RYANAIR, WHAT ARE THEY LIKE

UDAWINNER

hey all, travelling with ryanair to fuertenventura 2morrow, never flown with them before. Are they really that bad to travel with? rumours of ,charging to use the toliet, etc. As its a long enough flight are they dear for food, drinks, etc.
Any replies would be appreciated.

biko

What's with the CAPS LOCK?

Eat before and bring a book, bottle of water and some sweets with you (bought after security check) and you'll be fine.
It's a no-frills flight and that mean no frills at all.
It takes you where you want to go so that's all that matters.
Toilets are free.

bubbaloo

Ah, they're grand. Bring your food with you - as previous poster says - buy it AFTER you go through all the security checks.
You will probably be trampled on trying to get on the plane because there are no seat assignments so people are in a rush to try to get seats together, but just stay calm!!
They will bombard you with offers of things to buy - phone cards, lottery tickets, gifts etc but just ignore them!
Have a lovely holiday!

Miaireland

They are fine. Eat before you get on the plane, and bring snack and soft drinks( bought after security) for the flight. Make sure you have only one piece of hand baggage and that it is the right size. Make sure you check in online and that you bring your clearly printed boarding cards with you.

Bill2673

They are fine if everything goes to schedule. The planes are modern and clean. Its not uber comfort, but its not a rickety old bus either.

be aware of luggage constraints, ID requirements, the fact that their airports are out of the way, and preprinting your boarding card.

If there is a problem with scheduling such as snow and volcanic ash, then you are on your own. Completely. Don't go hoping there will be a Ryanair helpline you can call, you would be better off phoning the speaking clock.

bnt

The term "self-loading freight" has never been more apt, since it's best suited to non-fussy travellers who just want to get from A to B. Keep your luggage small and eat beforehand (as noted), bring a book and/or music, sit down, shut up and enjoy the flight. Sounds a bit drastic, but after I used them last June (Malaga and back) I see the point. Both flights were nearly full, but there was sufficient overhead luggage space, and we left and arrived on time.

catbear

Used them for years, does what it says on the tin!

I never bother queueing, just wait until everyone has passed the boarding gate and then head for the plane. Be absolutely sure that your carry on meets their dimension spec.

Don't bother with priority boarding.

topper75

To be honest they are brilliant.

We are a nation of 5 million people, yet Ryanair is the only enterprise that we have produced that competes on the larger stage. The Scandinavian nations put us to shame.

The knockers are hilarious. They crack me up. They pay €28.99 to get to Europe and then wonder why they do not receive Aer Lingus-style service. A lot of folks need to cop on too and remember that, pre-Ryanair, even going to London in the 80s would have cost you IR£200+.

Mint Sauce

Bill2673 wrote: »

They are fine if everything goes to schedule. The planes are modern and clean. Its not uber comfort, but its not a rickety old bus either.

be aware of luggage constraints, ID requirements, the fact that their airports are out of the way, and preprinting your boarding card.

If there is a problem with scheduling such as snow and volcanic ash, then you are on your own. Completely. Don't go hoping there will be a Ryanair helpline you can call, you would be better off phoning the speaking clock.

The down side of that is the annoying music and announcment that they are on time again on landing.

Same as everyone else says OP, make sure you have your valid passport and preprinted boarding pass, buy a bag of sweets/drink/sambo for the flight, a charged MP3 player, and enjoy the rush for that exit/window seat.

Block out the adverts, the lottery tickets, etc. Dont bring to many magazines to read, no seat pockets. Sit back and get comfortable.

adamski8

irish-stew wrote: »

The down side of that is the annoying music and announcment that they are on time again on landing.

Same as everyone else says OP, make sure you have your valid passport and preprinted boarding pass, buy a bag of sweets/drink/sambo for the flight, a charged MP3 player, and enjoy the rush for that exit/window seat.

Block out the adverts, the lottery tickets, etc. Dont bring to many magazines to read, no seat pockets. Sit back and get comfortable.

yes there is and you get a free ryanair magazine to read which i always enjoy anyway!
I dont think their food/drinks are that much of a rip off although they are usually out of most of the things I order.

Mint Sauce

adamski8 wrote: »

yes there is and you get a free ryanair magazine to read which i always enjoy anyway!
I dont think their food/drinks are that much of a rip off although they are usually out of most of the things I order.

I thought they had gone, cant remember them on the last ryanair flight I was on (it has been a while), or am I getting confused with the safety instructions being printed/stitched into the back of the headreat of the seat infront of you.

adamski8

they are there but tight and usually have 1 sheet or a drinks/snack menu in them. they arent like AL jumbo ones.

Dodge

Depends on the plane they use. There absolutely are Ryanair planes that don't have back seat pockets.

Its all been said already. The only issue I ever have is the scrum for seats. If you're on your own, you'll have absolutely no trouble at all.

biko

irish-stew wrote: »

The down side of that is the annoying music and announcment that they are on time again on landing.

Yeah, the music arrrgh

Trampas

biko wrote: »

Yeah, the music arrrgh

Better than arriving hours late

borderlinemeath

I've always brought my own food on flights, including Ryanair.

Aviation regulations state "no liquids" over 100ml.
I always make sambos and bring them to eat on longer flights, and a big bag of crisps/6 pack for my flight companions. They always go through security checks without a problem.

The only issue with Ryanair would be the size of cabin baggage.

Fratton Fred

I always grab a meal deal from Boots before I board, that seems to be the cheapest way of buying food for the journey.

Think of Ryanair as a bus and you won't go wrong.

Snickers Man

They're fine, as long as you accept the no-frills ethos, and as long as nothing goes wrong. In which case it's a case of "What do you expect? We never promised anything other than getting you from A to B"

Where people get screwed over by Ryanair is when they expect them to behave like a traditional airline or state-run transport service and to consider that a purchased ticket is actually a promise to get you to your destination for the stated price.

If you turn up late: you're screwed.
If your baggage exceeds limits: your're screwed.
If you haven't checked in online at least 4hr in advance: you're screwed.
If you haven't read the other small print (eg if you're a non EU passport holder and haven't received the additional stamp needed at the airport): you're screwed.

In any of these circumstances you will find that it is still very possible to spend €200+ to get to London with Ryanair. **

Happily, satisfying all of the above conditions are in your own hands so don't let the bastards do you for any more than you've paid.

Where it could go wrong and there's nothing you can do about it except suck it up is if your plane is delayed or cancelled for reasons beyond your control. Then you can be rightly shafted because with a typical 90% loading rate, being put on the "Next available flight" by Ryanair can entail a looooonngg wait.

But volcanic clouds and blizzards excepted, that's a rare enough occurrence.



**PS I regularly flew between Dublin and London in the 1980s for stg£59 return so don't believe all this bull****, usually parroted by people who weren't even born in the 1980s, that it was impossible to fly at reasonable prices back then. Not that it matters a damn today.

kelle

irish-stew wrote: »

The down side of that is the annoying music and announcment that they are on time again on landing.

.

My kids fall about laughing everytime they hear this! It wasn't played on the last flight we travelled on because (shock horror!) they were 20 mins late arriving at Dublin - and my darlings were disappointed!

By the way, can i just warn you to check your boarding passes after you print them and ensure there are barcodes on each one. My brother arrived at the airport recently, then when he got the top of the queue he was turned away as the barcodes had not printed on his pass! There was nothing he could do, the airport was very busy so he had no other choice but to miss his flight.

squeakyduck

Make sure that if you bring a carry on suitcase you have enough space to pop your handbag in. Nearly got nabbed by the cabin crew over having two bags carry on :rolleyes:

*DOO DOOO DOO DOOOO!!* You have arrived on another on time flight from Ryanair (why is there a guy with a scottish accent saying this?!)

catbear

Another Ryanair trick is clothing, it's all about the layers. Over the years I've built up a collection of Ryanair travel cloths. If you have to bring a heavy layer make sure it's got loads of pockets, it's amazing what you can cram in.

M5

Trampas wrote: »

Better than arriving hours late

landed in Dublin once, approx 1 min ahead of schedule, music goes off and we are told we are on another "on time" flight. Taxi takes 5 mins and then there was no one at the gate to move the stairs into position, 15 mins later someone turns up. on time my hole

They always play it on the taxi to the gate, sometimes 5/6 mins before you get near the terminal

catbear

M5 wrote: »

landed in Dublin once, approx 1 min ahead of schedule, music goes off and we are told we are on another "on time" flight. Taxi takes 5 mins and then there was no one at the gate to move the stairs into position, 15 mins later someone turns up. on time my hole

They always play it on the taxi to the gate, sometimes 5/6 mins before you get near the terminal

Landed on schedule. Now go examine your own hole for more wisdom and knowledge to share with us. Actually keep that to yourself!

AfterDusk

squeakyduck wrote: »

Nearly got nabbed by the cabin crew over having two bags carry on :rolleyes:

They're not cabin crew, they're ground staff.

squeakyduck wrote: »

(why is there a guy with a scottish accent saying this?!)

Because he works for Ryanair ....

catbear

neil2304 wrote: »

Because he works for Ryanair ....

Another thing about Ryanair, at least you can be sure that when they piss you off, it aint for ethic reasons.

M5

catbear wrote: »

Landed on schedule. Now go examine your own hole for more wisdom and knowledge to share with us. Actually keep that to yourself!

its "on time arrival" (whatever that means) thats measured actually, get YOUR facts right before you attack another board member like that.

Quite how you feel that its ok to abuse another board member for sharing their experiences is beyond me.

rubberdiddies

Get over yourselves.
The stairs not being pulled over on time is out of ryanairs control. Anyway I thought that most (if not all) their aircraft now have built in collapsable stairs?)

I fly regularly with them and all flights I'm on have stairs built in under the doorway. I have to say that it's a very rare occasion in my experience that they are not on time. Costs them money to be delayed.

M5

rubberdiddies wrote: »

Get over yourselves.
The stairs not being pulled over on time is out of ryanairs control. Anyway I thought that most (if not all) their aircraft now have built in collapsable stairs?)

I fly regularly with them and all flights I'm on have stairs built in under the doorway. I have to say that it's a very rare occasion in my experience that they are not on time. Costs them money to be delayed.

No its not, the ryanair ground crew handle that actually....

the weather or air traffic control are ouside of their control too but that affects their arrival times too. The stats seem to suggest that Ryanair are pretty much teh best out there as far as on time flights are concerned

My point was and still is that they should not play that annoying tune until we have actually arrived. Some taxiways are 20 mins from the airport and other variables such as the staris etc need to be considered

catbear

M5 wrote: »

My point was and still is that they should not play that annoying tune until we have actually arrived. Some taxiways are 20 mins from the airport and other variables such as the staris etc need to be considered

Landed, Landed, landed on time!

M5

catbear wrote: »

Landed, Landed, landed on time!

they landed but did not arrive arrive arrive. It says "on time arrival" not landing

axer

M5 wrote: »

they landed but did not arrive arrive arrive. It says "on time arrival" not landing

It depends how you classify arrival. Arrival at the airport is how Ryanair classify it there are lots of factors outside of their control after that i.e. the ground staff/company and the airport staff.

Ryanair are fine to travel with as long as you are not expecting a flying hotel - just expect bus quality. I always make my own sandwiches at home and then purchase drinks in boots at the airport on the way over (usually on the way back drinks are expensive so I work around that).

Just follow the simple rules and you wont have a problem.

With regards being stranded - sometimes you are better off being able to make your own choices as to where to stay etc and claim back the expenses afterwards. I was stranded in Berlin at christmas just gone and Aerlingus expected me to share a double bed with a complete stranger from a different airline - even though I protested with a german aerlingus rep and an aerlingus rep in cork they basically said "tough sh'it". How is that for quality service and a caring staff.

RachaelVO

catbear wrote: »

Another Ryanair trick is clothing, it's all about the layers. Over the years I've built up a collection of Ryanair travel cloths. If you have to bring a heavy layer make sure it's got loads of pockets, it's amazing what you can cram in.

That's a CLASS tip! I usually have a shoulder bag that I criss cross from left shoulder to right hip and wear my coat or jacket over it. At the very least I have my passport with me at all times.

Ryanair is a bus as a previous poster says, if you don't expect anything you'll be grand. The price of a drink and a sandwich is about the same as you'd pay in the airport, so what ever option you choose there you'll pay the same price!

Have a good holiday

Dacian

catbear wrote: »

Landed on schedule. Now go examine your own hole for more wisdom and knowledge to share with us. Actually keep that to yourself!

In the airline business departure means pushback from the gate/stand. Arrival means stopping on the stand/gate.

You can land 20 minutes early but you do not arrive until you have chcoks on at the gate. Similarly you can oushback 1 min early and have a 20 minute delay to take-off. This is still counted as an early departure.

Ryanair do have an excellant on time record, no question of that. However they do have their schedule padded a little more than other airlines. I flew from Pisa to Dublin with them a few years ago and their schedule flight time was the same as the other Irish airline from Rome-Dublin.


OT: as other posters have said they do exactly what they say on the tin. A to B with no frills and you pay for anything more than the seat you are on. Clear and easy 70% of the time.

Latchy

Read yesterday that passengers will no longer have to print out boarding pass's which will now be down to Ryanair to produce .

chucken1

I love this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcR9EQ_jfhw&feature=related

killbillvol2

Latchy wrote: »

Read yesterday that passengers will no longer have to print out boarding pass's which will now be down to Ryanair to produce .

That was a ruling in a Spanish court so is irrelevant to Ireland or the rest of Europe.

cson

Snickers Man wrote: »

**PS I regularly flew between Dublin and London in the 1980s for stg£59 return so don't believe all this bull****, usually parroted by people who weren't even born in the 1980s, that it was impossible to fly at reasonable prices back then. Not that it matters a damn today.

1980s IR£59 is pretty close to 2011s €200 I would imagine. In any case, IR£59 was a lot of money back then.

cson

killbillvol2 wrote: »

That was a ruling in a Spanish court so is irrelevant to Ireland or the rest of Europe.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Union_Law

killbillvol2

cson wrote: »

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Union_Law