Ryan Air

Of course it is a legitimite airline,
but all budget airlines do things like that, but, NOT all the time. Many thousands of people use them successfully every week.
Some are better then others, but Ryanair, EasyJet and Tuifly are all well known. I am using a spanish airline called Vueling, which I had never heard of before to fly Paris to Rome, much cheaper then the big names like Air France or Air Canada, but, I did some research by googleing " cheap airline reviews" there are sites devoted to reviewing airlines. All airlines screw up occ. lose luggage cancel flights etc, Delta, Virgin, Air Canada, whatever, but, you look for a consistant pattern of screw ups before you right off an airline.

Many people fly around in Europe, usaully way cheaper then trains, but take very little luggage as these airlines will suck the life blood out of you if you go over weight limits(its how they can be so cheap)I have heard of 8 euros for each kilo over,, etc.

Where do you want to fly to?

Thanks for the info. I think from Barcelona to Rome and Paris to Madrid at least. Maybe more, but I don't have all the plans made yet. I'll be there for 16 days.

Hi Janine,

Just thought I'd chime in to qualm your nerves - I've flown with Ryan Air four times and never had any problems.

In fact, I've actually bought tickets that only cost 1 cent (which was really like $30 or so dollars after taxes), but it's legit.

The above poster was right about the baggage restrictions, be VERY careful, they WILL weigh your bags. Also, when they say you have to check in 2 hours before, they mean it. If you are 1 hour and 59 minutes early, they wont check you in. Another thing to keep in mind is that the airports are often smaller and out of the way, but in my experience they always have great shuttle services set up that are cheap and easy to use. Good luck!

I've used Ryanair successfully as well. I also got my tickets very cheaply (I think it was something like $15 plus taxes the first time), so to me it's worth putting up with their luggage rules. But I haven't seen them be as strict about check in time as the above poster says (their website doesn't state a time). I'm always early, but there have still been people in line checking in beyond that point. I know you have to be at the gate no less than 30 minutes before your flight, but that's after check in and security, so you do need to allow enough time for that. I plan to use them again this year to fly from London to Spain unless I find a better deal in the meantime.

Be aware that Ryanair will close its check-in counter 40 minutes before flight time...that's because the check-in crew has to rush upstairs to the departure area to act as your boarding crew. They will, at times, check in those already in line at the 40 minute mark.....but aren't obliged to. You can actually apply to have your check-in fee refunded if you don't have an EU passport....but it's probably reams of paperwork that may not make it worthwhile.

Thanks so much. One more question. I'll just be taking a backpack for my trip. Is it only checked luggage that you have to worry about or carry on or what? Thanks again.

You might want to double check on the website, but I believe the weight restrictions are something like 33 pounds for your checked luggage piece, and 22 pounds for your carry on. Whether or not your carry on gets weighed probably depends on the crew, some are less strict than others. Also, probably if your bag is buldging and looks too heavy they will check it! Now that I think about it, I think my carry-on was only weighed once. Just make sure to weigh your luggage at home before you leave for your trip, so you have an idea what you're working with.

Thanks, everyone.

Janine, also be aware that baggage dimensions for carry on are smaller than other larger airlines. I too am wanting to carry a backpack without checking it but it will need to be fairly small to carry on. I did make reservations on Easyjet rather than Ryan flying from Pisa to Paris and Easyjet was quite a bit more but flies into a more convenient location with less hassle. It just depends on your tolerance for hassle and you also need to consider the cost of ground transportation with out of the way airports.

I have flown Ryanair extensively. They have been in business over 40 years. I always check my otherwise carry-on when I fly them. Their flights are always only one leg so there is less chance of lost luggage.

Be sure to pay for your carry-on when you book on-line - and you only have one chance to do that. Also, be sure to check their shuttle services from the airports where you land to the city you are heading to. These work great!

I have never had any problems with them. In fact once when I was flying from Germany to Ireland and had to take two flights, in and out of England, they had staff escorting us through customs, handing us our luggage, and then taking it again for the next flight after the first flight was delayed. They made sure everyone made the second flight. I always fly Ryanair.

Like the others posting here I haven't had any problems with RyanAir. The Seinfeld "soup nazi" episode would make a good orientation film for flying RyanAir. Do everything right and you won't have any problems. I travel with a small carry-on bag and a daypack both of which I could carry on my BA flight but on RyanAir I had to check the carry-on and take only the daypack with me. Pay for the checked luggage online when you make your reservations and it will be cheaper. Give yourself plenty of time, follow the rules, or "no soup for you"

Ryanair is 24 years old.

Until 87 they didn't have a jet, just old turboprops

Until 88 they had a frequent flyer programme and business class

In 90 they damn near went bust.

It wasn't until 95 that the Ryanair we all recognise today emerged out of financial disaster.

They have just posted their worst quarter one figures since 95. Michael O'Leary ( for whom I have the utmost respect ) has been very honest about what this will mean for future pricing. This comes on top of some very expensive lost court cases and a current law action in France that could prove expensive ( Ryanair does not have a great record in winning courtroom battles ).

They only have one source of revenue - passengers, and they only have one way of increasing their net profits - charging passengers. They can't get more passengers onto a flight than their aircraft will physically hold so expect some fare reorganisation.

If you are planning on travelling to and from Barcelona, I would strongly recommend Vueling.

I have heard Ryan Air is legit, but if you want to travel to Barcelona, Ryan Air flies into Girona which is about 2 hours away(car ride) and the best way would be to take a cab.

Vueling flies directly into El Prat (the main airport in Barcelona.

I believe the same applies to Madrid. You might want to try www.easyjet.com or vueling.

Ryan Air is a legit airline but it is VERY strict about luggage weight and check-in times. Even with the rules, Ryan and others like it are a great deal and I have used them a few times and been very heppy with the flights.

I have flown on both Ryan Air and Easy Jet with no problems at all. The one thing they will get you for monetarily is overweight baggage. The excess charges can really add up. Also, be on time for your flight. When they say 1/2 hour before or you lose your reservation, they are NOT kidding.

The planes were clean and the staff friendly. I wouold not hesitate to use them again.

Also, realize, that of the 15 most popular airports in Europe, RyanError uses "zero". I did a study once of the airports Ryan uses for those cities, and they are an average of, as I remember, a half hour or more further away than that city's primary airport. Some examples of the inconvenient airports that Ryan uses are Beauvais (over an hour by bus from Paris), Treviso (an hour by bus from Venice), and Hahn (1-3/4 hour by bus from Frankfurt). So, I guess you get what you pay for. With Ryan you don't pay very much and....

Another thing, RyanError is one of the few airlines outside of the third world rated lower than three stars. Go here to read some not so favorable stories about RyanError.