares that are SIGNIFICANTLY lower than Southwest airfares. (Example: approx. $30 RT (incl. tax) London-Stockholm (825 miles one way) and $70 RT (incl. tax) London-Trieste (746 miles one way); on which routes of comparable distance does SWA offer comparable fares?)

My experience with RyanAir has been overwhelmingly positive, and I wouldn't classify it as "a flying bus."

Alex

[This message has been edited by epi231 (edited 09-12-2003).]

Just a reminder...Ryanair is offering 2 millions places for free (taxes not included) for alot of destination all around Europe.
I belong to the party of those who enjoys flying and travelling as they can and don't bother with service, legroom space, frills, meals and so other.
Two thumbs up for any company letting me see the most I can!!!

In the list of European discount carriers, don't forget www.skyeurope.com which runs flights mostly through its Bratislava/Vienna hub (50km from downtown Vienna). I flew them last month and had an excellent experience!

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-Otto