20 reasons never to fly Ryanair

inflationbusting

Mate, if they have a monopoly, then there is no real reason for Ryanair to offer good deals for people that are inflexible.
I already explained, there is forced check-in for infants because they want to discourage this type of customer. That might sound harsh, but it's pretty close to the truth. Same with disabled people. They will comply with the mininmum legal requirements, and that's it.
That is just the laws of supply and demand that they are exploiting. It's not as if they are alone in that.

If you put up a pic of the last page showing what options you have selected, I will tell you what you are getting for your ticket. Don't confuse 'don't know' what you're getting for your money with 'don't like' what you're getting for your money.

If there was a flag carrier offering tickets up to £30 above Ryanair, I have, and will take it. Ryanair isn't for everyone, or for every situation.

If you pack light (as I do), there is no way you are going to be anywhere near marginal. Buy one of the airport-sized cases which are already the recommended dimensions.

I know you're not a Ryanair basher (unlike the times article) but I think you must realise that no-one has an automatic right to be treated as the best customer. At my stage in life, Ryanair suits me fine. If I had kids and family, I wouldn't be flying Ryanair and if that meant getting the train or driving to another airport, then so be it.

I won't begrudge Ryanair at this stage when it happens. I can understand their policy. Due to the sheer volume of people they carry, making any concession from their rules would create thousands of 'me-too' cases.

Yvieandjaff

Hi there!
Im going on my 1st girly holiday end of May and the flights are covered by ryanair...I must admit after looking at all these posts Im a little worried.
Should I be?
Or is there any precautions I can tell the girls about before we go?
I have heard that they are pretty strict when it comes to baggage weights, which I understand is 15kg (10kg carry on). Can you take a handbag aswell as carry-on, as I know someone who did that before, but that was to USA?

Any suggestions greatly appreciated!

fifeken

Yvieandjaff wrote: »

Hi there!
Im going on my 1st girly holiday end of May and the flights are covered by ryanair...I must admit after looking at all these posts Im a little worried.
Should I be?
Or is there any precautions I can tell the girls about before we go?
I have heard that they are pretty strict when it comes to baggage weights, which I understand is 15kg (10kg carry on). Can you take a handbag aswell as carry-on, as I know someone who did that before, but that was to USA?

Any suggestions greatly appreciated!

No reason to worry any more about Ryanair than any other airline.

Best to assume they will be strict on bag weights and dimensions as enforcement of the rules can vary from airport tot airport and even from day to day. Your handbag should fit inside your carry on as you go through the checks, but of course you can take it out again as soon as you're through.

freedom

As my children live abroad I fly mainly Ryanair 9 or more times annually.
I have saved hundreds of pounds over the years
I always shop around and invariably come back to Ryanair
Never had a problem so far, just got more money in my pocket:T

sturll

freedom wrote: »

As my children live abroad I fly mainly Ryanair 9 or more times annually.
I have saved hundreds of pounds over the years
I always shop around and invariably come back to Ryanair
Never had a problem so far, just got more money in my pocket:T

This tends to be the general feeling of Ryainair.

When they work they work well. But when it goes wrong it goes wrong i such a way that many people refuse to fly with them again.

uganda

Well inflationbusting, I have bought my tickets, and am only going to avoid excess baggage problems by making up a bag of stuff at my brother's place (can't do that for the little one of course as she'll have grown out of everything by the next time).

You may well be right that they are just exploiting the infant situation because they are not profitable customers, however there are a few things you either don't realise or are misrepresenting.

Firstly your Dantean vision of a hellish flight full of infants is a little awry. Each adult may only carry one infant under 2. That's fine by me, and fine by most except those with twins or carrying lots of other people's kids, but it does mean that you're not going to have a cabin full of littl'uns even if they travel for free.

Second, it already costs far more for Ryanair to carry my 18-month-old than it does for them to carry me. This is despite the fact that she will not be taking up a seat (she will have to go on my lap).

Third, I will have to do airport check-in for £20 rather than online for free because of a spurious requirement where infants are concerned. I would not mind if there was a good reason for this but there isn't (unless you can think of one).

Fourth, there is no baggage allowance for an infant. This despite the fact that they generally need more stuff than adults. It means that my own allowance is not the same as for adults travelling without children as I have to make room for her things. As it happens I am travelling to stay with my brother and can buy some clothes there and leave them at his house so I'll be ok but what about tourists?

Last but not least. For the time being no photo ID is required for under-2s, but the wording on the site is slightly ambiguous. Furthermore the smallprint contains reference to potential requirements for proof of her age. Ok sure, I can bring her birth cert along just in case, but the point is that this is yet another area where people can get caught up in the minutiae of the website.

I don't mind Ryanair maximising their profits. And I am using them after all of course. But when a business is constantly trying to con its customers it is taking a big risk. I'm all for cheap flights and am happy to forego certain luxuries in order to have them. I find it baffling that you think that I think I have a right to be seen as their 'best customer', I just think a bit of fairness wouldn't go amiss.

I would happily drive or take the train or whatever instead, in fact I would prefer to pay more and do that, but sadly I am separated from my child's mother and anyone who has been through that process knows how little time one gets to make such trips.

My problem is not the amount they charge (though it is not stupidly cheap) but the fact that their rules and smallprint make it so easy to fall into traps and get stranded. Getting charged an extra 40 quid at the airport would annoy me but I could live with it, getting stranded so I have no way home for 48 hours say, with an 18-month-old who needs feeding, watering and sleeping while I have to think about my business and the reaction of her mother, that bit wouldn't be funny.

10past6

I only need one: the name :mad:

richardw

Appears that if your outbound fare is a 'Promotional fare' and your inbound fare isn't, you don't get charged for on-line check both ways if you have hand luggage only.

lijaloo

richardw wrote: »

Appears that if your outbound fare is a 'Promotional fare' and your inbound fare isn't, you don't get charged for on-line check both ways if you have hand luggage only.

Where does that information come from?

richardw

I tried a dummy booking.