You have not been scammed/ripped off by Ryanair if...

harz99

peterbaker wrote: »

Serious question (s) please ... carefully crafted responses gratefully received .....

Those of you who have been around MSE long enough will know that I have had a love hate relationship with the subject airline for longer than most , and that as such I am as seasoned a lo-cost traveller as most. So naturally, I smiled sweetly at PBS's work of art in the original post :rolleyes:

So why not ask your serious question(s) in a new thread of your own, with a sensible title? Instead of hijacking this thread for a new question. You might have got an answer then!

peterbaker

So where's the answer to the question, harz? Or have you no idea and just fancied sticking your oar in for no good effect?

This is typical of the territorial p*$$ing on the flowers that goes on in parts of MSE and means people stay away more than they otherwise would.

So all you cleverdicks who dreamed up the original "Top Tips" have failed in 36 hours to come up with a single top tip to respond to a sensible question that will surely be wondered about by everybody using Ryanair's 2009 bag drop system at Stansted for the first time this summer?

I am disappointed, not least because I know that this is information that I should have been emailed by the airline because they changed the arrangements after I bought the tickets. But of course, we, like Pavlov's Dog, should have learned by now that Ryanair don't care one iota once they've got the money for the fare - in fact they stand to make additional profit if we trip up and get it wrong, don't they?

The only scant information I can find on the web site is this:

The Bag Drop desks open two hours prior to the 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. We reserve the right to cancel your reservation and to deny you boarding without refund if you do not comply with these deadlines.

Now, this throws up an instant doubt about the information as regards Stansted. I haven't used the bag drop before at Stansted, but I have looked across to the melee as I have passed through. Isn't it just a general area where any bag drop desk will do for any flight?

They don't have specific desks for specific flights do they, for that would defeat the object of their new money-saving system?

So all it means when they say the bag drops close at 40 minutes before the scheduled departure time is that if you arrive at the desk after queueing for an hour the bag drop clerk can lokk at his or her watch and say its 39 minutes so tough luck I won't help you? Or do I have it all wrong?

harz99

Same response as before:D.

If you really think the title to your first post will win you friends and get you any helpful answers, you live in another world my boy.

peterbaker

No same world as you harz. Opposite corners with different outlook perhaps.

I didn't start a new Ryanair thread because there are too many already. I thought that was pretty much agreed as preferred on MSE?

And why would I need to cultivate 'friends' on a website like this?

I've asked a series of important questions that no-one can be bothered to answer as further 'top tips'. That either means no-one knows the answer (wouldn't surprise me actually despite the self-declared status of some 'experts' on here) or those that do are far too up themselves to deign to tell any of us on MSE who continue to wonder on about the new problems like the bag drop at Stansted, while the experts bang on about the old hat, congratulate themselves, and call their views "Top Tips" :rolleyes:

lelasuzi

Have only done online checkin once. For me was no diff than waiting to check in norm. The queue was massive. Still, who am I to wonder?

peterbaker

Thanks lelasuzi, this was a trip booked before the May changeover date so it was booked as compulsory airport check-in of bags.

Ryanair's website deals very haphazardly with the changeover notification and it completely neglects this transitional use case at Stansted.

I am guessing now that we are expected to check-in online, and if we didn't, I bet we would have a problem on the day...

Thanks again for your sensible response.

We shall see :rolleyes:

PolishBigSpender

Just spotted this now...

peterbaker wrote: »

Serious question (s) please ... carefully crafted responses gratefully received .....

But even with my own well-worn clever-!!!!!! hat on, I don't know the answer to this one:

Booked flights with bags for summer well in advance of the new online only check-in changeover date. So I guess the first few of my questions are about transitional arrangements.

A. Do I need to do anything online before I get to the airport apart from the Advance Passenger Info routine for Spain (already done that bit) ?

You may need to check in online - it depends exactly when you booked them. My advice here is to check to see if you can check in online 15 days before travelling.

B. Will my booking reference be recognised at one of the check-in pods, or do I need to go to a Ryanair Info Desk first?

The check-in pods may be ripped out by then - O'Leary has said that they don't intend to use them after all. Surprising waste of money by Ryanair, but hey.

C. If answer to B. is Yes, then what will I get at the check-in pod?

D. If answer to B. is No, then now what?

Best bet is to see if you can check-in online first. If you can't, then you'll have to check in somehow at the airport - it may be via the pods, or possibly through a desk as part of the transitional arrangements. Stansted has plenty of Ryanair staff, so you shouldn't have any issues finding out what to do. I'd recommend arriving in advance of 2 hours if online checkin isn't available to you.

E. Is there a single queue at Stansted for Bag Drop, or do I choose any? Is one end better than the other generally? How many desks do they have open when busy? Are they all in one bank up around where J used to be?

Haven't been through Stansted since September, so can't advise here. It may very well depend on load factors and how many bags have been booked - but best advice would be to turn up about 2h30 in advance of your flight time to ensure that there's no problems.

F. And will it be any different when coming back from Palma?

Not sure, sorry. I would assume non-Ryanair bases will have converted to online checkin-only much quicker - it may be that you'll have to visit the Ryanair sales desk to get a boarding pass printed.

PS As someone who has never before in 9 years turned up much more than 90 minutes before flight time with bags or not, just how much before my Saturday tea time flight to Palma should I plan to arrive and attach myself to the tail end of the bag drop queue(s)?

Allow 2 hours and 30 minutes. Ryanair tend to open the bag drops a little bit in advance of 2 hours at Stansted - I've seen them open at 3am once, so this should allow you plenty of time.

PPS And how long before a Sunday mid afternoon flight back from Palma would you experts recommend I aim to arrive inside the terminal when coming back?

Again, allow 2.30 - yes, you could turn up later, but it gives you absolutely no leeway in case of traffic or airport problems.

peterbaker

PBS, thank you for confirming my thoughts. I apologise for evidently being a tad impatient waiting for a response here on your thread - I felt sure someone here would know the Stansted case intimately - maybe not - maybe their load factors have been as low as everyone else's so few 'regulars' have actually been there and done that this year

So all we can do is allow for the worst until we get the hang of it

Edit1 2100 14-Jul-2009: A friend of mine who travels the day before is convinced of the opposite solution i.e. that there is no need to check-in online and that there is still some facility to check-in the old-fashioned way. Well I haven't noticed specific desks marked up for specific flights for ages at Stansted - has anyone?

Edit2 2335 14-Jul-2009: After trawling the Ryanair and Stansted Airport websites it does appear that as pre 20th May bookers, we may have a choice. There are many unclear paragraphs on the website and the Travel Advisory but one particular paragraph buried deep in the FAQs means I think we can convert ourselves effectively into 'post 20-May bookers' i.e. standard new 'online checkers-in' by inputting Passport Info into 'Manage my Booking' and then simply using the Online Check-in up to 14 days in advance, or minimum 4 hours before the flight, and when we get to the airport we start at the pods/kiosks and move on to the bag drop. I guess those kiosk points print something?

Alternatively I think we skip online check-in, skip the kiosks, and just join the bag drop queue and they sort it all out at the desk?

PolishBigSpender

peterbaker wrote: »

Edit1 2100 14-Jul-2009: A friend of mine who travels the day before is convinced of the opposite solution i.e. that there is no need to check-in online and that there is still some facility to check-in the old-fashioned way. Well I haven't noticed specific desks marked up for specific flights for ages at Stansted - has anyone?

I would assume that they are still holding onto some sort of transitional arrangements for those that booked well in advance - but what these arrangements are, I'm afraid, I simply don't know. I would assume that Ryanair will be printing boarding passes free of charge for those that booked before the cutoff date - as they actually are quite fair when it comes to these things.

Edit2 2335 14-Jul-2009: After trawling the Ryanair and Stansted Airport websites it does appear that as pre 20th May bookers, we may have a choice. There are many unclear paragraphs on the website and the Travel Advisory but one particular paragraph buried deep in the FAQs means I think we can convert ourselves effectively into 'post 20-May bookers' i.e. standard new 'online checkers-in' by inputting Passport Info into 'Manage my Booking' and then simply using the Online Check-in up to 14 days in advance, or minimum 4 hours before the flight, and when we get to the airport we start at the pods/kiosks and move on to the bag drop. I guess those kiosk points print something?

Alternatively I think we skip online check-in, skip the kiosks, and just join the bag drop queue and they sort it all out at the desk?

If you can convert your booking, do so - it's much less hassle than checking in at the airport. You'll have to print out your boarding passes and visit the bag drop, but you won't have to fool around with the kiosks.

Your best bet is to attempt to convert your booking online. If it's successful, then print your boarding passes at home and proceed straight to the bag drop facility.

PolishBigSpender

Seeing as there's been a glut of Ryanair complaints lately, I thought it was appropriate to bump this up.

Any suggestions for more Top Tips?