Ryan Air

tina,

To begin with, is RyanAir the only option for the routes you'll be travelling? You might also consider some of the other budget carriers if they also operate on those routes. One point to keep in mind with RyanAir is that they sometimes use somewhat "out-of-the-way" airports, so you'll need to allocate both time and money to reach the cities you'll be visiting.

Generally speaking it's best to purchase tickets as far in advance as possible, as budget airlines often use a "sliding scale" pricing system, with prices increasing as the flight fills up. Note that in many cases the cheapest tickets are non-refundable and non-changeable once booked, so choose carefully.

As with all budget carriers in Europe, be sure to read their Terms & Conditions carefully, especially related to luggage.

Be especially careful when booking through RyanAir that you understand the airports that they use. Weeze is not Düsseldorf, Hahn is not Frankfurt, Beauvais is not Paris, Memmingen is not Munich, etc etc etc. In a lot of cases, the airports used by RyanAir are far from the cities they pretend them to be.

Lee has no personal experience with Ryan Air, he just likes to complain about them. Especially since Tina is only asking about the airports they use in the UK, not sure why Germany and France are even mentioned?

The map of the airports they use is pretty clear. I have had no problems with them. Hahn to Edinburgh was great, as was Hahn to Rome.

Lee was pointing out that when you buy a flight to, say, Paris, it comes up Paris-Beauvais. If you haven't been to Paris, you may equate Beauvais with CDG and Orly, as you'd equate JFK with LaGuardia and Newark for New York. Unlike major airlines which use only major airports, budget airlines sometimes use airports that are remote from the "primary city" listed as the destination. People who aren't aware of this (most Americans, I imagine) may be attracted to a cheap flight and after purchase, find that the time and cost to get to/from the airport make it a really poor choice.

Thanks everyone!

Our trip is based within the UK and flying from London to Edinburgh to Dublin is much cheaper than taking the train/ferry.

I appreciate all your input!

Tina

Thanks Emma!
I understand Dublin isn't in the UK. We will only be in Dublin for a couple of days, the bulk of the trip is within the UK. I lived in Hawaii for years and people were always calling the Mainland the "states" for somereason they seemed to forget Hawaii is part of the states...LOL

tina,

I agree with the previous comment that travel from London to Edinburgh is usually faster by train, once all the usual airport hassles are considered. Look for schedules on East Coast Rail, which departs (as I recall) from King's Cross station and travels to Edinburgh Waverley. It's a very pleasant trip.

In addition to Ryanair, Aer Lingus also flies Edinburgh-Dublin.

I did major research for our trip last summer for our trip that included flights from London to Dublin, Dublin to Majorrca.. and then to Paris.
I have used Tuifly, Easyjet, Aer Lingus, Berliner Air, and Vueling .

Ryanair was best choice from London to Dublin, Cheapest and best flight times.

Out of all our flights the one on Ryanair was least eventful. We simply had no issues.

We bought tickets WELL in advance.. paid 40-50 GBPs as I recall. I also prepurchased one bag checked luggage.

Buy as soon as sure of dates. Pay for checked luggage ahead of time, and pack light .

It may look like Aer Lingus on Edinburgh to Dublin but underneath the paint it is Stobart Air. The Stobart Group also owns London Southend and Carlisle airports and has been developing 'regional' air services under various franchises.

Less contentious, here are some tools to do your own research:
www.seat61.com is the source for all wisdom about railroads. He will help you find the best links for checking out train travel in the UK.
www.skyscanner.com is pretty good at budget airlines, of which there are a lot. Most of these lines sell only one-way tickets. They have no connections, not even to their own routes. Every service carries a charge, so read the websites thoroughly and obey their rules. They have also helped to bring the peoples of Europe together through their very cheap fares, aggressive competition and outreach to previously unserviced destinations. No wonder they are popular: Ryanair (Irish, by the way) is Europe's biggest airline by volume, is profitable, and has been on a charm campaign to treat its customers more gently if not deluxe.