Looking at some flights within Europe, and the cheapest (unsurprisingly) by far is RyanAir.
In the US, I have had one too many terrible experiences with the likes of Spirit, and don't fly them any more, but even with add-on fees, these prices are very tempting!
Any tips for taking advantage of these deals without regretting it our of sheer frustration?
I have flown with RyanAir several times over the years and had good experiences. I read the fine print and do what it says. Last trip was in 2018 though, Frankfurt to Porto round trip. Because we were walking the Camino, did not want to risk checking our packs, so paid extra to insure that our backs were going to be able to go on board. They only have 90 places, so if you want to insure your carry-on is with you, pay the extra fee.
Standing in line at RyanAir is a bit amusing, watching all the people that believe the rules are for someone else. When it says this size, this weight, one bag, they mean it. If they want you to print your boarding pass ahead of time, do it.
They don't fly from Frankfurt anymore, which is a shame, so the airports near here that they use are a good 1.5-2 hour bus ride away, but have done this to fly to Rome and to Edinburgh. Mostly, still a good deal. When I hear people whine about the charge for water or food, it astounds me. Seriously? Bring a bottle with you, fill it before you get on the plane. Bring a snack.
They don’t fly out of my nearest airport, so I tend to use EasyJet, but the times I have flown with them, they have been on time and the checked bags arrived. Just abide by the baggage policy. It’s no frills, but as they are all relatively short flights, they are fine. I always take my own food and drink onboard.
During Covid, they had better policies than say Wizz Air who I wouldn’t touch with a barge pole.
I've flown with them twice, both short haul trips of 2.5 hours. No problems whatsoever, as long as you keep your luggage to the rules then you'll be fine. My only gripe was the booking process, having to go throough stage after stage of add ons but in the grand scheme of things, nothing too onerous.
I found the best way to deal with Ryanair.......is to take Easyjet. (LOL)
I hope you don't want to go to Spain with Ryan Air
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/travel/holiday-types/advice/ryanair-strike-dates-and-routes
Most, if not all, complains about Ryanair come from passengers who didn’t read the rules or who believe the rules don’t apply to them. Passengers who show up at the gate with a bag that exceeds the measurements for hand luggage. Passengers who didn’t check in online and are upset that the airline charges a fee for checking in at the airport. Etc etc.
So the key to flying with Ryanair is to actually read the terms&conditions before you book, instead of automatically hitting the “I agree” button.
agree with everyone else. flew on ryanair from bari to malta and back in early june. i had a 20-inch carry-on roller and a shoulder bag that fits under the seat. booked, checked in online, and had the boarding passes on my phone and on paper. i did add on what they call fast track, priority, and 2 cabin bags just to be safe. total RT was $100. no issues at either airport.
People that have bad experiences with Ryanair are those that see a 15 euro airfare, and think that includes every perk regarding flying, and can not fathom, out of misguided bargaining, paying a penny more for what they need.
Ryanair advertises their rock bottom bare bones fare, good for those that do everything themselves, have only a small duffle, going someplace for a weekend.
For the typical traveler on here, schlepping a bag for 2-3 weeks, the solution is easy. When you see the options, pick what is now the "Plus" option. It allows you a reserved seat, airport check-in, a checked 20 kg bag, and a personal item like your day bag onboard. Perfect for most travelers. With all that, your 15 euro fare goes to ~50 euro, still damn cheap...but some people can't get over not paying only 15 euro...and those are the people who get burned.
As for checking bags, consider that Ryanair usually operates out of smaller airports, has their own handlers, not that many flights coming and going, and the flight you are taking is usually point to point, chances of a lost bag are minimal, more like tossing the bag into the trunk of a car when you take a car trip.
Frank's point about Easyjet is funny, but this summer you may well have found your EJ flight cancelled.
I constantly find myself defending Ryanair - Maybe I should ask Mr O'leary for some form of commission.
I fly with them quite often, and purely based on price. Everything costs extra from the basic price. Want to bring a standard cabin bag? That's extra ("normal fare" includes a small bag you can fit under the seat in front of you.) Want to sit together? That's extra. Check in bag - that's becoming expensive now.
Read the T&C's, Check the baggage size (don't assume because this is the carry on you always use that it is allowed), download the Ryanair App (I still find it more reliable that loading the PDF tickets onto any other app), Do not be late. Prepare to be constantly bombarded with offers of food, duty free, scratch cards etc, etc.
Having said all that - I flew from UK to Bologna for less than £20 return each at the beginning of the year. I am going to Venice next month for less than £60. I always try and work out most economical flight taking into account transport/parking/availability of public transpoert and my time getting to a more distant airport - and Ryanair almost always comes out tops- usually by quite a substantial percentage. In my experience the annoying things are worth putting up with, and they are significantly worse than Easyjet, Vuelling, Norwegian or any of the other budget airlines I have used over tha last decade.
I keep it simple:
I avoid Ryanair completely if I can.
Honestly, I generally avoid all so-called "low cost carriers" if I can, since I find the cost isn't really as low as it first might seem, once I add in things I'm likely to want (an assigned seat of my choice, maybe a checked bag). I try to avoid Ryanair more than the others, but sometimes a LCC (and even Ryanair) may be the only option. Given a choice between Ryanair and another LCC, I'll take the other.
Read all the fine print and live by it, expect no slack (because you won't get any).
I find that RyanAir panic is overstated. I have flown them several times. I pay to carry on my backpack (I make sure my bag fits the measurements) and all is well. This summer I flew from Portugal to Italy, within Italy, and back to Portugal. Previously Ive flown from Italy to the Netherlands. Maybe Ive been lucky. Print your boarding pass (!) and pay for to carry on your luggage. The funny (scary?) thing I experience on RyanAir that Ive never experienced on other airlines is that every time you land at your destination, the whole plane full of people break out in a cheer - lol. Its fun ... or not ;p
Follow up question - is ryanair substantially different from other low cost carriers within Europe?
Would your tips differ for easy jet, wizzair, etc?
As far as I know the others do not require you to wander around the departure airport to locate a separate desk where you (holding a US passport) have to present said passport.
In addition, the others do not charge such an exorbitant amount (at least 50 euros, maybe more), if you misplace the boarding pass you printed out.
And most of the others do not use obscure airports that may be challenging to reach, especially if a flight departs early or arrives late.
The funny (scary?) thing I experience on RyanAir that Ive never experienced on other airlines is that every time you land at your destination, the whole plane full of people break out in a cheer - lol. Its fun ... or not ;p
It's a cheer of relief. Ryanair are notorious for flying with just the right amount of fuel to reach their destination, if caught in a stack or redirected it can be quite concerning and there have been a number of reports of lucky escapes.
Lovely. Another fact to add to my list of reasons to avoid RyanAir unless there is no practical alternative.
You don't and choose a better airline instead.
Joking aside, you read all the terms and conditions carefully and follow them to the letter. If not, you might be in for a nasty surprise. Also keep in mind that they often use smaller airports far away from the place you actually want to visit. And while they might appear to have many routes, many of those routes are not very frequent and might only be flown once or twice weekly.
And many flag carriers often have cheap tickets as well that will comparable with Ryanair when you add all the extra fees they are fond of. They also don't force you to go through an extra document check.
And for a bit of humour on the subject: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPyl2tOaKxM
European low-cost carriers have many routes between provincial towns and holiday resorts, rather than between capital cities. For many of us, the attraction is that they fly from near where we live to near where we want to go. If I want to fly to Spain, I would not want to travel to Heathrow so that I could use a better airline and go via Madrid, rather than direct to the Spanish coast. Most passengers on such flights are not taking lots of luggage, so some will check bags, while others will only need a small carry on. Refreshments, included or not, are unimportant. Planes and comfort are not much different.
On one of our trips, we flew Ryanair to Alicante, and Easyjet back. The total costs for each flight were almost exactly the same, and there was little to choose between them. It was the times of the flights that determined the decision.
Follow up question - is ryanair substantially different from other low cost carriers within Europe? Would your tips differ for easy jet, wizzair, etc?
No, not really. I don't see the fuss about RyanAir because I usually fly discount European airlines within Europe. While the fine print may vary, most only offer a 8 kg hand luggage, you must pay for food and drink, choosing your seat costs extra, etc. I do like cheap flights and the costs of checking a bag with these airlines tends to often nearly double the price, so I use a wheel-less "backpack" (ebags Motherlode Jr) to avoid the extra weight that hard sides, wheels, etc tend to add. I've done many 7-10 day trips with this bag alone (doing laundry once during the trip) without issue.
I actually prefer RyanAir these days to Easy Jet which at least last time I used them, didn't allow for a separate purse type bag outside of hang luggage (this may have changed - they stopped flying out of Stuttgart years ago), and to Eurowings, formerly Germanwings, which has recently changed their pricing structure in such a way that their flights are more expensive than non-budget carriers once you add in the basics. Shame, that.
My only issue with RyanAir is that that they generally don't fly out of airports that are convenient to me these days - the cost and hassle of getting to and from Baden-Baden or Frankfurt Hahn means the savings go out the window.
I only had one bad experience with RyanAir back in 2012 at Baden-Baden when I somehow left behind just one boarding pass (not an issue anymore as you can use your phone) and they got me for being .4 KG overweight (we just shuffled stuff between bags). I haven't had a bag get weighed on any flight in literally years unless I was checking luggage and I take discount European carriers minimum 4 times a year. But I still make sure my bag is within regulations and don't worry about it.
Given all the factors these days, I'd be more inclined to pick RyanAir over EuroWings - which is Lufthansa's budget carrier. RyanAir still maintains a bad reputation in England, apparently, but I don't think it's worse than other budget carriers and better than some.
The funny (scary?) thing I experience on RyanAir that Ive never experienced on other airlines is that every time you land at your destination, the whole plane full of people break out in a cheer - lol. Its fun ... or not ;p
Nah this is just a weird European thing in general. Happens on most intra-European flights I've been on. Not at all specific to RyanAir.
RyanAir still maintains a bad reputation in England, apparently,
Part of that is probably attributable to the CEO, Michael O'Leary, who has a particular habit of really getting under your skin.
You want a cheap flight without frustration? Follow the advance instructions to the letter, as the above posts suggest. All the budget airlines, which have really opened up travel in Europe, depend on extra charges in part to earn a profit. If you are left gritting your teeth, remember who didn't check in on-line well in advance. And when cursing the easyJet and RyanAir execs, give credit for the cost-cutting to Southwest, which developed in the strategy in the US and remains a model other airlines there hope to emulate (if not its remarkable ability to allow free checked bags).
