Ryanair - ID required for travelling to Belfast from London

GazzaLadd

Hello all. Im new so apologies in advance if this is in the wrong place but I need answers ASAP.

So myself and my partner are due to fly to Belfast from London Stansted on Saturday however we're a bit confused with Ryanairs travel policies for photo ID required for flights within the UK. My passport ran out some 3 months ago and I'm aware most airlines only require some form of photo ID when travelling within the UK however it seems Ryanair want to be the fussy ones. Their policies state a driver's license isn't an acceptable form of ID to travel to Ireland but it isn't very specific if that includes NORTHERN Ireland as well as it is part of the UK.

Any help would be appreciated as we're a bit worried at this point.

budgetflyer

For travel within the UK
From Ryanair site

UK



Any photo ID which matches the passenger name in the booking.



Children under 16 years of age (travelling with an adult) on UK domestic flights can travel without photo identification.

https://www.ryanair.com/gb/en/useful-info/help-centre/terms-and-conditions/termsandconditionsar_368204930

GazzaLadd

But on there it states a driver's license cannot be used between UK and Ireland..But again it isn't very clear if that includes Northern Ireland as well.

stevenhp1987

GazzaLadd wrote: »

But on there it states a driver's license cannot be used between UK and Ireland..But again it isn't very clear if that includes Northern Ireland as well.

Ireland refers to Republic of Ireland (which is a country).

UK includes Northern Ireland, so you are fine to use your driving licence to get there.

Nothing to panic about.

GazzaLadd

Thanks Steven.

TonyMMM

I fly regularly with BA from London-Glasgow and never have to provide any sort of Photo ID.

But you do get face scanned when going through the security gates so maybe that checks against your passport photo they hold.

GazzaLadd

Yeah I've travelled to Scotland in the past using my driver's license. I was only less than convinced because the website only states it's not accepted to go to Ireland and I've never travelled there without a passport. Would think it would be clearer on the site and say Northern Ireland is fine lol.

jpsartre

TonyMMM wrote: »

I fly regularly with BA from London-Glasgow and never have to provide any sort of Photo ID.

BA have different rules so that's of no relevance to the OP.

zerog

The UK government does not require any ID to be presented on domestic flights.

However, police officers are allowed to ask for ID (or for other forms of identity (e.g. to state your name and address, bank cards, etc.) when you are in controlled areas such as airports.

TonyMMM wrote: »

I fly regularly with BA from London-Glasgow and never have to provide any sort of Photo ID.

Private companies can request whatever ID they like. The reason for doing so is to enforce that the person whom the ticket was purchased for is the one who uses the ticket (i.e. to prevent tickets being resold to other people).

BA chooses to trust its customers unless they check a bag, in which case ID is required for security purposes.

Ryanair used to require a passport for all flights, so good to know that it has slightly relented in the case of UK domestic flights.

But you do get face scanned when going through the security gates so maybe that checks against your passport photo they hold.

This is for a completely different purpose and has nothing to do with the airlines.

This is because Heathrow and Gatwick airports want to maximise the chance that you will buy something in the so-called "duty free" airside shops, which are not actually duty free if you are flying within the UK.

To achieve this, passengers flying to all countries are mixed within the airside lounge, so that they all can visit all the shops. If flights to the UK were segregated from other flights, there would be a smaller range of shops available for UK flyers (see for example airports in Norway).

The problem is that passengers can transit Heathrow or Gatwick without entering the UK (e.g. from the USA to Germany), while being intermingled with passengers who are remaining entirely in the UK. So it would be possible for passengers to swap boarding passes and fly to a UK destination, entering the UK when they may not have the documents to do so.

ID is not required to board BA domestic or Ireland flights; therefore, a photo is taken at the time you proceed airside. This proves that you were already in the UK earlier in the day, and therefore you can safely be permitted to board a flight to a UK destination (or Dublin) with no further ID checks.

skint_chick

I've flown to Belfast with Ryanair and driving licence is totally fine, as it's within the UK. You only need a passport for Dublin/Cork/Shannon. Make sure you get to Stansted early, security is very busy and be aware that the Belfast flights usually go from gates 80+ so you don't normally get the train, it's a walk instead. If you're getting drinks/snacks for the plane then get them before you leave the main area to go to the gate.

mgdavid

an expired passport should be OK for photo ID, I doubt RA would even look at the date on it.