Ryanair question on check in for NON-European passport holders

zik013

Hi, i started this thread to find out the question which concerns me now..

i have flown Ryanair only once (last week), and that was a fairly expensive ticket with airport checkin (bough online), since then i have bought many tickets with them (mostly for 1p) and i intend to use them.

the thing is, when i bought them, i chose the online check in option (because it is free) and stated that i have EU passport (which is not true, as i hold Ukrainian passport). I've done that so i can buy many tix and later choose which one to use...

In this forum i have found info that some people (who didnt have EU passports) were let in with online check in onto the planes, and some not.. those who have not, could use the refund option later to get their money for check in back...

i am at the crossroads now.. first of all it is not a problem for me to pay the check in fee on the tix i am going to use, but of course i would rather try to minimize those expenses.. my question is HOW ??

first option would be to pay the 5 euro/pound airport check in fee online when i am sure that i will fly that route (vs the 10euro/pound at the airport), but i cant seem to find that option online AFTER the tix are already bought. The only trick i found is to pay for one bag, which will automatically add airport check ins... as i am travelling with my GF, this will work out to 20 euro/pounds (the same amount as paid at the airport but with an extra bag)... and in this case i will loose the eligibility for the check in fee refund (which is not a biggie)...

any other options i am missing ??

thanks for all the replies

richardw

zik013 wrote: »

I've done that so i can buy many tix and later choose which one to use...

So not letting other moneysavers to travel for a 1p fare.

Wouldn't be surprised if Ryanair cancel your ticket because you lied about your passport.

dealsearcher

I wonder just how prevelant this is? People getting loads of flight bookings for 1p each and then not using many of them? As Richard says this will have the effect of the Ryanair booking system filling up the planes with theoretical bookings. When the plane starts to fill up with bookings the price rises, but on the day the plane departs half empty. :undecided

zik013

i bought the tix on the dates i do intend to use... but being NON-EU citizen not everything is in my hands

phatbear

Makes me wonder if i could book a whole plane to myself for £2.30???

dealsearcher

phatbear wrote: »

Makes me wonder if i could book a whole plane to myself for £2.30???

... and asker of silly questions!

Of course as you book yourself and all your mates on the flight the price will start to increase as the seats fill up. That is my and Richard's point.

phatbear

dealsearcher wrote: »

... and asker of silly questions!

Of course as you book yourself and all your mates on the flight the price will start to increase as the seats fill up. That is my and Richard's point.

It was a joke im under no illusion that I could undertake such a transaction

zik013

anybody can suggest anything from personal experience ON the matter ??

BenL

I have booked some flights in Janaury on Ryanair for 1p then not used them.

2 returns to Dublin from Leedds for the weekend just before my b-day as they were 1p e/w.

No taxes, no insurance, no priority boarding, no bags, online checkin.

I then started to search for hotels and realised what a rip off Dublin was.

We flew Manchester - Shannon instead for £11, still expensive in Ireland but the hotel was a million times nicer and a lot cheaper.

I didn't do anything with the flight, they sent the e-mails about checking in which i never did so they knew i wouldn't be there, they could sell it again if they wanted in that 4 hour period i guess.

The flight was due to leave 10:30am ish on the Thursday, I got a mail from them at 17:30pm that day to ask what i wanted to do with the flight as Dublin airport had been shut due to snow all day.

I asked for my 4p back!

omelette451

dealsearcher wrote: »

I wonder just how prevelant this is? People getting loads of flight bookings for 1p each and then not using many of them? As Richard says this will have the effect of the Ryanair booking system filling up the planes with theoretical bookings. When the plane starts to fill up with bookings the price rises, but on the day the plane departs half empty. :undecided

It's very common for people to do this, and the airline knows it. Surely you don't think o'Leary is that naive? Many people both on here and in the papers have said they've booked dozens if not hundreds of tickets and intend to use only a few. Some 'Ryanair haters' even booked every ticket they could find precisely in order to stop other people getting them! I personally think the 1p offer is mostly about keeping the load factors up, as they can then tell use the figures to tell advertisers and shareholders that their planes are 82% full year-round, so it's pretty irrelevant whether people actually use them. These fares are only made available on services that would otherwise be nowhere near full, so there's little chance of it adversely affecting those who do want or need to travel on them. And of course it does give them a chance to claw back some revenue as at least some people will buy sandwiches/take luggage/come back on a more expensive fare/etc.

For the OP, the rules about online check-in are very clear and simple. If people have been allowed through anyway it will only be because the staff on that day were too dozy to notice, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if they stopped you at the gate and refused to let you travel. You can of course check in at the airport in the normal way, but not at the gate. I would suggest paying the fee at the airport and trying to claim it back later (presumably you can claim for all your flights together to make it easier and to save time), though of course if you lied about your passport type they could use that as a reason not to pay. I think that's unlikely though. You could explain to the airport staff that you can't check in online and ask them to check you in for free, but I have no idea if this will work.

jammin_2

zik013,

If you are a non-EEA citizen, you have to pay for airport check-in.

You can write to Ryanair Customer Services after you've paid and request a refund, but only if you haven't checked-in any luggage.