The only way you can now avoid paying Ryanair for the "privilege" of checking in is to carry hand luggage only. All passengers who have hold luggage must pay a check-in fee, which is additional to the fee for the bag(s), ranging from £5 to an astonishing £40 per person each way - presumably at the whim of the teenage Ryanair representative at the departure airport. Expect to see a number of stories in this summer's tabloids where a family of four that are unfamiliar with Ryanair's ever-changing regulations are stung for £320 check-in charges.
For those internet-savvy lo-co junkies (a dwindling number) who live near Stansted, are prepared to fly wherever Ryanair wishes to take them, on the days that Ryanair stipulates, with no luggage and no expectations, the airline continues to offer some exceptional deals. Anyone else who chooses Ryanair over legacy carriers these days probably needs his head examined.