Ryanair - New reserved seating structure(s)

ekellyie

Hi there,
Could anyone give me advice on how to tackle the new reserved seating/priority boarding structure that Ryanair have in place.
I understand that now you can reserve a seat or book priority boarding with an added on cost, or you can just check in as normal online and they will reserve random seats for you free of charge.

If you haven't reserved a seat or purchased priority boarding and you're checking in as normal, do Ryanair give you the option of a Window or an Aisle seat before choosing it for you?

delta_bravo

ekellyie wrote: »

Hi there,
Could anyone give me advice on how to tackle the new reserved seating/priority boarding structure that Ryanair have in place.
I understand that now you can reserve a seat or book priority boarding with an added on cost, or you can just check in as normal online and they will reserve random seats for you free of charge.

If you haven't reserved a seat or purchased priority boarding and you're checking in as normal, do Ryanair give you the option of a Window or an Aisle seat before choosing it for you?

They don't assign a random seat if you haven't paid for one. Its just as it was before.

frantechie

so does this mean instead of prority boarding you basically have a seat number and then the rest of the passangers find there own seat when boarding...try to avoid Ryanair if I can purely for the way everyone is made to rush on and find there own seat could never understand how not getting a seat number would save Ryanair money or time

Fagashlil

delta_bravo wrote: »

They don't assign a random seat if you haven't paid for one. Its just as it was before.

Incorrect, from 01-02-14 it will be fully assigned seating on all flights.

€10 to select a "premium" seat, rows 1-5, 16,17,32,33
€5 to select any other seat
No charge for a seat to be allocated randomly upon check-in

ekellyie

So I basically have to take what i'm given, Is there no way I have the option to choose whether I want an aisle, middle or Window?

lc180

ekellyie wrote: »

So I basically have to take what i'm given, Is there no way I have the option to choose whether I want an aisle, middle or Window?

Yup looks like we will have to cough up a fiver in future to ensure a good seat type!

I think this is the same system EasyJet have. Anything that stops the ridiculous queuing 45 mins before boarding is a good idea in my opinion.

ekellyie

I take it that if you've have two booked on your reservation, the random seats will be together?

MadsL

I'm not convinced this is a good idea. The find a seat anywhere approach was much better, especially as I found that people would not ask the flight attendants to move from the emergency row seats aisle they were standing in. I often boarded last and got one of those seats.

Best mechanism I have seen is Southwest's zone seating queuing. Six queues of zones A-F. They board by zone from the back of the plane first. Works a charm.

Jamie2k9

We actually don't know what will happen until Feb. You check in and you reserve free 7 days before the flight. I expect it will be like Aer Lingus where you view the seat map and are allowed to pick available seats that have not being reserved. Then again it could just be completely random but I think they will give an option to manually or automatically select seat.

If they want to be all costumer service, they will give both options to select seat at check in free.

kerry4sam

There is a thread on this very subject over in Aviation and Aircraft right here. You might like to keep an eye in there also for information.

Thanks,
kerry4sam

lc180

Hi all,

Ryanairs new assigned seating model came into effect this week, meaning that everyone on the flight will now have a seat number on their boarding card prior to getting on the plane.

Just looking to see has anyone flown with Ryanair since it started? Can you explain how it works as there is little info to go on, like are you assigned a seat or can you choose a seat online 30hrs before departure like the Aer Lingus model?

I have a flight this weekend and just wondering how it works.

Cheers.

Greg81

I am flying on Sunday. Made on-line check in and seat number was assigned to me autamaticly. You will have a chance to choose your seat but you have to pay for that.

lc180

Cheers for the reply.

Did you happen to get a window or aisle seat or where you auto-allocated a dreaded middle seat?

andersat2

I got auto allocated middle seat. Flying on Friday to Bremen

Greg81

lc180 wrote: »

Cheers for the reply.

Did you happen to get a window or aisle seat or where you auto-allocated a dreaded middle seat?

21D and 12A on return flight

ajc100

I wonder will they keep people traveling together seated together.
Be interested to see who will have to put up with my kids sat next to them on the flight. . .But I really don't care, once it's not me again!

lc180

So i went ahead and did my online check-in for my flights to Hahn this weekend. Got a middle seat outbound and an aisle seat inbound. 1 out 2 aint bad I suppose.

I travel pretty light and dont use overhead bins so im looking forward to not having to queue up at the gate like an eejit just to get a window seat.

spurious

lc180 wrote: »

So i went ahead and did my online check-in for my flights to Hahn this weekend. Got a middle seat outbound and an aisle seat inbound. 1 out 2 aint bad I suppose.

I travel pretty light and dont use overhead bins so im looking forward to not having to queue up at the gate like an eejit just to get a window seat.

People still queue like loons, even with the assigned seating.

murpho999

spurious wrote: »

People still queue like loons, even with the assigned seating.

Also, I wonder why people worry so much about seat allocation apart from sitting with their party.

Window seats give the view but mean you're stuck inside.

Aisle seats , no view but more room and easy access.

Don't see what the big deal is as most flights with Ryanair are short and sitting in a 'bad seat' for a couple of hours is not that bad in my opinion.

lc180

murpho999 wrote: »

Also, I wonder why people worry so much about seat allocation apart from sitting with their party.

Window seats give the view but mean you're stuck inside.

Aisle seats , no view but more room and easy access.

Don't see what the big deal is as most flights with Ryanair are short and sitting in a 'bad seat' for a couple of hours is not that bad in my opinion.

For me its just being able to sleep. I can't nod-off in the middle seat no matter how tired I am.

Window seat you can position yourself against the side and get somewhat comfty. It makes a big difference if you are on one of the dreaded 6/7am flights and can kip for an hour before arriving in Brussells, Paris or the likes.

diarmuid05

So how is the boarding queue working? is it a free for all or are they calling sections to board?

spurious

diarmuid05 wrote: »

So how is the boarding queue working? is it a free for all or are they calling sections to board?

'Ryanair will shortly be boarding...'
Big scatter as loons queue up.

Wait about 20 minutes. Gate staff arrive.

Go through the gate.
Generally queue up again somewhere along the way.

Queue at the bottom of the steps to the plane.
Stand behind as the 'bag the size of a small child' brigade try to jam it in somewhere.

Eventually find assigned seat.
Put normal sized bag under the seat in front of me, where it should be able to fit.
Sit down.
Observe the large bag sideshow from relative comfort.

The boarding pass says rear or front steps, along with the seat number, but there was only one set for the flight home i was on.

acquiescefc

They really need to emphasise the front and rear boarding dependant on seat allocation.
Number of people with rear section seats getting on at the front so when youre trying to get to the front of the rear section, from the rear, all this boneheads trying to get past you who got on at the front.

rant over

peppa 1986

I noticed that if you do not want to pay for a seat you can only do online check in 7days to 2hours before travel. This is inconvenient for return trips of over a weeks duration. It means you have to find a printer to print your return boarding passes. This comes into effect on 1st march. Anyone else notice this

Amirani

peppa 1986 wrote: »

I noticed that if you do not want to pay for a seat you can only do online check in 7days to 2hours before travel. This is inconvenient for return trips of over a weeks duration. It means you have to find a printer to print your return boarding passes. This comes into effect on 1st march. Anyone else notice this

Just get their new app and use a mobile boarding pass?

ger34

My son and his aunt are travelling with ryanair on Wednesday next.
With the new seating policy will I have to pay for allocated seating to ensure they are seated together?

sawdoubters

theres no good seat on ryanair


now you pay to book a crap seat

Amirani

ger34 wrote: »

My son and his aunt are travelling with ryanair on Wednesday next.
With the new seating policy will I have to pay for allocated seating to ensure they are seated together?

No, group bookings will be seated together automatically.

Jamie2k9

NiallSparky wrote: »

No, group bookings will be seated together automatically.

Only where possible, if you have not purchases seats together make sure you check in online as soon as you are allowed seats allocated together as if you leave it to late and the flight is full you may be separated if you leave it to late to check in.

Fagashlil

acquiescefc wrote: »

They really need to emphasise the front and rear boarding dependant on seat allocation.
Number of people with rear section seats getting on at the front so when youre trying to get to the front of the rear section, from the rear, all this boneheads trying to get past you who got on at the front.

rant over

It's printed right on the boarding card, under the seat number REAR/FRONT DOOR, some people choose not to read this properly. They're hardly going to send someone back down the steps just because they boarded through the incorrect door.

acquiescefc

Fagashlil wrote: »

It's printed right on the boarding card, under the seat number REAR/FRONT DOOR, some people choose not to read this properly. They're hardly going to send someone back down the steps just because they boarded through the incorrect door.

but thats what i mean. they should emphasise it more or adopt it in the boarding process. theres no need for people to surge as one towards the gate any more, yet they do.

just my two penn'orth

grimm2005

acquiescefc wrote: »

but thats what i mean. they should emphasise it more or adopt it in the boarding process. theres no need for people to surge as one towards the gate any more, yet they do.

just my two penn'orth

I agree, surely they'd get everything done faster if they called all the front door people first for example, and then the back door folks once all the front door people are queuing outside.

ScottSF

My wife and I flew to Rome last weekend on our first assigned seating flight. I checked in online several days in advance and we got the window and middle seat, though we always prefer the aisle and middle. I assumed that would happen as most other airlines I've experienced assign the window before the aisle by default. Perhaps we'll pay for a guaranteed aisle on longer flights.

During the boarding process in both directions there was no measuring of carry-on bags for size nor questioning the possession of an additional "personal item" or even two small ones. The flight attendants were very friendly and professional in reminding people to sit in their assigned seat. No one seemed to question the new policy. So it went quite smoothly in general but still not as fast as "sit anywhere you like" which is I believe the most efficient way. Our flight to Rome arrived about 5-10 minutes late (caused by slow loading?) when I expected to be on time or a bit early as is typical.

The couple of people I talked to in the queue didn't even realize there was assigned seating now, as printed on their boarding passes. Even with the assigned seating, most people queued up early. On the way back the flight was delayed by an hour. It was related to a computer check-in glitch I believe but they made no announcements which I find annoying - at least tell us what is the cause of the delay. Everybody stayed in the queue and waited patiently within the non-Schengen gate.

Since on-time arrivals is still the top priority (works for me), I'm sure the process will improve over time as the flying public is made aware of the changes. Hopefully Ryanair will look for ways to speed up the boarding process based on actual customer behavior. Like boarding in zones to eliminate the queuing ugliness.

grimm2005

Just checked in for a flight next week, noticed this on the boarding pass which I don't think has been on it before:

Due to cabin space limitations 90 large cabin bags (55 x 40 x 20 cms) can be carried in the cabin, any remainder will be carried free of charge in
the aircraft hold. Extra/Oversized Cabin Bags cannot be accepted at the boarding gate ­ where possible they may be carried in the hold of the
aircraft for a fee of £/€50.

Possibly a reason for people still queuing to avoid the chance of having to wait for their luggage upon arrival? More likely just a habit though, I'll be sitting tight until the queue dissipates anyway. Got a window seat for departure and an aisle for return. I always go for aisle where possible as I'm 6ft6' which as you can imagine isn't ideal for flying!

ScottSF

Yes I noticed that exact phrasing as well! It makes little sense if you can fit your carry-on bag under the seat in front of you. It should be worded as 90 bags in the overhead bins (right?), but who knows what they are thinking. I carry a backpack and almost always put the bag under the seat so hopefully this will never come up. I'm sure we'll hear about it if it happens as someone will surely make a fuss

Fagashlil

It refers to the large bags only, ie wheeled suitcases.

Backpacks/handbags/laptop bags, are all permitted in addition to the 90 bags.

And it depends on load numbers as to how many bags they take, the general rule being adopted if the load is -130 there's enough room for all the bags.

ProudDUB

I just checked in for a flight to Glasgow that I am taking tomorrow. My boarding passes have me in assigned seats. On the outbound leg, it says "Priority Q Seat 12 G" and the return leg says "Other Q Seat 30D". Anyone know what is up with that? I did not select, or pay for priority boarding either when I first booked the ticket, or when I checked in.

Re the 90 bag thing, when I was flying back from Edinburgh last month, they were asking people at the top and middle of the queue how many bags the entire traveling party were bringing on board. They were specifically targeting families, where mammy and daddy and all 3 kids had at a couple of bags, which would have been 10 bags for just one family. They were asking them to put at least a couple of their bags, (especially the larger wheelie suitcase type) into the hold. They explained about their only being able to take 90 bags in total onto the plane and, that once they reached that number, everyone at the back would have to put all of their bags into the hold, which wouldn't be exactly fair.

The Ryanair staff were very nice and people took it well. If you are asked to check one of your bags, you don't have to wait at the carousels for your bag when you get to your destination. The staff at the gate put a tag on it, you take it with you onto the tarmac and you give it to one of the baggage crew at the bottom of the stairs up to the plane. When you get off the plane, it will be waiting for you in the exact same spot. You don't have to wait for it at the carousels inside the baggage hall.

lc180

I flew to/from Hahn this past weekend and thought the new system worked pretty well.

No eejits queuing up half an hour before boarding was announced, I was able to board pretty much last and make my way to my seat. Didn't notice any people having any problems with the assigned seats but there was a couple people ahead of me that needed to be told they got on via the wrong side of the plane so that definitely needs to be highlighted more.

Strangely enough I was sitting beside the exact same person for the Friday flight as I was the Sunday flight. Which in this case was a massive positive cos she was well cute

grimm2005

ProudDUB wrote: »

The Ryanair staff were very nice and people took it well. If you are asked to check one of your bags, you don't have to wait at the carousels for your bag when you get to your destination. The staff at the gate put a tag on it, you take it with you onto the tarmac and you give it to one of the baggage crew at the bottom of the stairs up to the plane. When you get off the plane, it will be waiting for you in the exact same spot. You don't have to wait for it at the carousels inside the baggage hall.

That's almost more convenient tbh (presuming you don't plan on taking anything from your bag on the flight) because you then don't have to battle for bag space or get involved with the baggage scrum when the flight lands

No eejits queuing up half an hour before boarding was announced, I was able to board pretty much last and make my way to my seat. Didn't notice any people having any problems with the assigned seats but there was a couple people ahead of me that needed to be told they got on via the wrong side of the plane so that definitely needs to be highlighted more.

It's pretty well highlighted tbf, right under the seat number in bold capital letters. I think people just need to use their head and actually look at their tickets before boarding!

Fr_2010

ProudDUB wrote: »

If you are asked to check one of your bags, you don't have to wait at the carousels for your bag when you get to your destination. The staff at the gate put a tag on it, you take it with you onto the tarmac and you give it to one of the baggage crew at the bottom of the stairs up to the plane. When you get off the plane, it will be waiting for you in the exact same spot. You don't have to wait for it at the carousels inside the baggage hall.

The bag is tagged, placed at the bottom of the steps and collected from the baggage carousel in the arriving airport. It is not at the bottom of the steps when you disembark

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

Jamie2k9

Mr.S wrote: »

How did it go wrong? Clearly states if families want to be guaranteed to be seated next to each other they need to pay the premium!

So there customer service is to con more money out of families. Aer Lingus and Easyjet don't have such a policy. They allow you to select the seats free of charge at a certain time or at the airport.

They are trying to attract more families but at the same time they want an extra 20 euro (average families are 4) to sit together.

This won't be the first story like this, Dublin Airport in July will be interesting!

toadfly

Jamie2k9 wrote: »

So there customer service is to con more money out of families. Aer Lingus and Easyjet don't have such a policy. They allow you to select the seats free of charge at a certain time or at the airport.

They are trying to attract more families but at the same time they want an extra 20 euro (average families are 4) to sit together.

This won't be the first story like this, Dublin Airport in July will be interesting!

They should have paid the premium or not fly Ryanair. It's quite simple really.

A Dub in Glasgo

^^^^

Really? quite simple that would they have liked Ryanair to sit a 4 year old next to the parent. There is a reason an airline will not take an unaccompanied child on a flight and in an emergency that is essentially what that child is

mambo

I've seen references to the allocated seating as being "random" (unless you pay).

Is it actually truely *random* (in which you are almost guaranteed not to be seated together), or (as I suspect), you get the next N seats available, which may be together, may be not together, you don't know until they are allocated, by which stage it's too late to decide to pay to choose seats.

Either way, it's a way of getting extra money out of the passenger, under the pretence of better customer service. Nice one Ryanair!

Another good reason not to fly Ryanair, especially families.

Fr_2010

mambo wrote: »

I've seen references to the allocated seating as being "random" (unless you pay).

Is it actually truely *random* (in which you are almost guaranteed not to be seated together), or (as I suspect), you get the next N seats available, which may be together, may be not together, you don't know until they are allocated, by which stage it's too late to decide to pay to choose seats.

Either way, it's a way of getting extra money out of the passenger, under the pretence of better customer service. Nice one Ryanair!

Another good reason not to fly Ryanair, especially families.

I would think the system will allocate seats together as much as possible. It depends how close to travel people check in. If you want a seat randomly allocated its from 7 days before travel. So if more than 3/4 of the plane pay to choose there seats the people who haven't payed will get whats left.

Surrender

Checked in for two people to fly on Sunday, allocated 2 seats that are beside each other. I doubt that the allocation is random.

ScottSF

I doubt that the allocation is random.

I don't think anyone is suggesting it is truly random, but simply based on availability. If you are part of a couple there are likely to be two seats together somewhere on the plane which will be randomly selected for you. But if you check in online at the last minute, there may only be middle seats left so that is the risk.

That is why people are suggesting a family of four may be smart to pay for seats unless they are sure to be able to check in on the day check-in is offered online. Otherwise they may be broken up across the aisle or the row in front and back (or further if necessary) if there are no four seats left in a row. And you can't expect someone to change seats for you if they paid extra so it might prove complicated if you ask to be seated together once you arrive on the plane.

I still prefer the free-for-all because it is more predictable however I also do not think 5 EUR is much to pay for an assigned seat. When airlines started charging extra for food (at least in the US) people complained that it was part of the ticket price and would never pay for food. Now the same is happening for seats.

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

Ms.Sunshine

Why doesn't the mother in the video just pay the extra 20 pounds or what ever it is if she is that worried about not sitting with her daughter? I understand its not convenient but not much else she can do!

mambo

Ms.Sunshine wrote: »

Why doesn't the mother in the video just pay the extra 20 pounds or what ever it is if she is that worried about not sitting with her daughter? I understand its not convenient but not much else she can do!

Isn't it too late at that stage? She had already chosen NOT to pay the extra charge, so was allocated seats automatically (and not contiguous) and by then it's too late to go back and choose to pay?