I've just about lost count of the number of flights I've made with Ryanair in the last few years, so think I'm just about qualified to give my opinion on them.
Background *********** Ryanair have been operating since 1985, and now fly 15 million passengers each year all over Europe. They aim, to be Europes largest airline by the end of the decade, and the way they are going, this doesn't sound too much like pie in the sky. They manage to keep prices low by using airports "that don't rip you off", meaning ones a little off the beaten path at times.
Booking ******** Go to www.ryanair.com, where all the fun begins. The site is in blue and yellow, on the whole easy to move around and not too cluttered. You can choose to use the site in any one of 11 languages, by default it's English of course. Click onto "Destinations" and you are presented with a graphical view of Europe, and all the airports Ryanair uses. Moving over a particular airport will display links to all the airports you can fly to. There are more destinations being added, so making the choices even better for the European traveller. Destinations on offer include Spain, Italy, Germany, Norway, Sweden, France, Holland, Denmark, Finland, and of course the UK and Ireland. The main UK airport is Stansted, but they also fly to/from Aberdeen, Birmingham, Blackpool, Bristol, Bournemouth, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Newquay & Teeside - perhaps I missed some. You can also view the timetable, to see what flights are on offer between destinations.
Forget all the rest, just book yourself a little break to say Italy, or France, and be amazed at how much (I mean how little) it'll cost you. Right now, and quite often actually they offer millions of "free" seats, meaning you just pay the taxes. Even without these offers, I had seats for 2 pounds, 4 pounds, I think the most was twelve pounds....Choose your time of flight, enter your details (you'll need a credit/debit card), and confirm your flight. An email is sent soon after confirming everthing, including your booking number which you need to keep safe. If times do change, you will be emailed, but this has only ever happened to me once, and it was just a 20 minute change.
The website is also the place to find full terms and conditions, the latest news, and frequently asked travel questions, as well as links to cheap hotels, car hire and travel insurance.
Checking in ************ Forget long queues, check-in is a breeze. Simply quote them your booking number, and show your passport, and you are issued with your boarding card, they take care of your luggage, and you're done. Baggage allowance is lower than BA, at 15kg per person, and 7kg for hand baggage, but I've been overweight on occasions, and they've never charged me excess.
Boarding ********* Quite often there is a little delay for boarding, and quite often the boarding gate changes, sometimes more than once. You are kept informed often by Ryanair announcements, although sometimes they are accompanied by uncontrollable laughter...which does add some humour to your wait. Once boarding is announced, you line up (families with children or special needs first), give in your boarding card, and get onto the plane. You don't have seat numbers, just pick whichever seat you prefer, a window seat is always nice.
Flying ******* Again, a few delays in take-off, but nothing more than any other airline I have flown with. Seats aren't too bad for me, although I am not a "big" person (in fact last time I saw the doctor she said "don't see many people like you these days...what did she mean?). On many occasions I've had more than one seat to myself due to half empty planes. You get no luxuries during the flight itself, no paper, no "food" or complimentary wine, but staff are on hand to provide, at a cost, hot and cold food, drinks, duty free, souvenirs, and other useful things like train tickets at a discounted price. Food and drink is expensive, but if you are concerened, then bring your own, or just order a few vodkas and remember how much you've saved on that BA flight. Staff are always well presented and as helpful as any airline staff I have met.
Journeys end ************* All landings (so far) have been smooth, and I've travelled at all seasons throughout the year, and not too delayed that I've missed ongoing transport, so no problems there. Departure happens just as soon as they can get the steps to the plane, sometimes through one door, sometimes two. Staff always say goodbye, and smile, and I always do the same. As with most of the airports Ryanair use, they are small, so not possible to get lost, and baggage reclaim etc is just so easy and quick. They are however, a bit out of the way, so a coach trip of another hour is quite usual before you hit the main city. You can of course hire a car, and Ryanair does some great deals with Hertz.
All in all, I have so far no real complaints with Ryanair, and do not hesitate in recommending them to anyone, especially those on a budget. If you are in the least bit snobbish though, doubt you'll be impressed. I can't wait til they start flying beyond Europe!
More details
Class flown most frequently
Economy
How often do you travel with this airline
Regularly
Where did you book
Directly with this airline
Safety
Good
How well does it cater for disabled people
Very well
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