Discussion
I get it, Ryanair has its fans.
For me?
No. First time this week. I absolutely hated it. The upright seats with bench/thin padding. The air steward who thought we needed to know in detail about in flight purchases, the cigarette brands; individual prices for each, then the individual prices on spirits, then on multiples of scratch cards and what they mean.
I also thoroughly enjoyed how the plane was there but no flight crew at all and I had to ask as they weren't exactly advertising the delay.
Then there's the insult of the small bag that you have to stow exactly where you'd place your feet so if you are 6ft+ you get f
k all leg room.
You could tar me and give me the kicking off my life and I'd never fly with them again.
For me?
No. First time this week. I absolutely hated it. The upright seats with bench/thin padding. The air steward who thought we needed to know in detail about in flight purchases, the cigarette brands; individual prices for each, then the individual prices on spirits, then on multiples of scratch cards and what they mean.
I also thoroughly enjoyed how the plane was there but no flight crew at all and I had to ask as they weren't exactly advertising the delay.
Then there's the insult of the small bag that you have to stow exactly where you'd place your feet so if you are 6ft+ you get f
k all leg room. You could tar me and give me the kicking off my life and I'd never fly with them again.
Are the seats still that hideous yellow and blue combination with that masty scratchy plastic? They also seem to attract a large number of chavs on the flight.
I prefer Easy Jet out of all the budget airlines, Wizz Air are also better. Generally find their flights are full of locals returning home rather than stag do's, the staff are also fairly brutal to anyone faffing which makes boarding more efficient.
These airlines are only worth it if you get a cheap enough ticket with hand luggage only for a few days away in Europe. If you need to add checked luggage, choosing your seat etc then your better off going with a 'normal' airline.
Wizz Air are generally the best if you want a cheap flight for under £50 to a city in Poland, Romania, Lithuania etc.
I prefer Easy Jet out of all the budget airlines, Wizz Air are also better. Generally find their flights are full of locals returning home rather than stag do's, the staff are also fairly brutal to anyone faffing which makes boarding more efficient.
These airlines are only worth it if you get a cheap enough ticket with hand luggage only for a few days away in Europe. If you need to add checked luggage, choosing your seat etc then your better off going with a 'normal' airline.
Wizz Air are generally the best if you want a cheap flight for under £50 to a city in Poland, Romania, Lithuania etc.
2023 august flight schedule suggests the average flight time for Ryanair was 2hrs 6mins. Not sure what that means for 2024 but imagine similar.
Savings hundreds of pounds to sit in a slightly less luxurious seat amongst less desirable passengers (debatable) for 2 and a bit hours is a good compromise for me.
They are budget for a reason and charge for every extra they can get you for, but as a basic short haul flight they are ok.
You've done well to avoid them until now. Also, search for overhead storage away from your immediate headspace and you might find some.
Savings hundreds of pounds to sit in a slightly less luxurious seat amongst less desirable passengers (debatable) for 2 and a bit hours is a good compromise for me.
They are budget for a reason and charge for every extra they can get you for, but as a basic short haul flight they are ok.
You've done well to avoid them until now. Also, search for overhead storage away from your immediate headspace and you might find some.
cheap n cheerful , how else can you get to xyz for £19.99 , get what you pay for eh
isnt fair expecting orient express levels of travel for a few quid is it , bonus for me they was one of the last airlines to cancel /stop flying over covid , if i had booked with others i would have been left stranded but they kept going mostly
isnt fair expecting orient express levels of travel for a few quid is it , bonus for me they was one of the last airlines to cancel /stop flying over covid , if i had booked with others i would have been left stranded but they kept going mostly
Well, as O’Leary has said, his planes are full of people who vowed never to fly with them again so he’s doing something right.
I find them alright. If you treat them as buses with wings and all the lack of aftercare (or pre-care!) that goes with it then you’ll be at one with Ryanair.
They have an excellent safety record, have a modern fleet and are punctual enough that I’ll continue to use them.
I find them alright. If you treat them as buses with wings and all the lack of aftercare (or pre-care!) that goes with it then you’ll be at one with Ryanair.
They have an excellent safety record, have a modern fleet and are punctual enough that I’ll continue to use them.
There's nothing really wrong with Ryanair. They are cheap because they cut costs to the bone and charge passengers for what they want (luggage / extra room / fast check-in / fast boarding) and they fly to 'cheap' airports. Yeah, flying on Ryanair isn't glamorous or particularly nice but if you want that then there are plenty of other carriers out there who will charge you for the privilege.
They're the only ones who fly from a close airport to the places I want to go so use them for the majority of our foreign holidays. Once you know the routine of how they herd you onto the plane (you won't get chance to sit down between the gate and the plane) it becomes like getting on a bus.
We use hold luggage so just take a small bag onboard and I've never been that bothered with legroom and I'm 6'4.
We use hold luggage so just take a small bag onboard and I've never been that bothered with legroom and I'm 6'4.
RustyMX5 said:
There's nothing really wrong with Ryanair. They are cheap because they cut costs to the bone and charge passengers for what they want (luggage / extra room / fast check-in / fast boarding) and they fly to 'cheap' airports. Yeah, flying on Ryanair isn't glamorous or particularly nice but if you want that then there are plenty of other carriers out there who will charge you for the privilege.
Using the major carriers is great if you live in the west of London. I lived east, Heathrow was 1h 40m. Most on the M25. Which meant it could be, and was some times, much longer. Stansted was 30 minutes. There was even a bus from where I lived which cost £1. Even more so for any one some distance from London where the drive for the luxury of a major carrier will be longer than the flight.Echo some of the 'positives' below, you get what you pay for, know the 'rules' and treat it like any other public transport.
Short hops to central Europe are fine, Canaries early this year was a bit of a chore but they fly from my local airport and take me where I want to go for not a lot of money.
Will be flying out to Italy with them soon, but coming back on Jet2.
In the end it's all about flying from/to were I want to and short of booking a private charter I'm not flying out of East Mids with anyone 'premium'.
Flew Easyjet a bit last year, other than the colours they are all the same, all of them more reliable than my local train service.
Short hops to central Europe are fine, Canaries early this year was a bit of a chore but they fly from my local airport and take me where I want to go for not a lot of money.
Will be flying out to Italy with them soon, but coming back on Jet2.
In the end it's all about flying from/to were I want to and short of booking a private charter I'm not flying out of East Mids with anyone 'premium'.
Flew Easyjet a bit last year, other than the colours they are all the same, all of them more reliable than my local train service.
I follow them on Instagram and their posts are actually quite amusing, they're proud of being st and not giving a st about it... and that's the point.
The service is basically to transport you to another country in one piece at the lowest price possible and that's what plenty of people want. You can't fault it really, if you want a different service then pay for it.
Edited to add one of my favourite examples... Imagine BA doing this
t and not giving a st about it... and that's the point.The service is basically to transport you to another country in one piece at the lowest price possible and that's what plenty of people want. You can't fault it really, if you want a different service then pay for it.
Edited to add one of my favourite examples... Imagine BA doing this
Edited by billbring on Thursday 30th May 10:22
surveyor said:
Never really had a problem with them. I don't really appreciate the catch the customer out wherever you can, but will fly them when it's necessary.
Noise cancelling headphones deal with the announcements...
Same here - don't expect much from them and you'll be okNoise cancelling headphones deal with the announcements...
Noise cancelling headphones are a must, as is a decent neck pillow and eyepatch if you want some shut eye.
Book the extra legroom seats if you want a bit of extra comfort. And checked baggage if you need it. A normal rucksack (not filled to the brim) is fine for your free carry on.
Use the "Flightradar24" app to see where your incoming plane is and front-run any delay announcements.
I fly them when i'm going to a destination not well served by other airlines, or where the times suit me better.
Same with Wizzair.
Edit: From what I understand, and doing my research, the low cost airlines do not scrimp on any aircraft maintenance, and most of their fleet is relatively new. Ryanair also fly the 737 Max, which has a dubious record, but they seem to have enough miles on it now for their planes to be considered safe.
Edited by s1962a on Thursday 30th May 10:17
I don't know why people get so confused / angry at the "small bag" thing. It is made clear multiple times throughout the booking process that the "basic" fare only includes a small bag. You are given several opportunities to pay for a bigger bag. People either can't be bothered reading or just choose to ignore.
I flew from Krakow to Birmingham yesterday. The flight was £25. Incredible value. I paid an extra £20 to have 2 bags and to choose a seat. Hardly a rip off.
I flew from Krakow to Birmingham yesterday. The flight was £25. Incredible value. I paid an extra £20 to have 2 bags and to choose a seat. Hardly a rip off.
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