Ryanair - whats the point?

SeanW

My input into this may be limited because I don't fly much but I truly am struggling to see the point of flying with Ryanair. Supposidly, it's very cheap, but a few days ago I played around with the FR and EI fare calculators and I found that if I were hypothetically planning a holiday in Amsterdam, there would be fupp all difference in the price, in fact if I were flexible on date I could save money using Aer Lingus.

The bulk of the cost of both was taxes and charges.

Every time I'm in Dublin Airport it's always crazy with Ryanair passengers madly milling around those self-check-in things and waiting for their plane or whatever, there is much less of that kind of chaos with other airlines.

Then there's the 60 mile rule that appears to apply on the continent - instead of going to a main airport, it seems you pay just as much to fly to some tip that's 60 miles away from the city you're trying to get to, and of course none of these places have rail links whereas virtually all of the main airports do.

By that I mean Paris-Beauvais, Munich-Memmingen, Brussels-Charleroi etc.

Then there's the reality that they're really sh*t on connections. This time last year I took a holiday in Finland and I had to make connections both ways. Ryanair has flights from Edinburough to Tampere (which I'm surprised they haven't called Helsinki-Tampere :rolleyes: ) and presumably also they fly from Dublin to Edinburough. But they didn't offer that option from Dublin whereas all the main airlines working in coalition did - my trip saw me use 4 different airlines, quickly, relatively cheaply and with pleasant experience throughout.

All things considered:

1. Do you really save any significant money flying Ryanair? and
2. Is really worth all the extra hassle?

Thoughts?

retalivity

people dont like spending money. They like to save where they can. Even if they get fecked around.

ergo, there's the point

kincsem

Ryanair staff will be along shortly to post the good news.

mikemac1

Glasgow Prestwick is like Dublin-Arklow

Better off paying the small extra for Aer Lingus to actually land near Glasgow instead of ending up halfway down the Scottish coast

Celly Smunt

usually it would cost me say 60 with ryanair comparable to 80 with aer lingus.For the taxi or bus you have to get when you land and for the hassle of weighing cases to the exact weight etc etc i'd rather pay what usually comes to an extra 5 euro or so with aer lingus.

shawnee

Sure that's the beauty of competition. If you don't find Ryanair much cheaper and you find another airline takes you where you wanna go.... then go for it. Choice is yours .... not ours ...:p Most fly Ryanair because availability and sometimes because of price but nowadays there is not much in the difference.

ejmaztec

SeanW wrote: »

My input into this may be limited because I don't fly much but I truly am struggling to see the point of flying with Ryanair. Supposidly, it's very cheap, but a few days ago I played around with the FR and EI fare calculators and I found that if I were hypothetically planning a holiday in Amsterdam, there would be fupp all difference in the price, in fact if I were flexible on date I could save money using Aer Lingus.

The bulk of the cost of both was taxes and charges.

Every time I'm in Dublin Airport it's always crazy with Ryanair passengers madly milling around those self-check-in things and waiting for their plane or whatever, there is much less of that kind of chaos with other airlines.

Then there's the 60 mile rule that appears to apply on the continent - instead of going to a main airport, it seems you pay just as much to fly to some tip that's 60 miles away from the city you're trying to get to, and of course none of these places have rail links whereas virtually all of the main airports do.

By that I mean Paris-Beauvais, Munich-Memmingen, Brussels-Charleroi etc.

Then there's the reality that they're really sh*t on connections. This time last year I took a holiday in Finland and I had to make connections both ways. Ryanair has flights from Edinburough to Tampere (which I'm surprised they haven't called Helsinki-Tampere :rolleyes: ) and presumably also they fly from Dublin to Edinburough. But they didn't offer that option from Dublin whereas all the main airlines working in coalition did - my trip saw me use 4 different airlines, quickly, relatively cheaply and with pleasant experience throughout.

All things considered:

1. Do you really save any significant money flying Ryanair? and
2. Is really worth all the extra hassle?

Thoughts?

As this post exceeds the specified dimensions you will be charged extra.

keithclancy

We fly home to Ireland from the Netherlands for 40 euros return each, inc charges as we use a Mastercard Debit card.

Plus Eindhoven airport is only 15 minutes by bus from our gaff.

So in our case there is a point, I guess if you live in Chareloi is feckín awesome too.

amacachi

Any Ryanair flight I've taken has cost at least 50% less than it would've with any other airline. That's the point.

mikemac1

I don't know what a smokeless cigarette is

I hear them trying to flog them but I don't know how it works

Away to google for me, forgot about it until this thread

Chuck Stone

SeanW wrote: »

I played around with the FR and EI fare calculators and I found that if I were hypothetically planning a holiday in Amsterdam, there would be fupp all difference in the price, in fact if I were flexible on date I could save money using Aer Lingus.

A couple of decades ago Aer Lingus would have wallet raped you. The reason they aren't now is because Ryanair brought competition to the island.

Ryanair brought regular flying within reach of the ordinary person. Ryanair is an Irish success story we should celebrate.

Sykk

Ryanair fly to places that other airlines don't.

Sometimes Aer Lingus are around the same price or slightly more expensive, then I'll use them instead.

But most of the time Ryanair are cheapest..

Also, how do they screw you around? Print out your damn boarding pass like it says on their TOS.. If you have a heavier bag, pay whatever the charge is.. I fail to see the problem?

DEFTLEFTHAND

You nearly always end up losing the flight savings on the coach ride to your destination. Try flying to Frankfurt with them for instance, It isn't even the nearest city to the little aerodrome they land you at.:mad:

billymitchell

They are cheaper than the others, is the not the point??

Mr.Biscuits

People would sell their souls for a few cent these days and walk over people if they are in their way while doing it.

Never before has the well known phrase about some people 'knowing the price of everything and the value of nothing' applied so much as it does today. I get that people are skint, but quality pays for itself in the long term if a product and memory of the experience if not.

Go for the bargain when you're being ripped off; no argument with that, but don't fcuk yourself and others in the pursuit of that. What something costs - is not always about the price.

syklops

Im going to spain for a week in May. Ryanair is going to fly me almost 2800 kilometres for 150 euros.

Thats the point.

gerbear1

In my experience Ryanair are generally on-time, I can't say the same for Aer Lingus. Sometimes Aer Lingus is cheaper, like in your case, more times I would say Ryanair is cheaper.

I just book whichever works out the cheapest. If you're just travelling on your own or a small group, I don't think there's any difference between them really.

SeanW

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

You nearly always end up losing the flight savings on the coach ride to your destination. Try flying to Frankfurt with them for instance, It isn't even the nearest city to the little aerodrome they land you at.:mad:

See where I defined the Sixty-Mile Rule. "Frankfurt" Hahn is just one of many.

DEFTLEFTHAND

mikemac1 wrote: »

I don't know what a smokeless cigarette is

I hear them trying to flog them but I don't know how it works

Away to google for me, forgot about it until this thread

They don't work work Mike, they basically sell you a pack of straws to suck during the flight. Must be some sort of flawed attempt at the placebo effect.

Sunnyisland

After checking around ryanair always comes out cheaper for me.Fly by there rules and its grand and when they arrive on time you even get to join in the cheery tune :-)

Sykk

Mr.Biscuits wrote: »

People would sell their souls for a few cent these days and walk over you if you were in their way while doing it also.

Never before has the well known phrase about people 'knowing the price of everything and the value of nothing' applied to a people so much as it does today.

I get that people are skint, but quality pays for itself in the long term, long after you have spent whatever little it is that you shaved going the cheap route.

Go for the bargain when you're going to be ripped off if you were to buy the better, quality second pr third option, no question and no argument with that - but don't fcuk yourself and others in the process of that. What something costs you and others, is not always just about the price.

Wat

amacachi

Mr.Biscuits wrote: »

People would sell their souls for a few cent these days and walk over you if you were in their way while doing it also.

Never before has the well known phrase about people 'knowing the price of everything and the value of nothing' applied to a people so much as it does today.

I get that people are skint, but quality pays for itself in the long term, long after you have spent whatever little it is that you shaved going the cheap route.

Go for the bargain when you're going to be ripped off if you were to buy the better, quality second pr third option, no question and no argument with that - but don't fcuk yourself and others in the process of that. What something costs you and others, is not always just about the price.

Talk about hyperbole. If I were to go through all the times I've flied, first two were Aer Lingus with the return leaving the 50 of us on a school trip with a couple of hours delay due to a problem on their end. Next was a chartered flight, no problem at all. Last two trips were Ryanair, the return on the second one was delayed for an hour because they were playing catch-up because of morning fog in Dublin, same as every other airline.

No-one I know under the age of 40 has had any hassle when flying with Ryanair. Hell being a big bastard I like their non-reclining seats, means I don't have most of the person in front of me pressing down on my knees.

Dub boy

I refuse to fly Ryan Air for the exact reason that it is always chaotic an in my experience an uncomfortable experience. They are cheaper but not by much and I'd prefer to pay a few quid extra and enjoy the flight than experience Ryan Air and their charges at every turn, after all your on holiday and Ryan Air is not a relaxing experience.

stovelid

Ryanair is beloved of cheap, short stay travellers, often students and other younger travellers. They are also a group that are well represented online to argue the case for this model
People who don't mind travelling light and the "destination" airport being a contravention of the trade description act.

They will also be the people that will be losing it when they travel later in life for longer trips like family holidays and have to pay through the nose for their luggage and whatnot: basically a business model they drove the need and publicity for when it suited them.

For what its worth, I would rather pay extra to fly with another carrier unless it was a ridiculous difference. Just because of their various stunts and treatment of staff down the years.

Never had a bad experience with them though, must be said.

theteal

It all depends on where you're going I suppose. I'm living on the edge of London and travel back to Dublin every 4-6 weeks. Ryanair flights are generally ~€40 cheaper after the card charge is added in my experience. The flights are at much more convenient times of the day. It's easier for me to fly through Stansted as opposed to travelling across London. I tend to travel alone so I don't bother queuing, just stroll on last and grab a middle seat near the front. Simple as, really.

Mint Sauce

Sykk wrote: »

Ryanair fly to places that other airlines don't.

Yes. Usally 50 miles from where you actually want to go.



But they and O'Leary must be doing something right. Personally myself, whilst there is a choice I'll go with the other airline. I liken the experience of flying Ryan Air to the transport of live lifestock, which was also banned.

:pac:

Paparazzo

I've flown Ryanair about 100 times and haven't had a single problem except a flight time being changed once.
Also, I remember looking for tickets to London around 1997 and Air Lingus were looking for close to £300. We got the bus for £42. Thank fúck for ryanair.
Now if you pay over €70 to go to London you feel it's expensive.

NTMK

I can get from Dublin to Manchester and back for €20 which is less than the price of bus tickets from Limerick to Dublin so yes they are cheap

lividduck

Usually they are cheaper, also they fly to a lot of destinations that other airlines dont fly to eg Poznan (Flight is always packed).
Was booking a week away lately , flying to the canaries (same airport as Aer Lingus) Ryanair was 40% cheaper when you add everything up.

Mint Sauce

gerbear1 wrote: »

In my experience Ryanair are generally on-time, I can't say the same for Aer Lingus. Sometimes Aer Lingus is cheaper, like in your case, more times I would say Ryanair is cheaper.

I just book whichever works out the cheapest. If you're just travelling on your own or a small group, I don't think there's any difference between them really.

They're generally on time because they advertise the landing time about 5-10 minutes longer/later than the actual flight time takes.

DEFTLEFTHAND

syklops wrote: »

Im going to spain for a week in May. Ryanair is going to fly me almost 2800 kilometres for 150 euros.

Thats the point.

Your right, You do find value with flights further a field. I've got down to the Canaries with them on two occasions for less than 100 euro return each time.

gosuckonalemon

SeanW wrote: »

1. Do you really save any significant money flying Ryanair? and
2. Is really worth all the extra hassle?

Thoughts?

Yes and Yes.

I can fly return to London for 24e all inc.

It's 60e for a train to COrk.

Do the maths

44leto

What's the point,

Along tome ago in a galaxy far away, it cost me 200 punts to fly to London I was only earning about 150 a week and I was on an above average wage.

So even if I was to travel to london on Ryan Air with my servant and a chest of drawers as a suitcase it will still be cheaper then the times it was Aer Lingus only.

Ryan Air has changed the world, it truly has, example lets have a weekend break in Prague.

SeanW

mikemac1 wrote: »

Glasgow Prestwick is like Dublin-Arklow

Better off paying the small extra for Aer Lingus to actually land near Glasgow instead of ending up halfway down the Scottish coast

Lol, just wait till the proposed Midlands Airport is built, no doubt FR will call it "Dublin-Horseleap Airport" and move out there :rolleyes:

Doc Ruby

I've had no difficulties with Ryanair. The experience was exactly the same as every other airline to be honest, same seats, same service, same everything, no extra hassle.

For flying to the big cities, the prices are close between the airlines, but if you want to go to a smaller town or anywhere else Ryan is often a third to a quarter the price. And they land directly at the main airports of these smaller places.

IngazZagni

irish-stew wrote: »

They're generally on time because they advertise the landing time about 5-10 minutes longer/later than the actual flight time takes.

I've heard someone say that before as well and I think it's nonsense. They have the same and sometimes shorter block times than other airlines on the same route. The advertised times include taxi times as well as time in the air. Sometimes airports can be busy thus it takes longer to get in the air. The big thing is the wind. A strong headwind could add a significant amount of time to the journey. All these things have to be taken into account so on your typical day it should take a few minutes less than advertised. the added time is there as a buffer in case any of the above scenarios are present which is quite often as well.
And anyway so what. They advertise to get you there at "that" time. What are you complaining about?

AnonoBoy

Sometimes Ryanair is much cheaper.

On a short flight I have the ability to just shut up and deal with it.

It's the people who don't understand how to fly Ryanair (i.e. no checked bag, don't bother standing to queue just hop up at the end and board last) and complain about it all the time that are the most annoying I find.

I wouldn't use them for a long flight, not worth it. But for short hops to the UK or close-reach European destinations then they're no worse than a sh*t bus journey.

Steven81

When was the last time Ryanair was on strike vs Air Lingus for example???.

Mint Sauce

IngazZagni wrote: »

I've heard someone say that before as well and I think it's nonsense. They have the same and sometimes shorter block times than other airlines on the same route. The advertised times include taxi times as well as time in the air. Sometimes airports can be busy thus it takes longer to get in the air. The big thing is the wind. A strong headwind could add a significant amount of time to the journey. All these things have to be taken into account so on your typical day it should take a few minutes less than advertised. the added time is there as a buffer in case any of the above scenarios are present which is quite often as well.
And anyway so what. They advertise to get you there at "that" time. What are you complaining about?

I never complained about the advertised time. Just an observation from the times I have used them, and from when other people used them. In most cases we/they were at the gate before the advertised time, and the possible explanation for this. Easyjet or AerLingus have rarely got me there before the advertised time, but mostly on the advertised time, but ocasionally late. And they too, the same as RyanAir experience taxi-ing, the weather, and missed take off slots as well

My complant about Ryan Air is how passengers are herded on/off the flights, hence my comparsion in my first post on the subject.

Logical Fallacy

amacachi wrote: »

Talk about hyperbole. If I were to go through all the times I've flied, first two were Aer Lingus with the return leaving the 50 of us on a school trip with a couple of hours delay due to a problem on their end. Next was a chartered flight, no problem at all. Last two trips were Ryanair, the return on the second one was delayed for an hour because they were playing catch-up because of morning fog in Dublin, same as every other airline.

No-one I know under the age of 40 has had any hassle when flying with Ryanair. Hell being a big bastard I like their non-reclining seats, means I don't have most of the person in front of me pressing down on my knees.

The only problem i ever had with Ryanair was coming back from Bristol with some mates one weekend. Stranded for 8 hours...we didn't really give a **** though as there was an airshow we could watch, what appeared to be a hot air balloon race and when we got board of those we just spent our time drawing vaginas on all the Etch-a-Sketchs in the gift shop.

AnonoBoy

irish-stew wrote: »

My complant about Ryan Air is how passengers are herded on/off the flights, hence my comparsion in my first post on the subject.

I find the best thing to do with Ryanair is wait. Just let everyone else stand for ages and queue up, then when the queue has dwindled simply join it and make your way on. There's still seats and you don't feel like you're in a herd of cattle.

Paparazzo

If you complain about the airport being miles away, more fool you.
"What's this? Paris Beauvais? It has Paris in the name, sure it's probably grand"

Maglight

Ryanair are an Irish success story and as such I applaud their business acumen. But I avoid flying with them for three very strong reasons.
1. I find their sporty take off and landings downright frightening. I have flown all over the world, with numerous carriers, and never had that experience. I hate white knuckle flying.
2. Flying with small kids on Ryanair is a miserable experience. Is it really so difficult to allocate a seat. Why must we queue up for an hour before the flight takes off just so that our kids can sit beside a parent.
3. I always feel that the staff view the customers with utter contempt. Contempt permeates the company from the very top layer. And the attitude is, if we are foolish enough to pay them, then we deserve to be treated that way.

Mr Benevolent

I have never had an issue flying with Ryanair.

1. I find their sporty take off and landings downright frightening. I have flown all over the world, with numerous carriers, and never had that experience. I hate white knuckle flying.

Oh come on. Sporty? They take of and land exactly like other airlines. There are a set of procedures for takeoff and landing, they don't just make it up on the spot. I understand that you may know nothing about the technicalities of flying airliners but your statement is ridiculous.

Mint Sauce

AnonoBoy wrote: »

I find the best thing to do with Ryanair is wait. Just let everyone else stand for ages and queue up, then when the queue has dwindled simply join it and make your way on. There's still seats and you don't feel like you're in a herd of cattle.

Last time I used them it was coming back from Ibiza. Week of drinking and no sleep, I wanted a window seat with leg room to sleep without interuption. So made sure I was near the top. So only had my self to blame in regard to being hearded.

At least with AerLingus I can get an assinged seat at check in at no extra cost, and wait until the queue has gone down, safe in the knowledge that I have my window/exit seat (assuming it was available at check in).

Unfortunatly the no frills bookings have created a herd mentality as well with some people, regardless of the airline. I flew with AerLingus from Knock on Christams Eve, the flight was initally delayed 20 minutes (eventually about 3 hours), and was about a 1/4 full. But even at that inital delay, with assingened seats, there was still people starting to queue at the gate before the advertised board time.

IngazZagni

irish-stew wrote: »

I never complained about the advertised time. Just an observation from the times I have used them, and from when other people used them. In most cases we/they were at the gate before the advertised time, and the possible explanation for this. Easyjet or AerLingus have rarely got me there before the advertised time, but mostly on the advertised time, but ocasionally late. And they too, the same as RyanAir experience taxi-ing, the weather, and missed take off slots as well

Well the point I was making is that their advertised times are not longer vs other carriers. Sometimes 5 minutes shorter, sometimes 5 minutes longer, it differes depending on the time of day. Check out the online timetables on Dublin airports website.

http://www.dublinairport.com/gns/flight-information/flight-timetables/online-timetables.aspx

Maglight wrote: »

1. I find their sporty take off and landings downright frightening. I have flown all over the world, with numerous carriers, and never had that experience. I hate white knuckle flying.

:rolleyes:

horses4courses

fully agree with all of that Sean W. I fly myself and the wife and 4 kids out of Germany to Spain almost every year. Can't beat Ryanair pricewise for that route. However back and forth to IRE I would always check Aerlingus first - for exactly all of your reasons. BTW anybody flying RA to Alicante - don't bother with the priority boarding - we mortals will be joining you all again at the bottom of the stairs because the doors out onto the apron are locked !! tee hee !

AngryBollix

When it comes to Ryanair its really simple.

If you dislike them dont fly with them. Whats the big deal?

Mint Sauce

horses4courses wrote: »

fully agree with all of that Sean W. I fly myself and the wife and 4 kids out of Germany to Spain almost every year. Can't beat Ryanair pricewise for that route. However back and forth to IRE I would always check Aerlingus first - for exactly all of your reasons. BTW anybody flying RA to Alicante - don't bother with the priority boarding - we mortals will be joining you all again at the bottom of the stairs because the doors out onto the apron are locked !! tee hee !

Similar experience in Ibiza as well. Those with Priorty Boarding only got them on to the Apron Bus first. Alot of people flew by them once the bus doors opened. Even the Pilot nearly had to fight his way up the steps.

AnonoBoy

AngryBollix wrote: »

When it comes to Ryanair its really simple.

If you dislike them dont fly with them. Whats the big deal?

Giving out about Ryanair is the new complaining about the weather. :pac:

keith16

AngryBollix wrote: »

When it comes to Ryanair its really simple.

If you dislike them dont fly with them. Whats the big deal?

Ah you see, it's precisely because I dislike them that I don't fly with them

The whole boarding process is like a circus on most airlines but on a Ryanair flight ... it's also like a circus, but worse? :pac: