Ryanair

Sign up for their newsletter and you'll see that they have sales like that several times per week. Right now they've got the big website close-down sale. Then most certainly on the 25th they'll have to great-reopening sale. And they even got sales where the one-way ticket is 1 cent plus taxes which usually sums up to €30 round trip! I twice had exactly that on Hahn to Jerez de la Frontera...

I heard (and I can't remember where or from whom) that Ryanair was not to be trusted. Anyone?

My Ryanair flights last May were about $30 US from London to Spain and back. I checked a bag, and everything went like clockwork -- we even arrived early. Every airline has their share of bad experiences, but I had no problem with Ryanair.

I plan to use them again next October, too.

They always have sales, just keep checking the website every few days.

Ryanair is fine to travel with, myself and most of my friends have used them while studying here in France, the aiports might be a little out of the way, but there is nothing sketchy about their services, except that everything is extra.

Ryanair are one of the largest airlines in Europe(50 million per annum) Facts to consider about the airline.
Pros: They are the most punctual airline in Europe and have the best record for NOT losing your bag.They have the youngest fleet of aircraft. They don't fly from London Heathrow! They do fly from London Stansted and London Luton airports (much easier, cleaner, modern, faster than the hellhole that is Heathrow Airport).They have the cheapest fares.They always have a sale and if you can fly off peak you can pick fares for as low as 1p including taxes.
Cons: They often fly to secondary city airports which are be a long way from the city center, Frankfurt Hahn, Glasgow Prestwick and Paris Beauvis are 3 examples.
Staff are surly and unhelpful. Only 15KG baggage allowance which you have to pay for.Excess baggage is expensive.Seats that do not recline. Plane interiors covered in advertising. Prority boarding does not work.They charge for airport check in. Getting on the plane!

Thanks for all the replies. I know all of the negatives for flying Ryanair, but in my family, the positives about the fares all outway the negatives. Especially having to pay for bags - my husband is thrilled about this part! I'm frugal and he hates it when I overpack. This is a huge incentive for me to travel in the Rick Steves "travel light" style. I agree about the airports. I'd much rather fly into and out of a less crowded airport. We've not flown out of Stansted yet, but did Luton and Norwich a few years ago. Something for others to be careful of is the tax fees. For some reason, this particular Ryanair sale has taxes inclusive in the cheap fare. But, for example, flybe (out of Norwich) has fares that are 1.17 pound each way to CDG. But, with taxes and fees, it turns out to be about 67 pounds return. This times the six people in our family, makes a total of 400 pounds return! This is versus 60 pounds return for six of us for a Ryanir flight from Stansted to Marseille

In my research on the Ryanair subject, I came across an important informative blog posting. Hope you find this info helpful concerning check-in at Ryanair. Here is link:

http://nobudgettravel.wordpress.com/2007/11/13/warning-ryanair-online-check-in/

Mary Ann....nothing new about web-based check-ins, but a very dangerous suggestion from that poster that you select web check-in, then dare Ryanair to charge you the extra when you check in at their counters. If they're going to cancel tickets because passengers used web-based boarding passes but didn't have E-U passports, I can imagine they might try the same thing if you try to get away without paying the desk check-in charge. Since their website is down, it's difficult to check now, but I seem to remember that they required you to enter your E-U/EEC ID number before you could proceed with web-check-in anyway. BTW, when they come back on line Tuesday, there's another big sale underway!

I agree with you about the dangerous situation created by selecting web check-in, then switching once you get to the airport, expecting to get it for free on the spot! I think the safest route anyone without the EU card is to pay for airport check-in when booking your tickets online. I will definitely pay for airport check-in to avoid any foreseen hassle! If you want to go through the steps to get a refund for airport check-in (based on "discimination?"), the link referenced in my previous post is helpful. Looking forward to the Tuesday sale (which may start on Monday afternoon here in the US, depending on time zone?)...

Actually, seeking a refund wouldn't be based on "discrimination." As Ryanair's website states, you can apply for one if you weren't eligible for web check-in due to the EU/EEC ID requirement. The question is....is it worth the hassle? And yes...if there are no problems getting their website back up, you may get a jump on most people by trying the website Monday evening! 23:00 GMT is 6 pm eastern time.

Ended up booking in the Ryanair "reopening" 1p sale. Luckily, my destination (Tours, France) was included in the sale (not many are). Watch out for the credit card fees - 3 pounds per ticket each way. That added up to 36 pounds for six round trip tickets - ouch! I did pay for the airport check-in but plan to ask for the refund. I'll let you know how that goes!