Ryanair - The Good and The Bad
Mar 10, 2009 | 3:55 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 40
Ryanair - The Good and The Bad
No more non EU/EEA citizens Fees, but ....:
Ryanair To Go 100% Web Check-In From October
Ryanair, Europe’s largest low fares airline, today (10 March) announced it will move to 100% web check-in from 1st October 2009. This move will allow all passengers, including those travelling with checked baggage, to check-in online thereby avoiding time wasting queues and delays at airport check-in desks.
Ryanair’s web check-in service is open from 15 days to 4 hours before the scheduled departure time of each flight. Web check-in can be accessed via ryanair.com using booking confirmation numbers or flight details to retrieve each reservation.
Having printed their boarding cards at home passengers without check-in bags can continue to proceed directly through airport security while those with check-in bags can simply present at one of Ryanair’s “drop desks” before proceeding through airport security to the boarding gate. This will free passengers from wasting hours at airports prior to departure and will dramatically reduce travel times for all Ryanair passengers.
Ryanair will phase in the introduction of its 100% web check-in as follows:
· Phase 1: From 19th March 2009, Ryanair’s web check-in service will be extended to (a) non EU/EEA citizens, (b) passengers travelling with checked baggage and (c) reduced mobility customers.
Customers choosing web check-in and travelling with only carry-on bags will continue to enjoy this service free of charge. A web check-in fee of Ł5/€5 per person/per flight will apply to passengers travelling with checked baggage, while customers who wish to use airport check-in will be charged an airport check-in fee of Ł10/€10 per person/per flight at the time of booking.
· Phase 2: From 1st May 2009 all new bookings will be required to use web check-in, and the use of traditional airport check-in desks will be phased out over the summer months. The web check-in fee of Ł5/€5 per person, per flight will apply to all new bookings (except promotional fares) from 1st May 2009. In order to dissuade passengers from using airport check-in desks, the fee for airport check-in will double to Ł20/€20 per person/per flight at the time of booking.
· Phase 3: From 1st October 2009 airport check-in desks will no longer be available at any Ryanair airport. All passengers will be required to web check-in and those who have checked in bags will use the airport “bag drop” desks, if required. From this date, children under the age of 16 will no longer be able to travel unaccompanied and passports and national ID cards will be the only accepted forms of photo ID on Ryanair flights.
Ryanair, Europe’s largest low fares airline, today (10 March) announced it will move to 100% web check-in from 1st October 2009. This move will allow all passengers, including those travelling with checked baggage, to check-in online thereby avoiding time wasting queues and delays at airport check-in desks.
Ryanair’s web check-in service is open from 15 days to 4 hours before the scheduled departure time of each flight. Web check-in can be accessed via ryanair.com using booking confirmation numbers or flight details to retrieve each reservation.
Having printed their boarding cards at home passengers without check-in bags can continue to proceed directly through airport security while those with check-in bags can simply present at one of Ryanair’s “drop desks” before proceeding through airport security to the boarding gate. This will free passengers from wasting hours at airports prior to departure and will dramatically reduce travel times for all Ryanair passengers.
Ryanair will phase in the introduction of its 100% web check-in as follows:
· Phase 1: From 19th March 2009, Ryanair’s web check-in service will be extended to (a) non EU/EEA citizens, (b) passengers travelling with checked baggage and (c) reduced mobility customers.
Customers choosing web check-in and travelling with only carry-on bags will continue to enjoy this service free of charge. A web check-in fee of Ł5/€5 per person/per flight will apply to passengers travelling with checked baggage, while customers who wish to use airport check-in will be charged an airport check-in fee of Ł10/€10 per person/per flight at the time of booking.
· Phase 2: From 1st May 2009 all new bookings will be required to use web check-in, and the use of traditional airport check-in desks will be phased out over the summer months. The web check-in fee of Ł5/€5 per person, per flight will apply to all new bookings (except promotional fares) from 1st May 2009. In order to dissuade passengers from using airport check-in desks, the fee for airport check-in will double to Ł20/€20 per person/per flight at the time of booking.
· Phase 3: From 1st October 2009 airport check-in desks will no longer be available at any Ryanair airport. All passengers will be required to web check-in and those who have checked in bags will use the airport “bag drop” desks, if required. From this date, children under the age of 16 will no longer be able to travel unaccompanied and passports and national ID cards will be the only accepted forms of photo ID on Ryanair flights.
Mar 10, 2009 | 4:21 pm
#2
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: UK
Posts: 7,566
Of course some of these things we already knew about - like their intention to abolish check-in desks. How about passengers who don't have Internet access? And yes, they do exist. My mother has never used a computer in her life, and has no intention to do so. She has travelled on Ryanair (but won't be doing so in future, obviously).
Only passports and national ID cards accepted? I think this might cause a bit of a riot here in the UK where we don't have ID cards. Are people really going to get passports to travel on internal flights?
And of course if everbody will be paying a check-in fee then the check-in fee will no longer be an optional extra and they will have to include it in the basic fare. Have they not considered this?
I think Ryanair are starting to lose the plot...
Only passports and national ID cards accepted? I think this might cause a bit of a riot here in the UK where we don't have ID cards. Are people really going to get passports to travel on internal flights?
And of course if everbody will be paying a check-in fee then the check-in fee will no longer be an optional extra and they will have to include it in the basic fare. Have they not considered this?
I think Ryanair are starting to lose the plot...
Mar 10, 2009 | 4:42 pm
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 40
Of course some of these things we already knew about - like their intention to abolish check-in desks. How about passengers who don't have Internet access? And yes, they do exist. My mother has never used a computer in her life, and has no intention to do so. She has travelled on Ryanair (but won't be doing so in future, obviously).
And of course if everbody will be paying a check-in fee then the check-in fee will no longer be an optional extra and they will have to include it in the basic fare. Have they not considered this?
I think Ryanair are starting to lose the plot...
And of course if everbody will be paying a check-in fee then the check-in fee will no longer be an optional extra and they will have to include it in the basic fare. Have they not considered this?
I think Ryanair are starting to lose the plot...
I am pretty sure that future sales for €0.01, €1.00, €5.00 and €10.00 will include, just as in the past, all fees and taxes, as well as the check-in fee. The current sales (or those of last week for that amount) included everything, which now also do not reflect any realistic taxes and fees or whatever is included in normal pricing.
Mar 10, 2009 | 4:45 pm
#4
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 3,077
So how does your Mom book her Ryan Air flight, via the call center were she is charged some crazy amount per minute to wait on hold?
You have 15 days before your flight to check in, worse case you can go to a cybercafe and check in. As an non eu citizen I am happy with this new move. It will allow me to check in online w/o a fee. As for the issue of the online check-in fee for non promo fares. I don't care that much because i would only fly RyanAir on a promo fare.
You have 15 days before your flight to check in, worse case you can go to a cybercafe and check in. As an non eu citizen I am happy with this new move. It will allow me to check in online w/o a fee. As for the issue of the online check-in fee for non promo fares. I don't care that much because i would only fly RyanAir on a promo fare.
Of course some of these things we already knew about - like their intention to abolish check-in desks. How about passengers who don't have Internet access? And yes, they do exist. My mother has never used a computer in her life, and has no intention to do so. She has travelled on Ryanair (but won't be doing so in future, obviously).
Only passports and national ID cards accepted? I think this might cause a bit of a riot here in the UK where we don't have ID cards. Are people really going to get passports to travel on internal flights?
And of course if everbody will be paying a check-in fee then the check-in fee will no longer be an optional extra and they will have to include it in the basic fare. Have they not considered this?
I think Ryanair are starting to lose the plot...
Only passports and national ID cards accepted? I think this might cause a bit of a riot here in the UK where we don't have ID cards. Are people really going to get passports to travel on internal flights?
And of course if everbody will be paying a check-in fee then the check-in fee will no longer be an optional extra and they will have to include it in the basic fare. Have they not considered this?
I think Ryanair are starting to lose the plot...
Mar 10, 2009 | 7:41 pm
#5
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Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Atlanta, GA, USA
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The WSJ today had a story about how the major booking sites are trying to catch up with the unbundling game by including tools to subject all the unbundled fees to comparisons. Seems like carriers like RyanAir can only lose from something like that vs. where they are today.
Mar 11, 2009 | 2:41 am
#8
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: UK
Posts: 7,566
You have 15 days before your flight to check in, worse case you can go to a cybercafe and check in.
Mar 11, 2009 | 4:10 am
#10
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Malaga, Spain
Posts: 1,091
Strange - in a letter to my MEP on 13 January, Ryanair wrote re the necessity to charge fees to non EU/EEA citizens for airport check-in
“...Due to immigration requirements it is necessary for all non-EU/EEA travel documents to be verified prior to check-in to ensure that passenger meet the immigration requirements for entry to the county of destination. In this regard on-line check-in is currently unavailable to non EU/EEA passengers...”
Obviously the world security situation has changed dramatically for the better in under two months!
Or maybe it was just another way of gouging passengers that has now been stopped...?
“...Due to immigration requirements it is necessary for all non-EU/EEA travel documents to be verified prior to check-in to ensure that passenger meet the immigration requirements for entry to the county of destination. In this regard on-line check-in is currently unavailable to non EU/EEA passengers...”
Obviously the world security situation has changed dramatically for the better in under two months!
Or maybe it was just another way of gouging passengers that has now been stopped...?
Mar 11, 2009 | 6:02 am
#11
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 40
Strange - in a letter to my MEP on 13 January, Ryanair wrote re the necessity to charge fees to non EU/EEA citizens for airport check-in
“...Due to immigration requirements it is necessary for all non-EU/EEA travel documents to be verified prior to check-in to ensure that passenger meet the immigration requirements for entry to the county of destination. In this regard on-line check-in is currently unavailable to non EU/EEA passengers...”
Obviously the world security situation has changed dramatically for the better in under two months!
Or maybe it was just another way of gouging passengers that has now been stopped...?
“...Due to immigration requirements it is necessary for all non-EU/EEA travel documents to be verified prior to check-in to ensure that passenger meet the immigration requirements for entry to the county of destination. In this regard on-line check-in is currently unavailable to non EU/EEA passengers...”
Obviously the world security situation has changed dramatically for the better in under two months!
Or maybe it was just another way of gouging passengers that has now been stopped...?
Or ... they didn't wanted to upgrade their computer and that time and included it now.
Mar 11, 2009 | 6:04 am
#12
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 40
And how do you do that if you don't know how to use a computer? Not knowing how to use a computer is quite common when you're of my mother's generation (late 70s); none of her large circle of friends do, and she is one of only a handful of people in that group that know how to send text messages from a mobile phone.
Mar 11, 2009 | 6:44 am
#13
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 7,605
And I can't see the point of having online checkin at all - or any checkin for that matter - as Ryanair don't overbook or preallocate seats, therefore once you've booked you have effectively checked-in. It won't help with headcount on the plane as people who do check-in have been known not to turn up for the flight
Mar 11, 2009 | 6:47 am
#14
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 7,605
They've now changed the press release - the check-in fee will be for people with checked luggage only. If you have hand luggage only then there's no check-in fee