Ryanair Tips - guide discussion

Again, apologies as this also isn't a tip, but like spider above, I'm wishing I'd booked with someone else (but only flight that day, etc etc). I'm flying one way with RA then back with EJ. Total nightmare trying to organise luggage in a way that works with the policy of both airlines. Bag sizes and weights all different. EJ's cabin bag limit is 63 litres, RA is 20 litres. Grrr.

ETA: I now realise that RA's max size for a checked in 10kg bag is actually one third smaller than EJ's max cabin luggage size. At 20cm deep, the RA hold bag limit is smaller than many, if not most, hard case cabin cases. Including mine. Again, I don't actually own a bag the right size. I know, should have checked more carefully but it was the first day the flights went on sale, rates were going up all the time so I had to act fast.

Q!:I hear that RA are sticklers for bag sizes, does anyone know if this is true/sometimes true/always true? I'm concerned that I can't measure exactly the size of any bag and really don't want to get caught out at the airport.

I can't really go any smaller than their cabin bag size or I might as well just take a handbag and have done with it. We have a vast number of rucksacks and not one of them is small enough to be RA cabin bag. So I'm buying 2 that look the right size but what if they're a tiny bit over and won't fit in RA's frame? (I know, take something out and put it in my pocket, but that sounds a bit stressy to be doing at 7am when I've been up since stupid o'clock...

2nd Q: does a waist pack count as a bag if I wear it through the flight and don't take it off?!

Queueing early to avoid bags being put in the hold may be necessary if there are things in the bags which must be retrieved during the flight - stuff to minister unto the needs of children, for example. However, unless it's unavoidable that you need to get at your luggage, having it stowed in the hold is, as far as I'm concerned, a boon.

There are bits of me that now complain if I stand for long periods - and the 'long periods' are as short as 10 minutes these days. My m.o. at any boarding gate is to sit until the last three or four people are passing through. Somebody's got to be last and I'm happy if it's me.

I have always wondered why there's a rush to queue at the gate. Invariably the queue goes nowhere for a minimum of 10 minutes. Usually they call pax forward as the incoming pax exit the plane. The queue can then watch the turn-round crew drag black sacks off the plane and other staff do their thing. Frequently, 20 mins later, nobody's moved. I, however, am still comfortably seated.

If two people are on the gate and they can pass one pax every 15 seconds, that's 20 minutes to board 160 pax. Anyone at the back of the queue can expect to have been standing for at least 1/2 hour.

If I have an allocated seat - and for any flight over 2 hrs I will reserve one - it'll still be there. If not, I don't care where I end up as long as it's not hard by an infant that screams the whole flight.

Getting on last gives me a good chance to get rid of my case. I love to hear "The overhead lockers are full ..." Everybody knows what a dreadful scrum it is to retrieve bags from lockers and inch down the plane with them.

Because these short-haul flights have very litttle hold luggage I have never had to wait more than a few minutes for my case to appear. And when it does, I am significantly closer to the exit of the airport than if I had had to drag it to that point, off the plane. I will most probable have avoided having to carry it up/down stairs.


Being last on has distinct advantages.

Hoping a more experienced traveller than we can help with above and any added advice they can give regarding Ryanair (apart from try not to fly with them next time!)

Yes, do try to avoid RyA.

The business model of Mr O'Leary is a disgrace. Granted he is in business and businesses exist to make a profit [or they die]. But the way RyA has set out its charges and its baggage allowances is, in my view, deliberately calculated to confuse the customer and maximise the take.

RyA would say that it is offering the customer 'more choice'. In fact it offers no more than any other airline, it simply charges for 'options' that are factored in to the ticket prices of other airlines.

There is only one reason I choose to fly RyA and price is not it. There are RyA flights to places I need to go to which dep &/or arr at times of day that are convenient. That's it.

Q!:I hear that RA are sticklers for bag sizes, does anyone know if this is true/sometimes true/always true? I'm concerned that I can't measure exactly the size of any bag and really don't want to get caught out at the airport.

You have to assume that it's always true. I've never had a bag checked for size or weight but whatever the allowance is, my case looks like I have tried to stick to the rules. I imagine the bags that get checked are ones that clearly look oversize.

I can't really go any smaller than their cabin bag size or I might as well just take a handbag and have done with it.

That is precisely the intention of RyA. The business model is to charge very low base prices for tickets, then load up the 'options'. Making a wild generalisation I'd guess that most people travel with more than they need. RyA knows this and gets it to pay.

2nd Q: does a waist pack count as a bag if I wear it through the flight and don't take it off?


If you wear a garment that covers the waist pack and means it is beneath your clothing, it's not 'luggage'.


If I'm allowed to make this recommendation I have found a soft bag which is precisely the RyA cabin bag size. Amazon. £10.38. [Gone down! I paid £16!] It's still too much money for what it is - it should be £6 on a market stall - but it is exactly the RyA size. The extra money goes towards paying for peace of mind.

5 Cities 40x20x25 Ryanair Maximum Sized 2020 Under Seat Cabin Holdall Travel Flight Bag