Ryan Air

I am definitely in the camp that follows luggage size guidelines to a "T". I've been size-checked lots of times and I'm always happy to know I can pass their test. If you get stopped at the gate/airport to check a bag with Ryan Air, it's really expensive...easily 55 Euros and possibly more.

Having said all of that, I flew them in April from Barcelona to Venice and they did not check anyone's bags at the gate. There were massive bags being carried on. But I wouldn't rely on that for your travels unless you're willing to shell out the 55/65/75 Euros they charge.

Also - one other thing...you mentioned the idea of purchasing smaller bags. Luggage conversations abound on this website and there's lots of discussions of great bags. And I usually chime in with details of my favorite small luggage. It's a little blue thing I bought at Kmart about 5 years ago. It's made numerous trips to Europe. It was well under $20. We just bought another one last month and it was $25. It's extremely lightweight and fits the guidelines for even the strictest airlines. Comes in at 19 inches and has a depth under 8 inches, which is a tough guideline to meet.

Ryanair flights are single-leg flights, most of which are only an hour or two. There is little chance that anything could happen to your bag. I have flown with them several times and have never had a problem (I always do check a bag). But if you really can't think about checking, you will have to get a smaller bag if you don't want to run the risk of having to check anyway. And if you have to check it at the last minute, you will pay more than if you arrange for a checked bag when booking your ticket.

Betty,

RyanAir doesn't have the best reputation for "customer service" but they're doing well so people are willing to overlook that. By the time you're finished, the $38 fare will probably have increased, as they make a lot of money by charging extra fees for just about everything. Be sure to print your boarding pass in advance, as they charge an exorbitant fee for printing at the airport. They can be strict with luggage, and again more exorbitant charges if you're even slightly above the limits. If your bag is over the limit and they have to gate check it, more charges. Be sure you understand their rules very clearly!

You may find THIS website an interesting read.

I must admit I am having second thoughts about flying Ryan Air despite the savings. Even if I follow all the policies and requirements, print my boarding pass ahead of time, pay ahead for the bag to be checked, get my travel documents stamped at who knows where before I go through security, buy water before boarding, do without a seat pocket and ignore the plastic yellow ambience ---- I assume if anything goes awry I will have zero customer service to depend on.

Betty,

Unfortunately, on that particular route it looks like RyanAir is about the best option for a direct flight. In some cases, flights from Switzerland to Dublin only operate on specific days every week and not every day, so that's something to check.

Hopefully some of the others will be able to offer some further suggestions on how to minimize any problems with RyanAir. It's only about a two hour flight, so I'd probably just try to tolerate the yellow decor.

We've flown Ryanair numerous times. Always checked a bag, always got good customer service. If you know the rules and like yellow, you'll be fine.

Thank you all for your input. I am curious about the travel documents they require to be stamped prior to security. Does anybody know where at the airport this would need to be done? I'm guessing at their check-in desk. I read that this is the only airline to require a non-European to have their documents stamped. So -- line at desk agent, line at security, line at gate? Is anyone familiar with the Basel Airport?

Betty, you are obviously very hesitant about flying Ryan Air. There's a difference of $130. How much will a smaller bag cost? That will probably eat up most of the "savings." Since you are so uneasy, it sounds like the few extra dollars are well worth your peace of mind.

The title of the post says Ryan Air but the body says Swiss Air. Wishful thinking?

I've only flown them from Barcelona to Venice. The document check line was a little hard to find. First I assumed it was the same as the baggage check line. Then, with a little eavesdropping, I determined it was not. I wandered around a little and found a tiny sign at the ticket sales window that said "document check" here. So that's where it was in Barcelona. Took about 15 minutes in line. Then we proceeded to security and our gate. If you were checking a bag there, you'd have to do document check line and then baggage check line. Bag check line was long...maybe an hour to check??

We flew RyanAir out of Treviso (Venice) to Budapest -- document check was seamless with baggage check, and we were through security in 10 minutes max.

Alright everybody - my temporary excitement of savings has subsided. I have elected to pretend I never saw that flight option. I am aware of all the pre-flight preparation and do not anticipate any problem; however I've decided the hassle is not worth the savings. I am not a plane 'snob', but time is valuable. If something prohibits me from checking in online, or printing the boarding pass out on the proper size paper, or if I have to arrive at the airport so far in advance to wait through a document stamp line, a baggage check line and a security line; these are all taking away from my vacation time. That being said, I applaud Ryan Air for offering a 'no frills/ low rate' option. I wish we had that in Hawaii where we are paying $100 each way to island hop on a 25 minute flight. Imagine what we would have saved over the five years my daughter attended college on Oahu!
Thank you for all your kind input and I hope to get more helpful advice as I continue this trip planning.

My flights with Ryan Air have all been easy, as well as cheap. Even with the bus ride from Frankfurt to Hahn, I still came out way ahead with 11€ round trip tickets to Edinburgh. There was no hassle at all, the service was fine, everyone was friendly, the planes were brand new. (bright colors, but so what)
Personally, I can go an hour or two without a bottle of water and there are super cheap bags to be had if you have to check a bag.

Before booking the Swiss Air flight, make sure that you are getting by at the cost you think. Yes, RyanAir is cheap at $38, but as many have suggested plan on checking a bag, which will add another $40-$50, taking your cost to the ~$90 range.

This closes the gap some on the Swiss Air flight...but you are assuming no baggage cost for the Swiss Air flight.

You mention size of bag, but say nothing about weight, which is monitored very closely on RyanAir, but almost as much on other European airlines, do not assume that you can get by carrying on a big carryon plus your daypack plus other things carried with you like we do in the US.

RyanAir allows you to bring on a certain size carryon weighing 22 lbs, plus a smaller hand carry item (Purse, small bag). Swiss Air allows you only one item of the same size as Ryanair, weighing 8 kilos or about 17 lbs, less than what Ryanair allows, and no way will your bag weigh less than 17 lbs. When they say one item, they mean one item, not your bag plus a daybag.

So you would need to figure in the cost of a checked bag on SwissAir as well, which means you need to look at the "Classic" fare, not the "Light" fare on Swiss Air.

Sorry, Betty, but you will find the "traditional" airlines such as BA and Lufthansa increasingly copying Ryanair's ways on internal European flights. The reason is simple economics; the Ryanair model works. And so does Southwest in the USA.

Paul - I am still confused about Ryanair policies - It says if you don't purchase a seat in advance you will be allocated one upon online check-in. Check in begins 7 days in advance and up to 2 hours prior to departure. Does that mean you can print your boarding pass 7 days prior if you check in that early? Another area on their site said you can only print your boarding pass 4 hours in advance of departure. If I am on a train 5 hours before departure, how am I going to print a boarding pass? There is a mobile boarding option mentioned; however all non-EU citizens are to have your printed travel documents checked/stamped prior to security. If I have it on mobile, I will not be able to have it "stamped" at the desk. Also, if a seat is allocated upon check-in, then why is there a rush to get to the front of the line? Thank you for reminding me of the baggage issues. I would like to save on this flight, but getting flashbacks of my statistics class in college !
Southam - Southwest Air is in a whole different league

Betty,

Perhaps this will help.....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLyOkYqLtTk

If I'm reading the rules correctly, if you buy a seat you'll be able to print your boarding pass up to 30 days prior to departure.

And here's another opinion on RyanAir.....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTfL544s9CE

It's unfortunate that easyJet doesn't operate on the route you're flying, as I find that travelling with them is "easier", and I try to book with them whenever possible.

I didn't want to chance it, since my RyanAir flight was 30 days after I was leaving home and printer -- so I upgraded to seat selection for not a lot of dollars and was able to print boarding passes from home. Otherwise it would have required checking in up to 7 days in advance while on the road and finding a friendly innkeeper who would share his printer. A few dollars well spent for reduced anxiety.

In response to Betty's Questions:

I do not see reference to a four hour limit, sorry. From what I see, if you pay a small fee to book a seat assignment, you can check in up to 30 days prior. Otherwise, you can check in up to 7 days prior, but not less than 2 hours. As others have said, maybe to avoid risking not having access to a printer, reserve the seat if 30 days works for you.

As for Mobile boarding passes, they are only available for people who have IDs issued by a country in the European Economic Area, so probably not an option for you.