1st time with Ryanair-Help!

Help needed before my head explodes after booking few days away but flying with Ryanair and just downloaded their app and reading check in and boarding pass rules/regs on their website and added costs incurred if not followed! When booking I already knew about luggage and booked 20 kilo hold bag (both flights) when booking break, but didn't realise a couple of other points. Hopefully somebody here can confirm my thoughts, if there are persons who have flown with them.

If it helps we fly at end of April (manchester to faro) and at the moment we cannot yet check in online or download/print boarding passes (we have only done this once before when we went to Amsterdam for few days but that was with Easyjet and due to lateness of booking we were able to print off all documents including boarding passes, even though we had them on the Easyjet app on mobile phone & they are easier to work with imo).

However, am I correct in thinking the following with Ryanair:

To do all free/ without further cost, I cannot check in online until 48 hrs prior to departure and would then have to print off boarding passes once I have checked in online?
Doing it this way (at no further cost) is obviously possible, but my head will not allow me to take this option. I need all to be done weeks before I and my wife fly. So, the only way around this from the information of their website is, as they put it 'for convenience and peace of mind, customers can check-in for flights 60 days in advance of both departure flights by purchasing a seat'.

So, this means either wait, pay nothing and panic by leaving everything until 48 hrs prior to departure flight, or purchase seats (cheapest currently are £7) for £28.00, then check in online which will then enable us to print boarding passes. Hopefully I have understood this and would be grateful for confirmation.

If this is the only way of having all necessary documentation in hard copy form I dont mind adding £28 to cost of break overall as it is not such a bad deal, pricewise.

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!) Many thanks.

Comments

  • Ngozi
    Ngozi Posts: 175
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    Being able to check in so far ahead is quite uncommon.

    Most airlines operate a 48hr check in policy (for cattle class at least) regardless if you reserve seats or not.
    Check in via the app and you will have the boarding pass on phone and a downloadable PDF version which I suggest to download. Not really a need to print of a boarding pass, when you check in your bags you can ask for one.
    Unless you're fussy about where you sit, no need to reserve seats, it literally only takes minutes, if that, to check in online.
  • Voyager2002
    Voyager2002 Posts: 15,244
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    I flew Ryanair recently. Since I did not care where I sat I did not pay for a seat, nor check in until shortly before departure. At the end of check-in my boarding pass was stored on my 'phone, so I did not need to worry about printing it.

    Note that unless you pay for priority boarding you are limited to a tiny cabin bag: that was the only aspect of the flight that I found to be a problem.
  • This was answered on the Tripadvisor thread you started yesterday. I see you've also started another about the same thing on there today.

    https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTopic-g1-i10702-k13160864-Flying_with_Ryanair_Help-Air_Travel.html#104969578
  • maman
    maman Posts: 28,492
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    If I were you I'd just bite the bullet and print your boarding pass in the 48 hour window. It's quite commonplace these days. Long gone are the days when you got airline tickets posted to you.

    Personally I've always taken a paper copy as a back up. I always worry that something might go wrong with my phone. :o

    That being said, £7 is a good price for a booked seat so if you want to 100% certain you can sit with your friends then it's hardly expensive.
  • It would help enormously if we knew what you were nervous about with regard to the 48 hour window.
  • Ryanair have a customer service policy of....NO SUCH FKKIN THING AS CUSTOMER SERVICE.

    You need to beat them at their own game to get the best from them.

    To do that you must check in 48 hours. Before you leave you can print your boarding pass which is fine if you don’t want to use the app.

    If you can’t get access to a printer then the APP works fine. You check in on your phone and download the boarding pass and then open it on your phone so it’s big and takes up the whole screen.

    1.You use that onto the airport bit where you enter security. It beeps.
    2.Then use it again on the beeper when your’re at the front of gate. You show your passport to the person at this point too. They do not even bother to check your phone if the machine beeps fine.
    3. You have to show your phone one time after you climb the steps to the plane (but not your passport)



    You cannot change your booking name or date if you’ve made a mistake. Hugh stupid fee to do so.

    If you’ve mucked up the name only just use the app and beep yourself in. They will not check the name because your phone is face down on the beeper at the front of the gate while you show your passport. They are checking your passport to ensure it’s valid and all that, not really bothered about cross checking the name letter for letter provided the app beeps fine.

    Hope this helps
  • moneyman22 wrote: »
    You cannot change your booking name or date if you’ve made a mistake. Hugh stupid fee to do so.


    You get a 24 hr grace period to do minor changes eg route, time, flight date and 48 hrs to correct minor names changes eg spelling mistakes.

    Both of those is ample time to do changes to correct things done in error, providing you actually bother to check your confirmation when you receive it.

    We've always had good customer service from Ryanair. TUI however is a completely different matter. Jet2 aren't always that great either!

    You can only use the app if you've got an EU/EEA passport.
  • eamon
    eamon Posts: 2,319
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    First thing, download the Ryanair App to your phone, you can always uninstall when done. I'm assuming that you have a smart phone, roaming data with email etc

    I also get your belt & braces approach.



    If you pay for and reserve seats then you can print out your boarding cards for both flights using the 60 day window. At home its just a case of remembering to check your printer for ink & paper and that it works.This is all something that you pay for and can do at home.
    If not you have 48 hours before your flight departs and is free. On your return leg you won't have this easy option. So what I do at the other end is ask your hotel to print it for you. Usually just a case of emailing (from your smart phone) them your already downloaded passes and they will print them out for you.

    Ryanair do have this video
    https://www.ryanair.com/gb/en/check-in
  • budgetflyer
    budgetflyer Posts: 5,949 Forumite
    edited 22 January 2020 at 8:38PM
    As it is only a few days away you probably didnt really need 20KG
    hold luggage.

    Unless you have booked PRIORITY BOARDING you will only be allowed 1 small bag each 40x25x20. which is to go under seat and not in the luggage bins
    PRIORITY BOARDING would have given you said small bag 40 x25x20 PLUS normal hand baggage 55 x 40 x 20cm.
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