WARNING - Ryanair 'online check in' farce

sidefx

I think the OP was cutting it fine even if they had checked in online. As an earlier poster said I would arrive earlier than that even if only travelling with hand baggage.

Also due to the increased security at airports these days, it could take 40 minutes to get through security at peak times.

old_motters

If the OP paid by credit card, I would first attempt to dispute the charges with Ryanair, then if that fails, with the credit card company as a failure to deliver services as contracted. If the credit card company accepts the dispute, they will deduct the charges from Ryanair. Let the credit card company deal with Ryanair and see what happens.

Yes, the OP did show up at the last possible minute but I don't see that as reason to penalise her to the tune of 600 quid. She showed up, end of story.

spiro

old_motters wrote: »

If the OP paid by credit card, I would first attempt to dispute the charges with Ryanair, then if that fails, with the credit card company as a failure to deliver services as contracted. If the credit card company accepts the dispute, they will deduct the charges from Ryanair. Let the credit card company deal with Ryanair and see what happens.

Yes, the OP did show up at the last possible minute but I don't see that as reason to penalise her to the tune of 600 quid. She showed up, end of story.

See my post (no. 20) it clearly says they will close 40 minutes before departure no matter what, they also advise to be there 2 hrs before. Both of these would invalidate any attempt to make a claim. Ryanair will do exactly the same thing if you turn up at the boarding gate with 2 pieces of hand luggage - denied boarding, no refund.

Edinburghlass_2

sidefx wrote: »

I think the OP was cutting it fine even if they had checked in online. As an earlier poster said I would arrive earlier than that even if only travelling with hand baggage.

Also due to the increased security at airports these days, it could take 40 minutes to get through security at peak times.

At Edinburgh airport I always allow an hour and a half just to get through passport control then security and then the long walk to the Ryan Air departure gates and thats with hand luggage only.

old_motters

spiro wrote: »

See my post (no. 20) it clearly says they will close 40 minutes before departure no matter what, they also advise to be there 2 hrs before. Both of these would invalidate any attempt to make a claim. Ryanair will do exactly the same thing if you turn up at the boarding gate with 2 pieces of hand luggage - denied boarding, no refund.

Gotcha, if they advise 2 hours then I have to agree. I guess £100 per seat for what was essentially a walk up fare isn't awful, I just can't believe a full service carrier would have done that.

mystic_trev

Sorry but as a frequent flyer, I have to agree with the two hour rule, regardless of where you are flying to.I would have missed several flights if I hadn't. There's always the odd time you'll get stuck with unexpected circumstances

isplumm

What I can not understand is why they stayed in the queue .... they knew the 40 minute cut off .... so why didn't they make themselves known to someone ...

I haven't flown with Ryan Air, but I have with EasyJet & they called people forward as the flight was getting ready to close .... so if you were in the queue you were bumped to the front, so that you got checked in before the flight closed. Does Ryan Air do a similar thing?

I always make sure that I am at the airport 2 hours before ... even if I have checked in on-line ... I'd rather be sat having a coffee, than panicking about the flight ... I've seen to many episodes of Airport!!

Mark

rag31

Hmm, thanks people.

Yes, now that we know the situation we would get there earlier.

Bearing in mind the assertion on the email and check in information that we would just drop off our bags at a drop off point (assumed automated as previous posters have mentioned - it wasn't) and go through security to the gate. Minimum time 40 minutes as THEY state (not made up by us).

We are not 'seasoned' travellers so took this information at face value, thought things had moved on loads since the old check in desk queue system and therefore the system must obviously be more streamlined to mean that everything is much quicker. We were still there an hour before.

The airport was chaos, genuinely. Only 3 ryanair desks were open and there were around 25-30 people in each queue. At first we assumed this queue was for people who hadn't checked in online, and so we looked around for someone to ask. There is no customer service desk at Stansted, and there was NO staff around to ask for help apart from those on the check in (sorry, drop off) desks who were refusing to talk to anyone not in the queue.

I guess the moral of the story for me in the future is to ignore any imaginary minimum times from the airline and to get there hours before regardless of any claims that X, Y and Z services that you have paid for which 'speed' things up exist - as apparently they really don't.

Normally we would be much more organised, I would have found out what this online check in and drop off point things actually meant and what have you. Unfortunately my grandad had a stroke and heart attack at the weekend and is in a critical condition in Lancashire so I was a bit preoccupied and instead of second guessing every aspect of the information given to us by the airline, we relied on them instead. As others have said, maybe we were stupid.

Judging by other passengers around us, I'd say we are not the only ones and maybe it would be useful to make it common knowledge that 'check in online' 'bag drop off points' 'minimum 40 minutes prior to departure' actually all mean something entirely different to that which they appear to mean.

Becky

rag31

And, to clarify: on none of the paperwork we were sent or anywhere on our check in information did it state that we should still be there 2 hours prior to departure or we would have been. The only timings were: minimum 40 minutes prior to departure to 'drop off' our bags, and that the gate closed 30 minutes prior to departure.

Nothing stating even a recommendation to arrive 2hrs before.

Becky

cbrown372

I just checked my Itinery for a flight in the next couple of weeks and it clearly states this

AIRPORT CHECK IN DEADLINES:
ALL airport check-in desks open 2 hours prior to the scheduled flight departure time and close strictly 40 minutes prior to the scheduled flight departure time.

This is before the mention of the luggage drop off areas at certain airports.