Ryan Air ? Experiences?

A commercial pilot friend of mine who used to live in Europe highly recommended RyanAir, based on good prices and reliability.

I chose to fly Aer Lingus instead because Ryan charges for several things other airlines don't charge for, and you have to bring a boarding pass with you to the airport or they charge you to print one.

Ryanair represents everything that is wrong with the world. They will charge you extra fees for everything except breathing and using the bathrooms, a lot of the airports they use are in very inconvenient locations, and they cram as many seat as modern physics allows into a 737: very little leg room.

http://www.ihateryanair.org/

If you must use a discount airline try easyjet.

njn,

When considering RyanAir, it's a good idea to look at the "big picture". Some things to consider.....

• The base price of their flights is often quite cheap, but once baggage and other numerous fees are added, the total price increases quickly. Keep in mind this is the same airline that was proposing to charge passengers €1 to use the WC in flight (they didn't implement that policy though).
• One of the reasons they can offer cheap prices is that they tend to use somewhat "out-of-the-way" airports such as Beauvais (which is not excactly close to Paris), Memmingen (again, not too close to Munich) and similar. Once the extra time and cost is included to get from the airport into the city you're visiting, the costs climb further. However, they DO use some mainstream airports, so RyanAir will be equal on some routes.

I always try to consider the overall price when I'm shopping budget airlines. I will use RyanAir if absolutely necessary, but I much prefer EaysJet which is my preferred airline in Europe. I've also had excellent service from some other airlines including Vueling and Aegean.

I have used Ryanair several times. Every time, the flight has been comfortable, my bag arrived with me (even though I - horrors! - checked it), and we were on time or early. Their fleet is newer, and while it not the same experience you get with a domestic flight at home, for what it is (and for the price) it is fine. The only "catch" is that you must read and follow their rules exactly. Printing your own boarding pass is not a problem. You can check in for your flight weeks in advance, so you can probably do it at home before you leave. If you think you might need to check a bag, pay for that while booking your ticket. If you chance it, and your bag does not meet size specifications, it will cost more to check it then. There is no free food or drink aboard. But the flights are rarely more than an hour or 90 minutes, so bring your own. Be sure your bag meets the size specs.

The fact that they sometimes use outlying airports may or may not impact you, depending on where you are going. They use the main airport in Barcelona, Dublin, Glasgow, and other places. Or maybe the outlying airport is closer to where you want to be anyway. Just be sure you figure in any additional transit you might need to get to your final destination when comparing prices. I can read and follow rules, so I have no problem saving myself a ton of money flying Ryanair if I can.

My complaint with RyanAir is that they deliberately misrepresent their airports. Hahn is called Frankfurt, Weeze is called Düsseldorf, Memingenberg is called Munich West, Beauvais is called Paris, etc., when these airports are hours from the towns they link them to.

Sure, RyanAir apologists will try to tell you that if you know the correct link on the RyanAir website, you can find this subterfuge, but it is a fact that they go out-of-their way to hide this from you. They want you to believe that Hahn is Frankfurt, Weeze is Düsseldorf, Beauvais is Paris.

Not quite true, Lee. Dusseldorf is listed as Dusseldorf Weeze. Frankfurt is shown as Frankfurt Hahn. Paris is Paris Beauvais. They are not listed as Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, and Paris. That isn't hidden, it's right on the front page, and they also show up on the maps when you book.

My experiences have been totally positive. I can read well and the website clearly shows the location of the airports. Did a trip to Edinburgh a couple of years ago and one to Rome quite a few years ago. Flights were on time, planes seemed like they were brand new, though the color combinations are rather garish. Followed their very clear rules about bags, (1 bag means 1 bag and the weight and size) about check in and printing my boarding pass and my 11 € trip to Edinburgh was 11 €, plus my bus fare from Frankfurt to Hahn, at that time it was 12 €. Today it is 14 €. Still a bargain.

People have problems cause they don't read what the website says or for some reason think the rules of RyanAir won't apply to them. Frankly I see little difference between an airport 80 km. outside of Munich (Memmingen) and the Munich airport. The difference in time to get to one or the other isn't that much. The ride to Hahn? I know people who drive an hour and a half to work each day, why should this bother me to get a cheap flight.

If people have a problem reading this, they need new glasses. It tells you exactly how far away Hahn is from Frankfurt.
http://www.ryanair.com/en/flights-to-frankfurt/

I, for one, get a little tired of people who answer complaints with some version of ït's all there in writing . . " Newbies have a lot to deal with when they first take the plunge into traveling in Europe, including expectations tht they don't even know they have. It's hard for me to believe that calling Hahn Frankfurt is anything but an attempt to deceive the unwary. I prefer to do business with companies that retain some modicum of good treatment to their customers and employees. P.S. I don't shop at Wal-Mart or eat at MacDonalds, either.

"It's hard for me to believe that calling Hahn Frankfurt is anything but an attempt to deceive the unwary."

Rosylin, you are absolutely right.

Not quite true, Lee. Dusseldorf is listed as Dusseldorf Weeze. Frankfurt is shown as Frankfurt Hahn. Paris is Paris Beauvais.

But Weeze is NOT Düsseldorf, Hahn is NOT Frankfurt, Beauvais is NOT Paris. They are hours apart. Why do they add the names of these towns that are not really to where they fly? To mislead customers, that's why.

"Frankly I see little difference between an airport 80 km. outside of Munich (Memmingen) and the Munich airport. "

You know the difference, but most people don't. That is what they count on.

But it is there in writing, and it's there for people to read. The maps clearly show the locations of the airports, and the distance is listed. It is not hidden information. I think it is fair to caution people to be sure to read the rules before making assumptions. It saves them being surprised by things like printing your boarding pass ahead time, or having only one carryon bag when their experience on other carriers may have been different.

As I said before, the issue of outlying airports may not even play into a particular trip. Last August, I flew from Glasgow (main airport) to Barcelona (main airport). It didn't matter to me, for that trip, if they fly into other airports in France or Germany. The OP asked for the experiences of people who have used Ryanair. Lee has not. I would assume, based on her post, that Rosalyn hasn't either (correct me if I am wrong). In my opinion, as someone who has flown with them repeatedly, they are fine as long as you are aware of their rules. It is up to the consumer to know what those are. And as for having a "modicum of good treatment of their customers", I have been very satisfied with them.

"they are fine as long as you are aware of their rules. It is up to the consumer to know what those are."

And it is up to some of us to warn customers that the rules, airports used, etc, are not what they seem to be, and it is not up to you to criticize us for warning them. As long as Ryan Air continues to show misleading information, I'm going to continue to warn people about it.

In the past, I've had to help people who, in the rush to make flight reservations, saw the words "Düsseldorf" or "Frankfurt" and assumed that that meant Düsseldorf or Frankfurt, then found that the airport was a long ways from those cities. In the case of Düsseldorf, there was no public transportation to the airport in advance of the early morning flight., so she had to change her plans to stay in Weeze the night before.

" it is not up to you to criticize us for warning them"

I wasn't criticizing anyone for warning them, or saying that you shouldn't tell them - they should, indeed, be made aware. I was the one telling them to read the rules (for which I was criticized). If they read what they are booking, they will not be surprised by any of Ryanair's policies - boarding passes, airport locations, food, or anything else.

They are what they are. Be sure to read their FAQ's and terms to make sure you can deal with their program.
RyanAir is a large airline, and they're flying popular airplanes--with seats pretty close together. No luxuries there. But the longest you'll be on their plane is probably about 2 1/2 hours.

If you can fly EasyJet to the same city, I'd choose them.

My biggest gripe is with Gatwick Airport rather than the airlines flying from them. They keep all the passengers in a big hall that looks like a mall--shops and all. They don't issue departure gates until a short time before the planes leave. Expect to be in a big stampede of people trying to get to the gate first and on the plane first.

When I read a topic question and the person asks for experiences, I think they want to hear what my own personal experience was, or perhaps an experience from a close friend or relative. If I can't give them that, then this is a post that I can't answer and I move on.

It isn't helpful to just repost the same old stuff year after year, about something one has no personal experience with. This is not helpful, and is more in the style of "the one who shall not be named".

Marco--thanks for the great laugh!