Ryanair - RYR > Reviews > Beat the queue with a kid!

Author's product rating:   

Food Quality	Satisfactory
Customer Service	Friendly and attentive
Punctuality	Always on time
Space	Comfortable
Value for Money	Excellent

Advantages:	Cheap and local
Disadvantages:	First come, First served .

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

We live quite near Stansted airport and have one young son. Both of these are disadvantages when it comes to booking a package holiday. They all seem to fly from Gatwick or Heathrow and charge a supplement if you do not have 4 occupants of a family room!

So we have had several excellent and cheap holidays in Spain and Italy using Ryanair and accommodation booked on the internet direct with the owner.

With Ryanair it is best to book your flight as early as you can as these are usually the cheapest tickets - prices go up as the plane fills up. No last minute deals then, but with fares as low as 99p ( not including taxes and surcharges of course + the new charge for luggage) who needs them. We pay on average £120 for 3 return tickets - no child prices either... a seat's a seat! And we usually get a weeks accommodation in a 2 bed apartment for around £250 in high season - a total of £370 for a week in the sun. An excellent bargain as compared to High street travel agents and no squeezing us all into one hotel room.
There are no actual tickets you just print a confirmation email and take it with you to the airport.

TURN UP EARLY for booking in as you are not allocated seats on the plane but are given a numbered ticket. The lower numbers are boarded first and so have the pick of the best seats.
This is where having a four year old in tow comes into its own. Ryanair have a policy of boarding families with children and the elderly or disabled first, bypassing the numbered ticket system.
There is always some confusion at the departure gate as people hustle for position, but we have not really had any trouble with this after all if you travel on the cheap you cannot expect VIP treatment.

On board the planes are basic, but sufficient for the relatively short trips to Europe. There is no onboard entertainment or meals included in the fare. Take something to do and a snack and drink, you'll be fine. The food and drinks they sell are fine but are overpriced.

On arrival you'll find you are in a smaller more out of the way airport, but the extra cost of taxis/ transfers does not eat up the amount saved by travelling Ryanair - you'll still be quids in. We try to book to stay with people who will pick us up from the airport and budget for the transfer in advance.

Departure day also means an early arrival as the airports are usually quite small and the check in queues are quite confusing,.

All in all I would rather have more money to spend on holiday than on getting there. I would recommend Ryanair anytime - if you want first class luxury look elsewhere - but if you are booking a package holiday put a bit more effort in to an internet search and you can get a better holiday for much less money!