Okay, I am very stubborn and REFUSE to believe anything I am told based on someone else's experience, but I do read a lot of travel forums, and our upcoming flight with Ryanair scared me to death.
Well, we've since took the trip and recently flew to London via Ryanair. I have to say that because the reviews are SO terrible, I was highly impressed with both our outbound and inbound flights.
I am not a paid spokesperson.
I am not a friend or family member of a Ryanair employee.
I do not work for them myself.
I would fly with them again in a heartbeat.
First and foremost, Ryanair is the budget traveler's choice in Europe. I snagged roundtrip tickets for six people, to and from London, for a total less than $300!
Yes. That cheap.
The number one complaint I hear from reviewers is that Ryanair will nickle and dime you (plus require your first born child) for everything else regarding your flight; from baggage allowances/costs, boarding passes, check-in fees, not to mention in-flight beverage services and snacks.
All of that is true, BUT if you read up on the rules, you will have zero worries when flying with Ryanair.
SITTING ON THE PLANE:
Once past security, we purchased flight snacks and drinks, ate lunch, and found WCs. Because we bought snacks and drinks, I wasn't put-off that Ryanair doesn't provide complimentary soda and peanuts while in flight. Big deal. The prices for beverages and food on the flight aren't 'terrible' but they are better avoided.
I didn't experience any of the "annoying and repetitive advertising" crap that lots of people mention on either leg of our flight. The only advertising I noticed was in front of my my seat; pretty much a sticker that mentions that food and drinks are available for purchase. That's all.
Seats are average in size. Compared to Lufthansa, you'll lose a few inches. But compared to Vueling, you'll have way more leg room.
The flight attendants are friendly, and the pilots fill you in on where you are, how far until landing, etc; just like any other flight I have been on. Simple.
Upon landing, a funny little regal tune plays; like the trumpets announcing a king has entered the building. I guess if one hears that sound, you can thank your lucky stars that you have arrived alive!
ALL IN ALL:
I know I skipped a few major concerns of weary travelers, but I touched base on what were my top three concerns.
The bottom line is this: Ryanair is what you make of it.
I paid ZERO additional fees for six people on two flights. No extra baggage fees, nada. My $278 dollar flight was too cheap, and folks warned me that it was too good to be true.
Well, too good and true is what I got!
I urge anyone, as always, to experience things for themselves. Don't always rely on what website forums tell you. Some people let bitterness of the smallest things get in the way of their happiness, and some folks exaggerate online.
*I once had a neighbor lady tell me she hated Lufthansa and would NEVER fly with them again. After talking to her at a later time, I found out that she left her wallet on the plane and when she went back for it, it was gone. No wonder she hated on it, but that doesn't mean everyone should. Honestly speaking, her leaving the wallet behind isn't Lufthansa's fault.
Her experience was her own and based on that key detail of misery.
I had no issues flying Ryanair. Nobody was rude to me, flights were on time, no extra hidden fees, no extra bullshit. It was as simple as taking a train ride through the air, really.
Well, we've since took the trip and recently flew to London via Ryanair. I have to say that because the reviews are SO terrible, I was highly impressed with both our outbound and inbound flights.
I am not a paid spokesperson.
I am not a friend or family member of a Ryanair employee.
I do not work for them myself.
I would fly with them again in a heartbeat.
First and foremost, Ryanair is the budget traveler's choice in Europe. I snagged roundtrip tickets for six people, to and from London, for a total less than $300!
Yes. That cheap.
The number one complaint I hear from reviewers is that Ryanair will nickle and dime you (plus require your first born child) for everything else regarding your flight; from baggage allowances/costs, boarding passes, check-in fees, not to mention in-flight beverage services and snacks.
All of that is true, BUT if you read up on the rules, you will have zero worries when flying with Ryanair.
- Baggage
Because our trip was pretty short, I had no complaints about only bringing a carry-on. I had read all about carry-on dimensions through Ryanair's website, and knew that a few of the pieces we owned wouldn't work. I jumped on to Amazon, paid $60 bucks for 4 new carry-ons with Ryanair's size requirements, and presto, ready to go.
*To people wondering why I'd buy new cheap luggage for a cheap flight: I plan to fly again while living abroad, so it's better just to suck it up and pay the price. They will be used again soon.
Once I received the luggage, I was a bit worried because when stuffed, they seemed pretty wide. So worried that I busted out my tape measure, and measured them empty and again whilst full.
When fully packed, I thought they'd be iffy, but all of them passed the test when boarding the plane!
To be fair, no one really checked baggage size when boarding. Maybe the employees have size tailored eyeballs and glance at luggage and just know? But really, with both our departing and return flights, we just lined up at the gate, and simply boarded. No one in line was stopped to have their bags measured.
Seriously though, if I were made to pay a baggage check-in fee, I'd be a little miffed about convenience, but I know that my €45-ish round trip ticket is NOT something to complain about, and not a deal that is possible with any other air carrier! So what if they had me pay? Factor in a baggage fee plus my cheap ticket and I'm still flying round trip for about €100. Pshhhh! I couldn't even jump a state over via air plane in the United States for that cheap if I tried.
*NOTE: I have seen blogs and forums where people bitch and moan about Ryanair's "stupid" list of what you can or cannot bring on an aircraft.
UMMMM.
What you can and cannot bring on a plane is pretty standard across the board. Last I checked, I couldn't bring a pair of 8 inch scissors on a domestic flight in the United States, either. The 100ml plastic baggy/liquid rule is not Ryanair's fault. The people who cannot seem to figure this out are the people I am scared to have on my future flights, and if I must fly with them, I sure hope they're not getting a wing seat or we're all screwed.
P.S. Did you know that you can avoid Ryanair's hefty baggage fees by booking a seat for your luggage? For instance, my one way ticket to London was about €23. I could've bought a seat for a large piece of luggage for the same price! Doing so would avoid the €60 checked-in baggage fee, however, it is important to note that you still have to follow the rules regarding liquids, knives, lighter fluid, katana swords, etc,. Some restrictions apply, so I suggest doing your homework on their official website before assuming.
Baggage tips:
Measure all of your bags: Carry-on, check-in, and your personal carry-on, such as a purse, camera bag, etc,.
If you must check in a bag, pay for it online before the date of your flight. You'll save a few bucks.
As of June 2015 (the month and year that we last used Ryanair's services) each person is allowed one carry-on piece of luggage AND one personal item, like a purse, or small bag. Some blogs are outdated and don't say as much. If ever in doubt, check the Ryanair website.
Remember that Ryanair flights are all technically one way tickets. You will have to pay for check-in baggage for BOTH legs of your flight. The initial check-in fee is separate than your return flight. It's not a one and done, son.
- CHECKING IN FOR YOUR FLIGHT
This part is fun, if you're someone like me that holds a United States passport.
All non-European Union (EU) (sometimes UK passport holders are exempt) are required to have their passports checked BEFORE going through security at airline's baggage drop counter. The top of your pre-printed boarding pass will say something like this (this is actually my own boarding pass):
Ryanair's check-in/baggage drop counters open approximately 2 hours before the flight takes off. At some airports, where Ryanair has more flights, you may see the counter open no matter what time it is.
In Nuremberg, the counter opened exactly two hours before.
At Stansted London, it was about 4 hours prior to our flight, but Stansted is a large Ryanair hub.
All that happens here is an airline employee will compare the names on your passports to the names on the boarding passes and then stamp the boarding passes, proving that you've been to the counter.
I honestly think this process needs to be eliminated because after going through security, but before they'd let us through to our gates, our passports and boarding passes were checked again by official "TSA" like folks, including their typical questionnaire: "Why were you here? What's your place of birth? Are you going on holiday?" Not really customs, but felt like it.
Also, if you cannot check in online before your flight, you will pay a lovely Ryanair fee of €15 or so Euro (I say Euro, because I live in Germany) to do it at the airport. One cannot print a boarding pass online without checking in online.
Since Ryanair won't let you print a boarding pass more than 7 days in advanced (unless you pay €10 for allocated seating), you may want to think about how you can print a boarding pass from your hotel for your return flight. The smartphone option of jumping online and doing a screenshot is always there, but NOT always reliable.
If in doubt, pay the €10 for allocated seating on your return flight and enjoy the ability to print your boarding pass even further out than 7 days. I see this complaint often, and seriously, €10 is worth saving the trouble of finding a printer while on holiday.
Tips for Check-in:
Check-in as early as possible so that you can print your boarding passes as early as possible. This is really helpful for return flights, and allows folks more time to figure out where to print a boarding pass if a printer is not available at a hotel.
If your boarding pass or ticket confirmation states that you must go to passport control, do so. Sometimes that line can get super long (it's the same line/counter where you'd check-in your baggage), so be there as early as possible. Remember, if the counter opens two hours before the flight, you still have to go through security and find your gate as well. Depending on the airport is dependent on how easy this process flows.
Nuremberg? EASY.
Stansted? Pain in the arse.
SITTING ON THE PLANE:
Once past security, we purchased flight snacks and drinks, ate lunch, and found WCs. Because we bought snacks and drinks, I wasn't put-off that Ryanair doesn't provide complimentary soda and peanuts while in flight. Big deal. The prices for beverages and food on the flight aren't 'terrible' but they are better avoided.
I didn't experience any of the "annoying and repetitive advertising" crap that lots of people mention on either leg of our flight. The only advertising I noticed was in front of my my seat; pretty much a sticker that mentions that food and drinks are available for purchase. That's all.
Seats are average in size. Compared to Lufthansa, you'll lose a few inches. But compared to Vueling, you'll have way more leg room.
The flight attendants are friendly, and the pilots fill you in on where you are, how far until landing, etc; just like any other flight I have been on. Simple.
Upon landing, a funny little regal tune plays; like the trumpets announcing a king has entered the building. I guess if one hears that sound, you can thank your lucky stars that you have arrived alive!
ALL IN ALL:
I know I skipped a few major concerns of weary travelers, but I touched base on what were my top three concerns.
The bottom line is this: Ryanair is what you make of it.
I paid ZERO additional fees for six people on two flights. No extra baggage fees, nada. My $278 dollar flight was too cheap, and folks warned me that it was too good to be true.
Well, too good and true is what I got!
I urge anyone, as always, to experience things for themselves. Don't always rely on what website forums tell you. Some people let bitterness of the smallest things get in the way of their happiness, and some folks exaggerate online.
*I once had a neighbor lady tell me she hated Lufthansa and would NEVER fly with them again. After talking to her at a later time, I found out that she left her wallet on the plane and when she went back for it, it was gone. No wonder she hated on it, but that doesn't mean everyone should. Honestly speaking, her leaving the wallet behind isn't Lufthansa's fault.
Her experience was her own and based on that key detail of misery.
I had no issues flying Ryanair. Nobody was rude to me, flights were on time, no extra hidden fees, no extra bullshit. It was as simple as taking a train ride through the air, really.
Oh looky. I made it home safe!
Looking forward to planning my next trip, and if Ryanair is an option, and has the best fares, I will not hesitate to book through them!
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