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WARNING - Ryanair 'online check in' farce
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rag31
Posts: 198 Forumite
We were supposed to travel out to France to attend my DH best friend's wedding today.
We checked in online, noted the recommendation to arrive a minimum of 40 minutes before departure to 'drop off' our checked-in bags, and get to the gate.
We actually arrived at the airport 1 hour prior to departure to find the 'bag drop off' point is actually the old style check-in desks where you need to queue up and hand over boarding passes and passports.
After queueing at the under-staffed 'bag drop off point' we got to the front to be told the gate was closed
and there was no way we were getting on. We tried to leave bags there so that we could go on with hand luggage only, but no - gate closed.
We explained that we were there in plenty of time and it is not our fault that their small print is INCORRECT, that they are understaffed and can't process people in the time required. They offered to change flights for £720, after much negotiation came down to £600 (us and our four children) which we couldn't afford.
So now we have all driven home, children devastated, RYANAIR uncompromising and unhelpful. Husband flying out alone on a new flight tomorrow.
BE CAREFUL - DO NOT GET THERE 40 MINS PRIOR TO DEPARTURE AS INSTRUCTED, OR EVEN AN HOUR. TREAT IT AS OLD CHECK IN WITH 2HRS PRIOR TO DEPARTURE TIME.
Better still - boycott Ryanair - we will be.
Becky
We checked in online, noted the recommendation to arrive a minimum of 40 minutes before departure to 'drop off' our checked-in bags, and get to the gate.
We actually arrived at the airport 1 hour prior to departure to find the 'bag drop off' point is actually the old style check-in desks where you need to queue up and hand over boarding passes and passports.
After queueing at the under-staffed 'bag drop off point' we got to the front to be told the gate was closed
and there was no way we were getting on. We tried to leave bags there so that we could go on with hand luggage only, but no - gate closed.We explained that we were there in plenty of time and it is not our fault that their small print is INCORRECT, that they are understaffed and can't process people in the time required. They offered to change flights for £720, after much negotiation came down to £600 (us and our four children) which we couldn't afford.
So now we have all driven home, children devastated, RYANAIR uncompromising and unhelpful. Husband flying out alone on a new flight tomorrow.
BE CAREFUL - DO NOT GET THERE 40 MINS PRIOR TO DEPARTURE AS INSTRUCTED, OR EVEN AN HOUR. TREAT IT AS OLD CHECK IN WITH 2HRS PRIOR TO DEPARTURE TIME.
Better still - boycott Ryanair - we will be.
Becky
Mum of 4 lovely children
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Comments
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If the OP got there an hour before then Ryanair should have waited until everyone in that check-in queue was served before closing boarding.
It's not their fault that Ryanair were understaffed and unable to deal with the workload.0 -
If the OP got there an hour before then Ryanair should have waited until everyone in that check-in queue was served before closing boarding.
It's not their fault that Ryanair were understaffed and unable to deal with the workload.
They should have arrived earlier. The drop off desk closes 40 mins before departure, it is not a recommended time of arrival. Anyone that arrives twenty mins before the desk closes deserves little sympathy!Gone ... or have I?0 -
I don't think thats a fair assumption at all. I arrive regulary an hour before departure. Once I've been stuck in a Ryanair queue that got to 35 minutes before departure. They served everyone (including the people behind me) and I boarded the flight.
It's nobody but the companies fault. If they want people there 2 hours before check in it should say that on your boarding pass.0 -
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If it really is an accurate representation of what happened, it is truly unacceptable.
I've been flying regularly for more than fifteen years and it's the first time I've heard of having to queue up in a 'check in' queue after I've checked in online.
Surely that the whole point of checking in online, so that you save the airline long check in queues and your time from having to hang around an airport.
There usually a seperate 'bag drop', with the whole process taking no more than two minutes.
I have travelled with Ryanair, but only with hand luggage. As a seasoned traveller I certaily would not expect such a state of affairs. I would be seething. The last thing I would want to hear is some smug comment from a dim witted insensitive git.0 -
firstly, yes, Ryanair should have cut the queue off, so then you knew that you would get served, they are at fault for that.
secondly, i actually kinda agree with dmg24, that you should have got to the airport earlier... giving only 20 minutes for problems that may arise, is cutting it fine.. what if there was a delay on the motorway/train and you were late at the airport. and even with only 1 hour to spare before the flight DEPARTS, and you had got your bag dropped off, you have to be at the gate 30 minutes before departure, so if the queue for security was long, you could have missed your flight regardless.
yes it is awful, but as they say... s**t happens!0 -
rag31
I too would have expected that a 'bag drop' desk would be just that - you show your boarding cards and leave your bags.
I've not experienced RyanAir's bag drop but that is how BA works (at LHR).
Was it a generic check-in i.e. everybody for all Ryanair flights in the same queue?
If so, I'd have thought that they might have sent someone down the queue to ask if there was anybody for flights that were near to closing.
If it was a desk specifically for your flight then I'd have thought they would have dealt with everybody who arrived within the time stated.
Maybe that's just how budget airlines work, though.
I'm sorry to hear that you missed your flight, but in fairness to Ryanair, their website does say that the bag drop desks open two hours prior to scheduled departure and early check-in of baggage is highly recommended. The bag drop desks close strictly 40 minutes before the scheduled time of departure.
Although dmg24 has been a tad blunt, I too agree about the sense of allowing plenty of time for the journey to the airport, check-in time and queues for security.0 -
Sort of knew we would get one of these 'examples' of how the bag drop off isn't quick.
I've experience of fast bag drops, which aren't fast at all, airports just can't do it.Posts are not advice and must not be relied upon.0 -
I think Dmg is right, if you knew the bag drop closed 40 mins prior to the flight then why stand in the queue and watch it close. Why didn't you raise the issue with the people in front of you and go to the front? Surely by standing there and doing nothing you compltely relinquish any right to compalin.
The way i see it is that you was bumped off the flight because you left it too late, in bumping you this meant that the 100+ others who did get there in good time got to there destination on time.
That said i do sympathise with the OP in that perhaps Ryanair could have been a little more accomdating. However regular users of this forum will know and probably agree that 'accomodating' and 'Ryanair' seldom falls into the same sentence.0 -
It's nobody but the companies fault. If they want people there 2 hours before check in it should say that on your boarding pass.
To be fair it does say it closes 40 minutes prior to the flight. Not "40 minutes if everyone has been sorted" Just "40 minutes before flight departure"0
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