Ryanair-Questions, comments, bouquets & brickbats (Merged)

[Seat62K]

This morning I read a post on www.airlinequality.com (http://www.airlinequality.com) written by someone who feels that he has been waiting too long to get a refund from Ryanair for cancelled flights.
I, too, am waiting to receive a refund from Ryanair and wonder if there are readers who can comment on just how long they had to wait (or have been waiting) to get their money back.
I'd welcome comments from those in the same situation with other airlines (I'm also waiting for a refund from easyJet).
P.S. The wording of the refund confirmation message from Ryanair intrigued me. It states: "...your refund application has been accepted. Once approved...." (my emphasis). The implication is that some will not be approved (otherwise why not use another word such as "processed"?). I did wonder in what circumstances would it not be approved....
The www.airlinequality.com (http://www.airlinequality.com) poster mentions that he/she has had no response to emails. Does anyone know of a "live" Ryanair Customer Service (sic) email address?

[VS-LHRCSA]

Sounds to me like they should have used the word 'received' instead of accepted.

I can't speak for Ryanair but there are many reasons why a request for a refund would be refused. Also, I was under the impression that communication with their customer relations had to be in actual writing as opposed to email or telephone. I guess they figure that getting it together to write a letter, print it, sign it, pop it into an envelope, buying a stamp and posting it might be too much trouble for a percentage of their customers.

Again, I can't speak for Ryanair but I have spent some time in BA customer relations and it could take a good 4 weeks to get an acknowledgement out to a passenger complaint, then around 6 weeks to investigate and reply, then around 4-8 weeks to get a refund (different to a goodwill payment) out to a passenger, depending on the circumstances.

[heidelberg]

You can Fax Ryanair at +353 1 5081702.

Let us know how you got on.

Good luck!

[Evanelpus]

Wow, there were two words I never thought I'd ever see in the same sentence!!

[BladePilot]

Seat62K,
Who cancelled the flight Ryanair or you? How much did you pay for each sector?

Ryanair levy an adminisration charge for processing refund claims and it generally wipes out any refund amount totally! Also they will claim they are unable to refund any 'tax' charges as they are obliged to pay those to the airports concerned this is however a scam as the airports only invoice for actual passengers carried which means that Ryanair 'pocket' the tax charges for passengers who don't fly.

Would be interesting to know how you get on please update your post with news when you have it.

Good Luck.

[alcockell]

Ryanair don't refund the full cost you paid them? Surely as the fees etc simply comprise part of the ticket price to the customer, they're in breach if they DON'T refund the full amount the customer paid - if the other conditions match?
:uhoh:

[Romeo India Xray]

This is something I have been pondering for a long while. I suspect Ryanair would be in breach of civil law by NOT refunding taxes and charges, and I would very much like to see them pursued in the small claims court (or Irish equivalent) and to be made an example of for the lying theiving :mad: that they are.

[Michael SWS]

Any company is legally entitled to charge an "administration fee" for providing a service, and in Ryanair's case the administration fee always exceeds the taxes and charges that should be refunded in the case of a cancellation. The fee may be disproportionate, but that's the way it is.

You will never, ever get a refund from Ryanair if you have chosen to cancel a booking (and it is difficult even if they have cancelled a flight).

[trebor]

By the time you have faxed or telephoned you will have spent the cost you want back. I had badly damaged luggage and after making the claim I received an email to choose which suitcase I want and that they would send it to me . This was 3 years ago and I still do not have the case so suppect I never will . :ugh::ugh:

[crewmeal]

Same subject different outfit. I was interested to read this article in the Daily Mail.

Don't these low cost carriers come under the sale of goods act? It seems they are a law unto themselves when compensation is involved

Family who were left to drive 1,000 miles home by easyJet set to send in the bailiffs | Mail Online (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1063098/Family-left-drive-1-000-miles-home-easyJet-set-send-bailiffs.html)

[radeng]

I'd love to see the reaction when the baiilff appeared at the door of a loading aircraft and stuck the bit of paper on it! (I believe that's what they do as they can't nail a writ to the mast these days)

[Globaliser]

I, too, am waiting to receive a refund from Ryanair and wonder if there are readers who can comment on just how long they had to wait (or have been waiting) to get their money back.The one and only time I have bought a Ryanair ticket (a real cheapie STN-PIK-STN day trip, just to see what the FR experience was like), STN was fogged in in the morning. You can't buy an FR ticket for a same-aircraft return, so things started to get hairy when it looked like the aircraft taking us there was getting seriously delayed while the aircraft bringing us back was not. Eventually, it became obvious that we would misconnect at PIK, so I phoned FR to ask about cancelling (the queue at the STN ticket desk looked like it would be about three hours). After the agent had checked the facts of what I'd told her, she agreed to cancel and refund the booking, and all the money was back in my bank account three working days later.

If the systems are the same now as they were then, it sounds like any hold-up may well be in approving the refund, not in actually making it.

[preduk]

Has anyone noticed Ryanair have changed the names of all the UK airports they fly to? Rather than saying "Glasgow Prestwick" it's been changed to just "Glasgow"?

They have done the same with places such as Düsseldorf. I can expect this to cause a huge amount of confusion! :ooh: :ooh:

[Seat62K]

My original post wasn't clear. Sorry!
Ryanair cancelled my flight. This is why I thought it curious that the refund would need approval. Perhaps this is a standard response which is used in all cancellation cases, whether by the airline or by the pax.

[TightSlot]

Please use this thread for all things Ryanair

[Final 3 Greens]

By the time you have faxed or telephoned you will have spent the cost you want back. I had badly damaged luggage and after making the claim I received an email to choose which suitcase I want and that they would send it to me . This was 3 years ago and I still do not have the case so suppect I never will

I am not a big fan of Ryanair, but when my suitcase was damaged during a flight, they agreed to a repair readily and it was handled professionally - and pleasantly.

[Seat62K]

UK press (e.g., Daily Mail) today carrying Ryanair adverts proclaiming £1 flights but nothing on Ryanair website below £5.
Anyone know what's going on?
P.S. Please don't get me wrong - a £5 flight to anywhere represents fabulous value, in my view! Well, almost anywhere (I don't want to start a debate on "places I wouldn't want to fly to, even for free", although, come to think of it, that might make an interesting thread.......).

[320JI]

just booked

STN-DUB for £1 no taxes........

taking the wife for the day.....


with their "debit card" charge of £16 makes it £20 all in for two people.

now i know the debit card "charge" is a rip off but you can't argue with £20 all in for two people to dublin and back...........surley

[Llademos]

320JI ...

Get yourself an Electron card (Halifax do one for their basic bank account, took me about 5mins to apply and a further week for Halifax to set up, no cost to open). The card fee from Ryanair is then nil, so you can enjoy (as I have done) flights for £4 return, for two, all-in.

I believe Easyjet also don't charge for Electron, so it's a good tip fopr anyone using lo-cos, as is having a Nationwide account for overseas (gets you interbank exchange rates, about 7-10% better than from Travelex, with no commission).

Ll

[Romeo India Xray]

Mrs RIX has taken out an electron card specifically for the purpose of booking flights with FR - What a tagline ... "fly cheaper" :ok:

[Flying_Frisbee]

Ryanair, Europe’s largest low fares airline, today (6th Oct) welcomed the decision of Simmern Court in Germany to dismiss a passenger’s compensation claim after Ryanair was forced to cancel a flight due to unsafe weather conditions in Jerez in October last year.

Personally, I wouldn't have taken them on over a cancellation due to weather.Simmern, BTW, is the district Hahn is in.
Story (http://www.airtransportnews.aero/article.pl?mcateg=&id=13818)

[Seat62K]

Ryanair quotes a maximum of 12-14 working days to get refunds to the customer's card account. I've now been waiting longer than this, so it looks as if it'll have to be the Small Claims' Court.
Has anyone who's tried this - especially in relation to Ryanair and on what I can claim from Ryanair in addition to the fare paid - got any useful advice? Thanks.

[Seat62K]

For anyone who'd like to know, Ryanair has refunded, in full, the cost of my ticket. It took the best part of a month, though, and I don't understand why. Although I will generally defend Ryanair against the "you get what you pay for" type of criticism (instead arguing that with short-haul flights with legacy carriers you don't always get what you pay for) this is the first time I've felt that Ryanair's customer service has been poor. Perhaps the unit dealing with refunds is understaffed. If this is the case, airlines need to realise the degree to which quite small things can make a difference to how their customers perceive them. For example, I have been much less keen on BA since not receiving a meaningful reply from its Executive Club to an email I sent raising what were, to me, important issues. The adage that it's easier to keep a customer than to get a new one is one which airlines ignore at their peril!

[CorkEICK]

Had three flights suffer schedule changes in advance of travel by more than 2 hours so far this year. In each case they offered full refunds including taxes, charges and credit card fees. I got two refunds and changed flights on third occasion at no extra cost. The refunds took 21 and 32 days to turn up on credit card account.

[greenbroker]

I tried to book a flight with Ryanair this morning using a Electron Visa card and I get pop-up window stating that the 'Account is invalid or too short'.

I know it is correct, as my browser keep the details by default.

Anybody else had a similar problem?

It's a waste of space trying to contact Ryanair over an issue like this.

I'll correct that.....It's a waste of space trying to contact them over any issue.

The office is supposed to be open at 8am, but they were still closed at 08.10 this morning.

The premium rate number gives out the non-usable tone. That's the very number that is given over their telephone voice message.:ugh:

[davidjohnson6]

Made a number of bookins on an Electron card with no extra costs - i.e. online checkin, no luggage, no insurance and no priority boarding.

Get to 25 bookings, and then the system stops recognising my card as an Electron. Grrrr ! Can't even take MOL on at his own game ! :mad::{

[Seat62K]

One of the most significant findings, for me, of BBC television's airline survey for the Watchdog programme was that around 19% of the approximately 24,000 who chose to take part said that Ryanair is the airline they would not fly with again.
Bearing in mind that not all 24,000 would have flown Ryanair, this strikes me as a very high figure and, if valid, would appear to provide evidence for the view that the company needs, in particular, to think about how it treats passengers when things go wrong. Some of the comments on the "airline quality" website, if true, reinforce this.
I fly Ryanair a lot and although nothing significant has ever gone wrong I do have a slight anxiety when I travel that I might find myself stranded.
Perhaps Ryanair thinks that it doesn't matter if some passengers never return because there will always be "new" ones to replace them. I believe this to be shortsighted and not simply because the supply of "new" passengers is not limitless. I will no longer fly with a small number of airlines because of poor customer service and I tell others. I know people who will not fly Ryanair but who have never flown with the airline. Indeed, until a couple of years ago I was one such person.
Ryanair has significant strengths (e.g., fares, boarding experience (compared with rival easyJet), onboard service, punctuality, newish 'planes). If it addressed its weaknesses it could be truly great. I do not want the day to arrive when I, too, say that I will never fly Ryanair again.

[DIRECTTANGODELTA]

Just booked flights for 4 people to Dublin using Mastercard and I was charged the following -

Flights - NIL
Tax - £25
Credit card fees - [B]£8 PER PERSON = £32 :mad::mad::mad::mad:

I have to say, this is a rip off!! I am in retail and the fees are never more than 2%

Now I know why they are still in profit!!

[Selfloading]

I know it's a pain the way they do that, but in the end are you going to get the flights anywhere like that price at another airline.

[Getoutofmygalley]

So all in all for FOUR people to travel you have paid just £58.00 - and you still are not happy? That works out at just £14.50 per person!

Next time you could try taking a train and ferry - that will cost a heck of a lot more than £58.00.

It has been said many a time on here that is you pay with an electron card then you don't pay a credit card fee. Therefore you could have had your 4 people flying for just £25.00.

And whilst this is news that you are travelling to Dublin, it's not really appropriate for Rumours and News!

[flying jocks]

It is not the point 'self loading'. There are still plenty of people out there wishing to travel somewhere believing they are in the process of getting a bargain and unaware of the standard Ryanair tricks / hidden charges schemes. I am not saying Ryanair are the only ones but there are clear rules on fair competition and clearly every time a government law comes out, they are the first to try and get around it. In nearly every element of their business there are hidden traps for the unwary. They may have a good on time record, but DO NOT make important plans with this company at the risk that they may cancel the flight with the minimum notice offering simply your €10 ticket as a refund.
:ouch::ouch:

[Lurking123]

I wouldn't complain about price, but the breakdown is interesting. I booked a similar flight two days ago:

Fare £0.00
Tax & charges £0.02
Credit card payment charge £8.00

[faheel]

So let me get this right your flight to wherever is costing you 32 quid and you are whining about it being too expensive ?:confused:
You were slugged eight quid for your credit card but your flight cost you nothing???? so presumeably if the flight cost you 8 quid and the credit card fee was nothing you would be happy then:hmm:
At the end of the day its the "drive away cost " you should be interested in anyway.
But I thought that the UK had banned all this nonsense about so called free flights and required airlines to show the real price of the ticket on their website as they are required by law to do over here in OZ.
However they still add on a credit card charge ( $3.00) when you buy a ticket which is not shown in the final price which does annoy me as well ;)

[Selfloading]

It is not the point 'self loading'. There are still plenty of people out there wishing to travel somewhere believing they are in the process of getting a bargain and unaware of the standard Ryanair tricks / hidden charges schemes. I am not saying Ryanair are the only ones but there are clear rules on fair competition and clearly every time a government law comes out, they are the first to try and get around it. In nearly every element of their business there are hidden traps for the unwary. They may have a good on time record, but DO NOT make important plans with this company at the risk that they may cancel the flight with the minimum notice offering simply your €10 ticket as a refund.
:ouch::ouch:

Yes it is the point, you are made aware of the total cost before you pay, how hard can it be, if you don't want to pay then you can go somewhere else :ugh:

[wbryce]

£15 quid a person in very challenging times and your complaining???

[boardingpass]

I've just booked some flights on a low-co in Australia (Tiger) and feel ripped off by credit card fees. I'm happy about the overall price, no disputing that, but it has left a bad feeling. I know that the per sector, per person fee is ridiculously high and unjustified, especially given it's one transaction and the merchant isn't being charged more than 2%. Also, it was the ONLY option available to pay! Credit card fees should be nothing more than what the bank charges the company, and if there's no other option to pay, should simply be part of the advertised price up front. Feeling ripped off means that I have no desire to fly with them again, unless they are the cheapest option (which they cannot be all the time). I wish governments would legislate that if companies choose to charge extra for credit cards, it must be only to recuperate what it costs them, or at the very least offer alternative methods of payment without surcharges.

[mmeteesside]

I just booked the other day for me and a mate to go to Dublin for the day, 4p total as I used my electron card :ok: No complaining from me!

[Avitor]

I just booked the other day for me and a mate to go to Dublin for the day, 4p total as I used my electron card :ok: No complaining from me!

It's worth that just to oggle the CC. :}

[mcgoo]

boardingpass, how can you be happy with the overall price yet feel ripped off?

[Seat62K]

I'm astounded that anyone could moan about such low total prices. Has the original poster any idea what identical flights would have cost, say, 20 or 30 years ago? Much, much more (and when wages/salaries were considerably lower)!
Quit complaining!! Chosen carefully, Ryanair fares can be an absolute bargain. Even after the credit card fee.

[Scumbag O'Riley]

boardingpass explained it very well.

I think O'Leary has done an excellent job over the years of giving his punters exactly what they want. In a lot of ways (and I hate these stock phrases) he was a 'man of the people', not like these other airlines, he didn't rip you off. Sure, you always got extra charges at the end but these were not Ryanair charges, they were nasty airport and government charges, RYanair was simply passing them on. And as these charges approximated what the third parties were charging Ryanair, they seemed fair. But we are not stupid, we know it doesn't cost Ryanair £16 in bank fees to process a round trip for two.

So he has broken that 'fair charges' relationship with his punters. He can no longer spit out his 'rip off fuel surcharge' press releases about his competitors raping the travelling public because he is now doing it himself. Basically he has lost the moral high ground, that is the disappointing thing for me. I used to tell the taxi drivers, and anybody else who would listen, what a cracking airline Ryanair was - and everydoby would agree. Now I first say they have a rip-off credit card fee, and everybody agrees with me.

Will not stop me flying with them as I only look at the final charge cost wise, but that relationship with them has now changed. He has now turned RYanair into 'Just Another Airline'

Hope I don't come over as crass and sentimental, lol :)

[boardingpass]

Hi McGoo, I hate reading repetition in forums, so I'll try my best to explain more clearly. I am happy with the overall price paid, it was the cheapest of all the alternatives by a lot and excellent value. For this I love low-cost companies and the competition it brings to the market! However, knowing I was forced to pay an unjustified fee has cancelled out all the elated feeling of being a savvy bargain hunter. I feel instead a bit cheated and ripped off. It was a chance for them to win a new regular customer, but instead I will only fly with them if they are the cheapest option (by a decent margin), a position that is unsustainable for them in the long run.

[Capot]

Ryanair have consistently achieved a very comfortable total average yield per passnger uplifted, better on some routes than full-service airlines.

So have many other budget airlines.

The major costs of operating an airline are pretty much the same for budget and full-service operators; savings are only possible at the margin where overheads, marginal passenger services like catering, Personal Assistants (for blowing noses), fancy offices and Directors' perks are found

The only difference lies in the different ways they describe the total fare paid by their passengers.

So forget about whingeing about "rip-offs" etc; just be grown up, add up all the charges and compare the total with other airlines' total charges.

And have a good laugh at people who take the miniscule headline "fare" seriously.

[General_Kirby]

Dont be a numpty and use an electron card. Im off to Girona, Dublin and Cork in Jan Feb, all for 6p. Cheers!

[Bootcamp]

Just booked flights for 4 people to Dublin using Mastercard and I was charged the following -

Flights - NIL
Tax - £25
Credit card fees - [b]£8 PER PERSON = £32 http://static.pprune.org/images/smilies/censored.gifhttp://static.pprune.org/images/smilies/censored.gifhttp://static.pprune.org/images/smilies/censored.gifhttp://static.pprune.org/images/smilies/censored.gif

I have to say, this is a rip off!! I am in retail and the fees are never more than 2%

Now I know why they are still in profit!!


Boo Hoo.....:{:{

Why don't ya fly with someone else so.

[Seat62K]

Well done, Ryanair, for two small changes which make using the airline just a little bit easier: (i) online check-in now has an option which does not require the passenger to input his/her reservation reference; and (ii) Christmas gift vouchers can be redeemed online, avoiding premium 'phone charges.
My flights on Ryanair continue to be trouble-free so congratulations there, too.
Having now experienced Madrid-based cabin crew, I must say that they knock the spots off Iberia!

[smith]

The £4 per sector is not a credit card fee, it is a booking administration fee. Go on to ticketmaster to buy concert tickets and you are charged a booking administration fee for the tickets also, yes it's all done electronically and noone actually does any administration, but you are still charged it just like FR.

When booking a free ryanair flight it is actually costing you a negative amount. UK departure tax is £10 shorthall, so if you book a 1p flight and pay £4 booking fee (total £4.01) you are flying for negative -£5.99. Really it is the passenger who is responsible for APD (airport departure duty), so in theory the cheapest free flight you could get would be £10, as ryanair are paying your APD you are in fact paying a -ve number.

Get yourself an electron card and you can fly for -ve£9.99. I booked my sis and her hubby, my bro and his wife and my mate and his wife a day trip PIK-BVA-PIK all for a penny each way, total cost to me 12p on my electron card, they all thought I was a hero. Total cost to FR in APD? £120. Now all you tight asses, shut up about the booking fee or get yourself an electron card.here
https://www.halifax.co.uk/easycash/forms/ey_main.asp?applicationState=1&brand=halifax&navigation=b

[flyingfunder]

Recently an article in a national newspaper showed a comparison between Ryan Air and four other Airlines' prices for 5 products on sale in flight. Ryan Air was the most expensive by £5. I then discovered that they charged £8 per person fees on a credit card payment. But that wasn't the end of it they charged additional fees on luggage weight. It seems that a low cost airline is a high cost rip off! What are your experiences?

[Selfloading]

This year I've been to Dublin for 8 quid and Malaga for 35 pounds, don't think I could have done that on any airline except Ryanair :ok:

[smala01]

Understand the rules and play the game... Take carry on luggage only and open an account for a Visa Delta card.

18 sectors across the network during 2008, non costing more than £20 all inc. My best deal was Bristol to Morocco for £19 return all in. I got the emergency exit seat on all flights.

More frightening is Im starting to use them for work trips even when im not paying the bill, such is the convienence.

Smala01

[EGAC_Ramper]

Only High cost if YOU chose it to be!!

Otherwisw oh my god go back a few years when a flight between Belfast City and Liverpool on an ATP used to costed £300+ with Manx.......


God people are never happy!!!!!!!!!


Regards

[frnikolai]

Hello Everyone.

I am a frequent Ryanair flyer, and usually I check-in online and take hand luggage. Only in the summer I pay the bag/check-in fees. But I have booked a few more flights with them, and the fees have gone up!!!

Also, I don't need the other passengers to check-in at the desk - but when I choose on-line check-in, I can't continue the booking. Now I could make a second booking, but really that isn't neceserry?

And when I travel with my younger brother and sister they are not 16 so can't make another booking! Why can't Ryanair allow passengers on the same booking to either take bags and airport check-in or on-line checkin?

I really do like flying with Ryanair though - and even with baggage they are still cheaper (I hope and think)

Thank you.

Nikolai.

[sco]

Not to mention the charge for payment by any form of card (the only accepted method of payment) is now £10 per passenger, and only limited routes with online check in.

Also a frequent flyer of Ryanair, I do wish they would correctly advertise their prices.

[GroundedSLF]

This is how FR can advertise "free" seats - they just add the costs to other parts of the booking - mostly in areas that are "optional" - and so avoiding the EU regulation to ensure the "headline" price includes all additional payments.

By the time you add up the total cost of the booking and include what other "full fare" airlines give (also take into account the cost of getting "door to door" as FR dont fly to the city centre airports) there isnt much difference in total cost.

FR are fine if you live near an out of the way airport and want to go to an out of the way destination, and dont expect any kind of customer service - as with many things in life, you get what you pay for...

[kingston_toon]

Except if you use Electron which is, of course, free.

Granted, I can see them removing that little loophole soon enough, as I already know 4 or 5 people who have obtained an Electron card simply to save £10 each time they book with FR!

[sco]

Well I am sorted for next time round! I have arranged a second account now with an electron card! ;)

[frnikolai]

Hello.

Thanks for you're replies, I would be very interesting in knowing which banks offer a Visa Electron card. It would make paying for a bag seem less expensive. I would prefer a current account with a big name bank. I will be extremely grateful if you could help me with this one.

I had to make another booking with Ryanair - and I still don't get why my 2 younger siblings who are not 16 (so can't make two separate bookings) have to pay for "0 bags/airport check-in). I need a bag, but they can just check-in online and queue with me?

I have wasted £20 extra for something I really don't need.

They were still cheaper than Easyjet - which was good!

Will Ryanair ever change this policy? After all, they are TRYING to cut the amount of people checking in at the airport!!!

Happy New Year!

Nikolai.

[sco]

Here Nikolai,

Halifax do one:

Halifax Bank Accounts - Easycash - Basic Bank Account (http://www.halifax.co.uk/bankaccounts/easycash.asp)

From now on Free flights will be Free ;)

[chrism20]

Halifax/Bank of Scotland do Electron with their easycash account (very basic account), i've had the account over a year and put £20 in it in Dec 2007 solely for FR journies so it will prob be a while before I top it up.

Abbey definately do them and I think someone said the CO-OP do as well.

You can apply for the Halifax one online so you wouldn't even need to visit a branch until you needed to put cash in

[PAXboy]

frnikolaiI had to make another booking with Ryanair - and I still don't get why my 2 younger siblings who are not 16 (so can't make two separate bookings) have to pay for "0 bags/airport check-in). I need a bag, but they can just check-in online and queue with me? One reason could be to check their ID more closely as they are Minors and letting them out of the country without correct papers would be problematical for FR.

One reason could be that, having identified that you need to check in a bag and pay extra, it is easy to compel all others in your party to do the same!

I have wasted £20 extra for something I really don't need. No - you have paid for your flights in a way that kept the headline price down. They were always going to get you one way or the other and, as you say that you are a regular with FR, you will know how clever they are at doing that!

Will Ryanair ever change this policy?Not whilst it is making them money! After all, they cannot run an airline on £1.00 per seat.

After all, they are TRYING to cut the amount of people checking in at the airport!! No, they are trying to maximise the amount of money they get!

Happy Travels!:p

[frnikolai]

Hi,

Thanks for the reply, it all makes sense! Still it is unfair that even when traveling with adults - you still have to pay the un-needed airport check-in.

I'll still fly with them, just annoying about the extra charges. Like £30 to check a bag in? That is very expensive!

I'm just a Polish man - who is not at all rich!!!

Nikolai.

[goatface]

I enquired with my bank (Nationwide) as to why some companies (such as Ryanair) don't charge for customers using Electron cards.
The (under the counter) response was that the Electron account is comparatively cheap for banks to administer because the card is generally provided to people who have difficulty getting an ordinary current account. The rules applied to most, but not all customers are simple - no overdrafts or credit but it means that such folk can use their cards to buy on line or electronically at retail outlets.
The banks charges to retailers for using Electron vary according to what other volume of business the retailer gives the bank using other cards, in Ryanair's case, (and other such large companies) it's not beyond the realms of possibility that the bank don't charge Ryanair anything for accepting Electron.

That said, with the current economic problems being what they are, I was told that if the volume of Electron business adversly affected other credit/charge card profit, they'd have no option to charge retailers and those charges would be passed on to customers.

[EI-BUD]

I enquired with my bank (Nationwide) as to why some companies (such as Ryanair) don't charge for customers using Electron cards


Ryanair will need to keep 1 card on the list that is no fee to ensure that paying a fee is 'optional' and without this it is likely that the lead in fare would be required to include the credit card fee.

What does anyone else think?

As regards the electron being low fees ie in terms of handling fees/charges to the airline, this is irrelevant as €10 on a return trip has no relationship to the fees paid by the airline to the bank. A company like airline would be charged not more than 1% credit card charges on ticket prices, so if the average fare is say €45, this represents a charge of 45c (ie 1% fee).

Happy New year to all on pprune. Have a good one!

EI-BUD

[davidjohnson6]

Ryanair could always switch the "If you use this card, there's no fee" scheme from Electron to any of the following:

Discover - based in the USA
JCB - based in Japan and Korea
UnionPay - based in China
Dankort - based in Denmark, although there might be too many Danes holding this.
Centurion - otherwise known as Amex Black which has an annual fee of US$2,500

Even if something like UnionPay is chosen, it'll take at least a year before the EU or national Govt will issue any kind of formal objection

[davidjohnson6]

I know that FR have released seats for booking for the summer season. However, comparins different weeks, the fares seem suspiciously similiar. I am inclined to think that rather than hockey-stick-shaped fares, I'm looking at a U-shape instead.

The merits, of hockey v U aside, anyone know when summer fares will start to become differentiated between dates and thus more realistic ?

[ExpatChris]

Another way re Electron is to open an account at www.entropay.com.

This is a precharged card internet based and you load it from any account you wish.

Set it up in sterling and when you are asked for card detials but number given in and for name Entropay and address the company address in London.

Result classed as Electron no fees and easy to set up lot better than a new bank account.

It does work trust me I do it for all my flights along with friends and family saved hundreds

[PAXboy]

davidjohnson6anyone know when summer fares will start to become differentiated between dates and thus more realistic ?When the computer records that enough people have booked or have not booked, at the fare levels programmed into it.

It is likely that FR would run an automated review once a month, decreasing as departure dates approach, and if the combination of computer algorithm, managerial experience and corporate financial targets determine that a change to stated rates would bring in more money - then the summer fares will change. It really is that simple. :ok:

[frnikolai]

Thank you - I will have to get myself an Electron! I have an Abbey bank near me. So I will get one, but realistically - I would say 90% pay by credit card.

I am more fussed with the £20 check-in fees, but what I don't understand is that it gives you the option, just that when you select it. It informs you that you can't do it! It would be easier to just automatically change - it does with priority boarding.

I'm not sure now how Ryanair can be cheaper anymore!!! Unless the total price actually is less than a competitor (inc bags/checkin/card charge)

Does anyone at Ryanair say that even with these charges they are STILL cheaper?

Thanks & Happy New Year!

Nikolai.

[PAXboy]

Hi frnikolai, yes it can be very frustrating. Over time, people have got used to seeing an advertised price and then paying it. This airline has been the first to break that rule - although they comply with regulations. The only option now is to start a booking and take it all the way to 'CONFIRM' and see what the bottom line is - and then change your mind. I now do this with some mainline carriers too.

It is business in the 21st Century and the younger generations who are starting to travel for the first time will think it normal. As indeed it is.

Safe Journey!

[davidjohnson6]

Very annoying this - waiting ages while all the stupid mugs to pay up for high fares tickets, before some bod or the computer realises that it needs to let the bargain hunters get their pound of flesh.

I've got data from the last few years saying how low fares for particular routes on certain dates are likely to fall - just haven't got the data saying how long in advance the fares hit rock bottom.

Guess I'll have to write one of those automated evil screenscrapers instead ! :E

[frnikolai]

Hi.

I know! They are in business to make money - and they do.

I have only a few time got flights under £50. And those were around 2000-2002. But in October half-term (thats what my younger brother and sister said it was called) I got tickets to take them to Scotland for £60 - 3 return no bags. Plus £24 card charge - £84. Still very good!

I just want the cheapest ticket - as long as they are safe I don't really mind!

Nikolai.

[Icare9]

It is often worth looking at flights a few days earlier or later than you initially select. We looked at going to Spain in early March and whichever airline and routes selected, all came out around £120 for 2 returns once all the fees and taxes included. Whilst not expensive, we then accidentally found Ryanair offering £15 all in a couple of days earlier, so have the flights for £60. Had we an Electron card we would have avoided the £5 per person per flight surcharges amounting to another £20. We don't need hold luggage and will refrain from food or drink purchases (when will they learn that a little from the many is better than a lot from a few?). Once the summer schedules come in, then we will probably return to our favoured carrier and route, but in the meantime we have a break "on the cheap" that we would possibly not have taken at the higher prices due to inconvenient airports and times.

[stevef]

Went to a certain British airport today to see my girlfriend off on an international Ryanair flight. I was told to use the check-in machines, not the desk. The machine refused to complete the transaction after I entered the required details. I then informed the floating Ryanair check-in assistant that the machine wouldn't work.
Her response - 'YES it does.' She then turns her back on me.
I managed to attract her attention a minute later and told her again that the machine wouldn't complete the transaction. No offer of assistance - I was just told to speak to the Excess Baggage payments desk. The assistant there was more helpful and wrote a note that the check-in staff should book in my partner manually.
I wonder how non-English-speaking pax cope with unfamiliar machines that don't even work and offhand customer service?

[ladylily63]

I posted a couple of months ago re Ryanair and would just like to reassure anyone who is flying with this airline that we had a very positive experience flying to Malaga last week. It was the first time we had flown with this airline and I was very impressed. We did experience some turbulence on our return journey but we were kept informed by the pilot at all times.
Will not hesitate to fly with them again, flights were on time, aircraft new; and contary to what we were expecting the crew were very friendly.

Don't believe everything you read in the press!

[Seat62K]

Absolutely! As long as I continue to get good customer service and excellent fares, I shall continue to fly Ryanair.

[DIA74]

I am often amazed people actually fly Ryanair, when they do such incredibly shifty things as stating they fly to BARCELONA when they actually fly to GIRONA<which is an awful long way from the Ramblas! The cost of getting back to BCN is considerable. There are quite a number of their "destinations" which are an awful long way from where they are supposed to be, and with late flights, if you do not have anyone to meet you in a car, the cost of a taxi or hotel has to go on top of the "cheap" FR fare.

I also find it a disgrace how much they add on for everything. Total rip offs when it comes to paying by card, baggage, etc. They say they are encouraging people to fly without baggage - so why do they fly to many tourist destinations where they know people have to take luggage/ skis, etc for their hols?

When flying to BCN, I actually find Easyjet or BA usually come out much cheaper, and are far more convenient because they both actually fly to BCN

[Seat62K]

I, too, happened to look at Barcelona recently and found easyJet much better value (and flying to El Prat, not somewhere else in Catalonia). Doesn't Ryanair look at competitors' fares or does it think prospective customers won't?

I think many passengers would be surprised about how little one really needs to take when travelling. I always travel with only hand luggage and have never had a problem doing so. Now, if you insist on taking several pairs of shoes, curling tongs, hairdryer etc., etc....

[The Real Slim Shady]

Seat, on our route to Berlin many of our passengers are Polish. On our routes to REus and Girona (Barcelona) not everyone wants to go to Barcelona: there are other places.

People choose FR for 2 reasons: price and convenience.

For example, I much prefer Bergamo to Milan, hence I would always fly to ORI rather than MXP or LIN. If I want to go to Milan I can always get the train. Equally ORI is convenient, as is Brescia for Venice as I can get the train to the main station, which takes 2 hours from Bergamo, 1 and half from Brescia, as opposed to an hour on the water bus from Marco Polo.

Hahn suits me for the Mosel valley if I fancy going wine tasting as Bernkastel is just down the hill: Beauvais on the other hand is a waste of time for Paris and Charleroi I don't rate for Brussels but I'm a big fan of the Eurostar for both destinations.

You can't generalise: we all pay our money based on or needs and perceptions. What suits you doesn't suit Fred next door and vice versa.

[Seat62K]

Slim,
Whilst I agree with what you write above, it's Ryanair which, as you know, lists both Reus and Girona under "B"!
I have flown Ryanair to both, visiting Tarragona and Girona (both interesting cities) and not Barcelona, so I suppose that, too, provides evidence for what you say.
I'd love to see Ryanair serve El Prat because when I travel to Barcelona this is the airport I wish to use.

[Pax Vobiscum]

Sorry, Seat62K, but unless Ryanair make a drastic change to their (very successful) business model, you won't find them flying to Barcelona or any other major airport, where they would face substantial landing fees. Often their current destinations actually subsidise their flying in an effort to build themselves up as an international destination (and when the subsidy stops, Ryanair tend to disappear).

Advertising these flights under the name of a (somewhat) local, more attractive destination does strike many people as sharp practice - though I'm sure Mr O'Leary doesn't lose much sleep over this, any more than over his "which part of 'no refunds' did you not understand?" approach to customer service.

I'm sure to the seasoned travellers who read PPRuNe, this is all very obvious and, so long as you understand exactly what you're buying, Ryanair can provide excellent value for money. My experience of them has been on time, new, clean planes and a very cheap ticket. What's not to like?

[Seat62K]

Pax Vobiscum,
You're wrong in your assertion that "you won't find [Ryanair] flying to Barcelona or any other major airport". Madrid? Gatwick? Stansted? Had you written "many major airports", I would agree that this is currently the case.
I have thought in the past that perhaps Ryanair might be re-thinking its strategy, as there's a limit to the number of "secondary" airports it can profitably serve whilst generating large passenger volumes. Such a shift would show recognition of the strength of demand to fly to/from major airports situated near large urban areas.
Just one example: Ryanair inherited the Stansted-Murcia route when it took over buzz. Yet it later opened Alicante as a base.

[OFSO]

Quote: I am often amazed people actually fly Ryanair, when they do such incredibly shifty things as stating they fly to BARCELONA when they actually fly to GIRONA

Kind of a dumb thing to say, since many people WANT to get to Girona and not to Barcelona ! For tourists, Ryanair are shrewd enough to cover a huge amount of coast and coastal resorts with flights to Perpignan and Girona, and for non-tourists, the ever expanding business market at Girona. All of us who live in N. Catalunia avoid Barcelona airport like the plague - hard to get to - you have to transit the city to reach the airport - and long waits for baggage etc. As ever, Ryanair know exactly what they are doing - even though their description of airport locations would fail the Trade Descriptions Act.

R

[OFSO]

ExpatChris wrote: Another way re Electron is to open an account at www.entropay.com (http://www.entropay.com/).

This is a precharged card internet based and you load it from any account you wish.

Entropay's website is now closed and they appear to no longer be trading.

RaF

[kingston_toon]

Quick question this one...

When booking Agadir - Stansted for next Monday, I selected to check-in online. Now, however, when coming to check-in, it claims my flight falls outwith the 14 day booking period. I suspect this is just a generic message, and online check-in is not allowed from Agadir - please could someone confirm? I assume therefore I won't be charged at the airport (but sadly will have to get there earlier)?!

Cheers

[cluckingbell]

A new website has been launched to oppose the Ryanair attempt to impose a monopoly on Irish air travellers.

Say No To Airline Monopolies (http://www.snotam.com)

[keltic]

It´s ironic to see how things change. Ryanair always claims to go against monopoly, except in the Irish market :)

[Seat62K]

Capitalist enterprises' claim that they welcome competition, thrive on it etc. is pure cant.

They would love a monopoly as consumers would then have no choice either in relation to price or service.

Airlines' behaviour in terms of acquiring, or merging with, competitors is no different from what we have seen in other industries, from vehicle manufacturing to retail. It's the same old story.

[GwynM]

Aer Lingus had a monopoly for years until Ryan Air came along. The public showed they preferred Ryan Air and that is why it is now in a position to take over Aer Lingus.

I've never flown Ryan Air, have no shares in them and therefore have no axe to grind, but from a business point of view they have shown that they are competetive and dynamic, unlike Aer Lingus.

[Scumbag O'Riley]

Yeah, Ryanair certainly appear to be in a dominant position and I've always wondered when they are going to turn the thumb screws but they haven't done so yet. Suspect that means there is actually quite a lot of competition in the markets they service and that dominance could collapse if they mess with a price sensitive customer base. I certainly only fly with them if the price is right, if they increased prices too much more than a tenner each way I wouldn't take these completely discretionary trips.

Maybe they are just waiting for the inevitable clearout of competing airlines before they stick it to us. They do speak with forked tongue, but then what airline doesn't?

[BladePilot]

I've never flown Ryan Air, have no shares in them and therefore have no axe to grind, but from a business point of view they have shown that they are competetive and dynamic, unlike Aer Lingus.

GwynM, have you even looked at Aer Lingus offers lately? I use Aer Lingus in preference to Ryanair whenever I can. A quick look at their website will reveal that they are as competitive today as Ryanair and a lot more pleasant to fly with.

[WHBM]

People seem to misunderstand generally the concept of "competition".

Look at the competition for say the Marathon race. Wha happens at the end of the competition ? There is a winner. Right. And likewise in a commercial competition where the "best" may prevail, this does not mean there will be a constant steady state of equals. There will be a winner.

The Irish market is not a large one in the general scale of things. It's a small country, only 4.5 million population. Not one to sustain two large carriers long term. It is inevitable that one will eventually dominate over the other.

It's the same in the US, competition has meant that in all but a couple of hub cities, one carrier comes out on top after competition, is dominant, and then charges higher fares than in a freely competitive market. That's how an unregulated market goes.

[European flyer]

GwynM. Don't know where you're getting your ideas from. Have you ever flown EI? How familiar are you with the Irish aviation industry? Perhaps you should check some of your facts.

Aer Lingus is the only airline providing true competition to Ryanair at any of their bases. FR and EI have a fairly 50/50 share at DUB where they compete head-on... means many people still prefer EI.

Also EI is not in the difficult financial situation MOL wants to make people believe.

[BladePilot]

WHBM,Strange logic you use:confused:
The Republic of Ireland may only have just shy of 5 million inhabitants but its largest airport DUB handles a lot more than 5 million passengers a year indeed enough I'd wager to 'sustain' more than one large based carrier.

So what happens in the Marathon? One winner and everyone else just fades away into the shadows, disappears never to be seen again? I don't think so somehow. There is a second and third place medal awarded and then there are all those others who weren't 'placed' but will be back next year to try for gold.

It could be argued that Competition at its very best is a very fluid state one in which there are winners, near winners, losers and absolute losers. So this year one particular airline wins Gold and its closest competitor 'wins' silver another 'wins' bronze and the 'also rans' get a tin medal for finishing but then there will be a few absolute losers who won't finish and won't be back next year.

Aer Lingus has changed considerably over the past few years much to the dissatifaction of many Irish people who yearn for the old 'flag carrier' days they have changed their business model to become more competitive and today they do compete with Ryaniar and the many other carriers that operate services to and from the ROI. Some may argue they're not winning but they are still in the race.

But seriously how can you apply your Marathon analogy to the aviation business (or any business for that matter)? there are so many variables involved, price, comfort, service, availabilty, timing, additional charges and the list goes on. Competition is a many facated thing it isn't I believe as black and white or absolute as you may suggest.;)

Perception is a personal thing:)

I am not Irish and I don't work for either Aer Lingus or Ryanair.

[13Alpha]

Ryanair Monopoly: is that where you thought you were landing on Mayfair but you end up on Old Kent Road and have to take a bus the rest of the way?

ok, ok, sorry - I'll get my coat.

13Alpha

[DIA74]

My point is RYANAIR - and airport info displayed on Teletext and internet can show the destination as BARCELONA when it is not. If they fly to REUS or GIRONA, fine, but why do they say they are going to BCN? Is this not misleading and potentially causes unsuspecting new pax trouble? No other airline I know of does this. One of the reasons I distrust Ryanair.

[DIA74]

Sorry to go off at a tangent folks, but reading theses posts I begin to see at last where my view of airline economics have gone wrong! In order to fly and make a profit (as opposed to running on cash-flow, which has been a common problem with rapidly expanding airlines and travel agents), you get the manufacturer to pay you for the privilege of your using their aircraft, you get the airports to pay you for the honour of your flying people in and out and using the loos, you get the crew to pay for their training, and prove their loyalty in advance by travelling all over europe at their own expense to train, and you get the pax to pay you bonuses for such luxuries as checking in, carrying baggage, etc. You also charge them for paying you a fare! Are they also getting the fuel free? If only Freddie Laker had known all this! Next stage could be to get the pax to pay for cleaning (after all, they make the mess), the pilots to pay for landing and handling (because they fly the plane somewhere). Maybe they should have a coin op table and sick sack dispenser on seat backs?

[dicksorchard]

Not Sure where this post really needs to go ?

I travel into Gerona at least twice a month - I always fly Ryanair and have never really had any problems untill december 2008 which i thought was a one off !

However yesterday an incident occurred ( FR 1945 Liverpool ) which further confirmed to me that there are things going on airport side that the Ryanair crews flying in and out of Gerona need to be aware of ?

There is a very over zealous spanish lady with a seriously bad attitude problem causing ructions at the boarding gates ...

yesterday there was a near a riot at our boarding gate because of this ladys actions .. which to tell you the truth delayed boarding by at least 15 minutes and upset a lot of boarding passengers ..including 3 elderly ladys who where left in tears .

It was apalling . Seriously !

Previously she had swooped like a vulture at the bottom of the stairs checking the size of everyones hand luggage . Those whose bags failed to make the grade where promptly sent to the check in desk and made to pay 30 + euro's to put the bag on the aircraft . Fair enough ..thats the rules but she has such an apalling manner about her ...do your job but do it in a polite manner !

There was a 20 minute window of oppurtunity when she left battle stations to go for a break ....

There we where all happy travellers...
Our aircraft had arrived , change round , refuelling etc completed .
Ready to board in orderly que's pilots waiting patiently for passengers and then SHE appeared dragging the metal cage which measures the size of your hand luggage with her - she took it right up to the gate door ?

It was like something out of a horror movie ....The whole que went silent watching as the metal screeched along the floor .

Then she proceeded to board passengers ..

The next thing i know she is screaming at everybody " you must check your bags fit in the cage and if they dont fit stand to the side " which to everyones credit they did do- me included .

The que was building up , boarding gate getting blocked , people trying to ram bags into the cage . People running off like frightened school kids , stuffin suitcase up jumpers etc

Then it kicked off big time as she physically man handled 3 female english pensioners to one side and told them " if your bag dos'nt fit then you are not flying "

I was incredoulous .. So the old dears got very upset and said in a very polite manner " look if we owe you for the bags cant we just pay you its not a problem " .

her attitude stunk " its too late your not going to board this aircraft . you will have to get another flight tomorrow " ..

well as soon as the others in the que who had been waiting patiently heard this bedlam ensued .....

we had the ridicolous scenario of people emptying bags , clothes everywhere and layering said clothes on their bodys in order to get their bags to fit in the cage !

Half the passengers looked like mitchelin men ...

which surely isnt a good thing shud an emergency occur as none ov them would fit thru the doors !!! and impede everyone elses exit whilst we are at it !.

we even had the stupid scenario of some poor guy who had already had his bag checked in the cage downstairs and it fitted perfectly yet he had foolishly purchased some duty free and rather than have the bottles rattling round in a plastic bag he had put them inside his suitcase !! So now the bugger wouldnt fit in the cage !!

big , big , mistake ...he was trying to explain as to how his bag had incresed in size and she was screaming at him " where is your receipt ? where is your carrier bag i want proof you purchased these items here "

Meanwhile our crew are waiting for us to board not having a clue what was going on the other side of the boarding gate ...

It was a total farce and crews should be made aware of what is going on and pass the information to the powers that be at Ryanair . This is definatly affecting turn around and also passenger confidence in the airline .

In the end the boarding passengers turned hostile and people where shouting and swearing ..it got pretty scary ...she relented , very reluctantly and allowed people thru ...we still had to wait over ten minutes before the three elderly ladys where allowed to board ...they where kept like hostages untill said bags fitted !

All arrived on board very upset and all over dressed !

My own bag didnt fit perfectly in the cage but when i took my rather large book out of the front pouch it fell into place...she glared at me with evil eyes..i walked away book in hand triumphant !

The mad thing is that only a few people had any difficulty getting their hand luggage in the over head lockers .my own suitcase glided in effortlessly .

What a crazy situation .

I luv Flying Ryanair ... but someone has to do something about what is happening at Gerona Airport because it is effecting everyone not just us passengers but the crews too ...only they won't be aware of what is really causing the delays in boarding their flights !!

Please pass this info on .. cheers

[Ollie268]

May I suggest that you notify the ground staff at girona directly with a letter of complaint as Ryanair do not have any ground staff of their own so by notifying them, nothing will change. However - as i said - if you complain to the Girona Airport authorities (maybe next time your there, try to get her name) then something may be done.
Sounds like a nightmare! But im glad you enjoy flying with RYR! :ok:

[Loose rivets]

Nonsense! If someone can take the time to advise the affected airline via Pprune, that should be enough. To suggest a passenger should be given the task of putting things right is absurd. Ryanair make the money by using the airport, they have a vested interest in getting some sort of order back.



I just don't know how people like this woman exist. Under a totalitarian regime perhaps, but in modern Europe? I know just how long she would have spoken to me like that. Measure the time in pico-seconds.

[dicksorchard]

Ollie268 (http://www.pprune.org/members/75040-ollie268)

Thanks for that info ..Will do that next flight out . hand it in personally .

I did'nt think she worked for Ryanair as she wears a totally different uniform ..

It crossed my mind she might be on comission tho ? so many euro's for any extra bags etc ..as that could be the only reason in my mind that she was so vehenment in her actions unless she seriously is that awfull a personality .

Usually spanish people are very respectfull of the elderly but not this young lady !

Like i said i have been flying Ryanair all over Europe and never have i ever experienced anything like this before and in fact i have always championed the airline .
Think the crews need to know as well tho especially the captains...they would probably have more sway than us p.a.x ...

[Xorthis]

Forgive me if I'm wrong but isn't the overzealous lady concerned enforcing Ryanair's rules, not the airport's? As I understand it, bag size and weight limits are up to the airline. If they have someone checking bags on the ground before boarding this person surely is acting as an agent of Ryanair and so it's Ryanair that the complaint should be directed towards?

[rog747]

sorry to hear this tale and this cow sounds like a witch BUT with ryanair unless you play their 'game' you will end up getting grief from some jobsworth....and it will all end in tears which is precisley why i do not choose a loco carrier to go with.

if yer cabin bag aint 55cmx40cm and weighs less than 8 or 10 kgs (wotever it is) then u cross the line:=
be prepared for the evil :*witches to start their pathetic games and the scaredy cat pax play hide the sausage or gin bottle wotever:)

its not just FR its lots of the nasty cheapo's

[Conan The Barber]

If people would just comply with the terms and conditions they agreed to when buying their ticket, much aggrevation could be avoided.

[dicksorchard]

Xorthis (http://www.pprune.org/members/197878-xorthis)

I get what your saying Xorthis every airline has there own rules concerning hand luggage and rules are there to be enforced and i have seen cage checks of bags before at check in but never , ever at a gate when an aircraft has been boarding .

This was beyond enforcing the rules ..when pensioners are left in tears and threatened with being left on the tarmac then thats going to far !

[ShedsRus]

Dicksorchard. witnessed virtually the same thing at EMA a few weeks ago.

BMIBaby flights called for Amsterdam and Paris. Luckily I was on the Amsterdam

Paris flight - Cabin baggage cage placed near gate. Everyone was instructed by the ground operative to put their bags in the cage - the gent in charge told the passengers 'If it don't fit the the bag will be taken from you at the a/c steps and put in the hold'. Strange to say everybodys bag fitted although quite a few passengers just waited 'til the guy was distracted rejoined the queue and were let out no problem. Let me state that all those who 'cheated' had bags only a few centipedes over the cage size - nothing excessive.

However I do get brassed off with the many pax who just take the p*** regarding cabin bags. I've seen them struggling to get holdalls the size of a small car up in the rack. Then the ones that walk past the "only one bag" signs carrying 3 or 4 each the size of a small cabin trunk - one being the computer bag (must be desk top - not laptop), ladies handbag (the size of a skip) and a camera bag (must be one of the old wooden box cameras with tripod attached).

Rant over - apologies but I'm the one sitting quietly with my rucksack (n/e 50x40x20 tucked under the seat in front of me watching the above blocking the loading while they fill all the racks with their 'cabin baggage'.

[Xorthis]

Dicksorchard

I was just saying who I thought the complaint should be directed to and how Ryanair I'm sure, would love to hear feedback on the way their agents are treating their customers. There's no way this sort of treatment can be justified and the situation would have never occurred if the handling agent just checked carry on bag size at check in.

On a slight side note, I don't agree with current carry on rules. All anyone should be allowed to bring on with them is a small backpack sized bag, enough to contain a change of clothes and any essential items. The last time I flew I was able to fit my laptop with charger and mouse, DVDs, a change of clothes, travel documents, reading material and some toiletries all in my backpack. People with holdalls that need to be dragged on wheels through the cabin should have them dropped on their heads from a height to demonstrate exactly why it's not safe...

[OFSO]

Ryanair crew using Girona* take note:

This was mentioned in the Catalan newspaper "El Punt" three days ago: Ryanair implementing zero tolerance policy in the matter of hand luggage.

If it delays the flights enough Ryanair will scrap it.

* Take note: Girona is the correct spelling.

[EI-CFC]

Two problem free sectors with FR this week. :ok: to the flight and cabin crew on both.

[Seat62K]

Is there a correct spelling of Girona/Gerona? Is there a correct way of spelling Alacant/Alicante? I always thought it depended on what kind of nationalist you were - i.e., Spanish or Catalan/Valencian etc.

To return to the thread. I get the impression that Ryanair has decided to get tough on hand luggage, probably primarily to increase revenue but also to avoid instances when there is absolutely no space left to stow Joe Public's bag.

For the first time I can recall, this week I saw someone at the gate for a Ryanair flight whose sole job it was to ask passengers whose bags looked too large to place it in the gauge. About time!

At the aircraft door there was at least one bag which had been tagged and was about to be taken to the hold (this was a station with airbridge loading). I did wonder if the passenger would be charged the appropriate "checked bag" fee and, if not, whether we'll simply replace one set of chancers (those who know their bags are too big but take a chance) with another (those who gamble that they might be able to avoid the "checked bag" fee but risk having a large bag taken from them at the gate).

I'm all for Ryanair and other airlines' enforcement of the rules. I do not want flying to become more akin to bus travel, where rules about consuming food and drink, playing music etc. are routinely flouted and where staff seem to have given up on enforcing them. The offloading sanction is powerful and even the brain-dead know that this means they have to behave or else. Those of us who follow these reasonable rules have nothing to fear (and could avoid having some huge "carry on" fall on our heads as passengers fail in their attempt to haul it into the overhead).

Rant over!

[OFSO]

Seat62K asks: Is there a correct spelling of Girona/Gerona? Is there a correct way of spelling Alacant/Alicante? I always thought it depended on what kind of nationalist you were - i.e., Spanish or Catalan/Valencian etc.

If you want to get a smile locally, name the city "Girona" when in Catalunia.

Oh, the number of English and Germans I hear complaining of unfriendliness in Catalunia, especially visiting Government officies: I ask "what language did you use ?" and they reply "Spanish of course".

Sigh.

Nothing to do with nationalism and everything to do with courtesy.

[Michael SWS]

Oh, the number of English and Germans I hear complaining of unfriendliness in Catalunia, especially visiting Government officies: I ask "what language did you use ?" and they reply "Spanish of course".Those are probably the same English people who complain of unfriendliness in Wales because the inhabitants of that country dare to speak another language to each other in their presence...

[CorkEICK]

Ryanair have new policy and are advising all customers via email etc prior to their flights. It was also carried by the press when announced on 20 JAN 2009.

I would just like to point out to the poster who said their bag, despite being over limit, fitted the overhead no problem - Im sure it did but it is obvioulsy going to take up more space than allowed and eating into space for other passengers. I often can find no space for a bag about 20cm x 20cm x 15cm. I saw last week a lady place a bag that was at least 75% larger than the max permitted and as the fight only had 45 pax she had no problem finding space for it. I would estimate it was at least 15 maybe even 20 kgs based on the struggle placing it in and removing it from the overhead. It required both hands to move it and she had great difficulty going down the airstairs. At bottom of steps she had to stop and take a "well earned" rest. By the way she was, how would I put it, very strong looking and I certainly would not like to recieve a slap from her!!:)



News Release 20.01.09

No Exceptions to Ryanair's Cabin Baggage Allowance


1 MILLION €/£10 SEATS TO CELEBRATE 10KG FREE CABIN BAGGAGE ALLOWANCE

PASSENGER ATTEMPTS TO CARRY FIVE PIECES OF HAND LUGGAGE ONBOARD

Ryanair, Europe’s largest and most punctual low fares airline, today (20th Jan) confirmed that there will be no exceptions to its passenger Cabin Baggage Allowance in response to the growing number of passengers carrying more than one piece of hand baggage and after one passenger attempted to carry FIVE items of hand luggage onboard an aircraft.

Ryanair’s generous free cabin baggage allowance, of 10kg per passenger, is restricted to one bag into which passengers must place all handbags, laptops etc. This policy is enforced across the network, to ensure fairness to all passengers.

Ryanair passengers who do not comply and present with more than one piece of hand luggage will be charged €/£30 at the departure gate and have their bag placed in the aircraft’s hold. Passengers can half this charge by opting to check-in a bag at the time of their booking or before they travel.

Ryanair highlighted its generous FREE 10kg cabin baggage allowance by releasing 1 million €/£10 seats for travel across its European network in February and March which are available for booking on www.ryanair.com (http://www.ryanair.com/) before midnight Sunday 25th January.


Ryanair’s Stephen McNamara said:

“Ryanair’s generous cabin baggage allowance permits passengers to carry one piece of cabin baggage of up to 10kg onto our aircraft. Due to the large increase in passengers abusing this allowance Ryanair will now charge passengers for each additional piece of carry on luggage.

“Passengers are made clearly aware of their cabin allowance at the time of their booking and it is also printed on their online boarding cards. Passengers who are unable to place items into one bag and refuse to make the additional payments will not be permitted to travel. We are highlighting our 10kg one bag baggage policy by releasing 1million €/£10 seats for travel in February and March.”



Additional Information

Each passenger (excluding infants) is permitted to carry one piece (in total) of cabin baggage on board (free of charge). It should weigh no more than 10kg and not exceed the maximum dimensions of 55cm x 40cm x 20cm. Due to security restrictions, certain items cannot be carried in cabin baggage. We reserve the right to cancel any reservation without refund and deny boarding if a passenger arrives at the boarding gate with more than one item of cabin baggage or an item that exceeds the maximum dimensions. Infants do not qualify for a cabin baggage allowance (although a pram / buggy will be carried free of charge).



Restrictions apply to liquids, gels, pastes, lotions or cosmetics carried in hand baggage. For further information please see www.ryanair.com (blocked::http://www.ryanair.com/).

[frnikolai]

Really - to be fined £30 is not that bad considering the baggage charges and check-in fees. I get fined, but I can take an extra bag! Plus - I see it being loaded onto the plane I am getting on.

Also, Ryanair has changed the unaccompanied minors policy? How come? On the Spanish and Polish pages - it has not changed?

Does this mean - that children travelling under a Polish or Spanish passport (probably more EU countries) can still fly on their own; regarding they are with someone 16 or over. But UK passport holders can't?

Thanks

Nikolai

[The Real Slim Shady]

It isnt a fine.

If you wish to take more than contracted baggage allowance you pay for it.

[Scumbag O'Riley]

And obviously the charge needs to be increased significantly to make selfish people see it as a real deterrent. :yuk:

And that might also help subsidise the ticket prices for those of us who play by the more than reasonable rules :ok:

[Hombre]

Last time I looked, General Franco won the Civil War and accordingly Castillian remains the official language of Espana.

Incidentally, Alicante was the last sea port to fall...

After living in Andalucia for over 5 years, what happens in a Catalan Ayuntamiento is of course another matter...

[PAXboy]

If only FR had been carrying our it's statement: This policy is enforced across the network, to ensure fairness to all passengers.for the past years, they would not have to remake and restate it now. The last time I had to use (note, HAD) was last August and all the usual suspects got away with all the usual crimes.

I know that FR have had half heated attempts to get their many, many handling agents to focus on the problem but the out stations with only a couple of FR rotations a day have been 'independently' minded. I suggest that FR have not put the money into monitoring them closely enough. They need to do more 'secret shopper' observations but, oh dear, that costs money.

[frnikolai]

Anyone know anything about the unaccompanied minors differences?

My question is that, if I flew on a Polish or Spanish passport - from London Stansted to lets say Girona. They wouldn't say a thing but if I tried the exact same thing on a UK passport - they would?

What's the problem? Or is it just that UK nationals have got to be 18 or older to fly on their own?

Nikolai

[OFSO]

Hombre wrote: After living in Andalucia for over 5 years, what happens in a Catalan Ayuntamiento is of course another matter...

Nothing happens there because it doesn't exist. It's called an Ajuntament.

[OFSO]

Yesterday lunchtime the Beast of Girona wasn't on duty: Ryanair and ground staff were all very pleasant and ladies were allowed a handbag in addition to their carry-on luggage. However FR9228 was forgotten by the ATC and left parked ten minutes after doors were closed until the crew asked for pushback and startup.

OFSO

P.S. Oh and Hombre who wrote: Last time I looked, General Franco won the Civil War and accordingly Castillian remains the official language of Espana.

Might come as a surprise to you that the official language of Catalunia is Catalan, and this is the main language taught in schools - Castilliano is taught as a second language on a level with French and German and English. And don't try to get a job here with any organisation if you don't speak Catalan: you'd be refused and the courts will back the employer.

Incidently Franco didn't win the Civil War: the Catalans lost it and it was their own fault for fighting amongst themselves.

[TightSlot]

Enough already with the Franco/Castillano/Catalan thing - back on el topic por favor - gracias desde los mods

[Shack37]

Better not mention Euskera then! (Yet another officially recognised language in Spain since the generalissimo shuffled off this mortal coil, became an ex dictator)

The storing of hand baggage in the hold is common on eg AF regional flights even if it fits in the measurement cage. The pax gives it to ground staff at the a/c steps on boarding and retrieves it there on arrival. Not a problem for me as my normal condition whilst travelling by air is asleep. It's easy enough to remove a book or magazine etc before boarding if necessary.

TS, I plead your indulgence for para1 as I got back on topic in para2.

s37

[copeland1957]

Travelled Prestwick/Gerona return last week and seems there is no common policy re hand baggage.

On outward trip, an airport employee was at the entrance to seurity with a set of scales and was weighing hand baggage and enforcing the 10kg rule. A party of 4 ladies in front of us had a couple of cases slightly over and were told they would have to check-in their luggage. In the end, they had a mad scramble about on the terminal floor swapping stuff from one suitcase to another.

Coming home at Gerona there was absolutely no check by airport staff regarding weight and by the look of the size of some people's cases, there was no way they would be under 10kg. Some of them were enormous. Again there was no checks by cabin crew on boarding the aircraft.

Flight was nowhere near full, so this might have been a factor in lack of interest, although it was same situation with all flights leaving Gerona.

[smith]

I see part of FR's new hand baggage rules is 1 piece only, no exceptions including duty free. The airport operators should jump down FR's neck at this. I totally agree about the hand baggage size rule, but imagine you are flying home with a few €'s in your pocket to spare and pop into the duty free store before boarding and buy a nice bottle of whisky and a carton of fags. This is about the size of the hand baggage restriction itself. The reason we go to tax free store is to save money, and to be charges an extra £30 at the gate would just make it not worth while. The airport operators must be losing a fortune cause of this new rule. They should be telling FR, if you want cheap landing and handling charges you must let people on with duty free, let them provide proof like a yellow plastic bag and a reciept, but let them on. Or do it the American way, order and pay for your stuff in the duty free shop and pick it up on the gate.

The airport operators are shooting themselves in the foot if they let FR get away with this!!!

[PAXboy]

Expect FR to tighten all such regs and use more enforcers as described above. But, in the recession, they will balance very carefully the times they clamp down and the times they let them go through. After all, if you clamp down EVERY time then people will be cross and stop using them But if they only sent to the check-in desk one flight in ten? They will reckon it worth it overall. As I repeat, never underestimate FR.

[frnikolai]

Can anyone answer the question about the children flying? How come on one Ryanair page it says "MUST BE ACCOMPANIED WITH SOMEONE OVER 16" and "ALL CHILDREN MUST BE ACCOMPANIED"

This makes no sense, especially since the Polish and Spanish (probably more) websites say "MUST BE ACCOMPANIED WITH SOMEONE OVER 16"

Thank you

Nikolai

[smith]

Flying to Poland and back and as it works out had to book two single tkts.

UK to Poland charges as stated. Poland to UK sector price was in Polish Zlottie (PLN), when got debit card statement £1.50 was added by bank as a foreign transaction fee.

Although this was a bank fee and not FR's it was still a charge I was not expecting.

[Hombre]

Happy to ditch the history lesson. It is extremely depressing. That said, anyone living in Spain should read at least one book on it IMHO.

[OFSO]

Flight FR9229 from LDN Gatwick to Girona on February 10th (today). A party of Spanish youths and their girls embarked but although their handluggage was the approved size, the o/head lockers were full and their backpacks wouldn't fit in.

The cabin staff very politely explained the backpacks would have to go in the hold at no extra cost and they would receive them back after landing.

15 minutes of arguments followed with the Spanish shouting loudly they didn't want to be delayed after landing and having to wait for their bags. Finally they gave in and the bags were put in the hold.

One wonders what the alternative would have been ? Leave the bags behind ? Frankly I'd rather have seen the bags removed - and their abusive owners also.

A bouquet to the FR cabin staff though who delt with the situation with tact and politeness.

[davidjohnson6]

As I live in London, memory suggests this occurs often at STN, but this is probably just because I see more of STN than anywhere else.

Occasionally an FR plane will have to park at a remote stand, sufficiently far from a terminal to necessitate a bus ride rather than a short walk. 189 people necessitates 2 buses rather than 1. Some airports are pretty good at having these buses close to the plane before the plane has even finished dropping its steps to the ground.

Some passengers manage to get down the steps onto the ground pretty quickly and the 1st bus fills rapidly. Neither bus however will move until ALL the pax are off the plane and someone in the crew has given an 'all clear' signal.

If the first of the 2 buses already has 100 people inside, why does it need to wait until the very last passenger has got down the steps and onto the 2nd bus before driving off ? Why can the 1st bus not proceed to the terminal and leave the 2nd bus to collect up those who need more time to get from plane to bus ? At the very least, this would free up the bus earlier for its next use, never mind processing pax more quickly through the airport. It is after all arrivals, and the potential for pax spending on high-margin shopping is usually very limited.

Surely the drivers do ferry operations between terminal and plane sufficiently often to be able to judge when they have 100 people on board their bus ?

[machonepointone]

I recently bought tickets from Jerez to Stansted and return and right at the end I see that Ryanair have charged me a "handling fee." Considering that I booked on-line, will be checking in on-line, and will only have carry-on baggage I wonder what part of my journeys they will be handling. Were I to be a cynic (and in Ryanair's case I probably am), I would suspect that this is another sneaky way of charging passengers extra.

As for the discussion on size/weight/amount of carry-on baggage, I would dearly love to see ALL airlines enforcing the rules with no exceptions. I suspect that there are two types of people who carry too much on board, either they are too stupid to read the rules or else they are too arrogant to believe that the rules actually apply to them. In either case, having the extra bags placed in the hold and being made to pay for it might encourage them to do what they should have done in the first place. However, behaviour like that of the staff female at Gerona/Girona is way OTT.

[HEisLEGEND]

i cant imagine the pressure the ground staff at girona are suffering in order to enforce the 1 bag policy..turnaround after turnaround, argument after argument, this leads to actions as the ones carried out by the ground agent who is being called the beast..i imagine the outcome of a delay code being given to the boarding agents for lack of space in cabin for bags / bags being taken to hold from cabin.
dont pax read the contract they are agreeing to?this is happening in stations everywhere in europe, pax know allready how to trick the ck-in agents and do not show up at the ck-in counters with the carry-on bags etc..producing the boarding festival.will the boarding agent risk a delay given to the boarding, a bad report from FR observers, etc?offcourse not.

i can even imagine FR asking the handling agent for the money not charged at gate from the bags taken to the hold..:uhoh:

[Seat62K]

I agree that it's passengers who are primarily to blame. Ryanair makes its rules clear - they're printed on the Check'N'Go boarding passes, for heaven's sake! The problem is that too many people think the rules don't or should not apply to them. Same with arriving at the airport after the minimum check in time and demanding to be checked in etc. (or, for that matter, keeping to the speed limit when driving etc., etc.).
I do feel sorry for agents/cabin crew at the gate but Ryanair should not give in on this one.

[HEisLEGEND]

agree. the company i work for is experiencing the same problem thus creating lots of "beasts", but it´s demanded from the agents exactly this. it´s a 25/30 mts turnaround, there´s a limit to the time than can be lost with arguments about hidden ck-in bags, size or payments. But rules are rules and the contract is explicit, if the service is not apropriate one should try to use other airlines service next time.

[airborne_artist]

The wicked witch of Gerona is alive and well. She was waiting for us at the bottom of the stairs leading up to security/departures. Woe betide anyone whose bag was not presented!

She wore a red jacket and blue trousers, and just stayed at the foot of the stairs fixing all who passed by with an evil stare, and if they did not put the bag in the measuring frame she let loose with a torrent of Spanish invective!

[b737800capt06]

I watched in amazement on a domestic flight (in Australia) as a fellow passenger took a call mid flight - spoke to the person at the other end in chinese, and looked shocked when a member of the cabin crew told her to terminate the call.

(Australian Federal Police were waiting to have a word or two wuth the passenger when we arrived in Sydney)

I can see one day some passenger demanding to open door 1L for some fresh air at FL380.:mad:

No matter how cheap and safe, there are always wingers.:mad:

[OFSO]

B737800capt06 wrote: I can see one day some passenger demanding to open door 1L for some fresh air at FL380.

Well, it wasn't a door but a window: the chav-ess in the seat behind my wife said very loudly "it's so stuffy in here - now we're up, do you think they could open a window ?" on an FR from GRN to STN last year. My wife looked around but there were no smiles on the row behind so she assumed they were serious.

[Tim00]

Just to say well done to the Ryanair CC on the flight I was on today, when there was a medical incident with a PAX a couple of rows in front of me. CC were moving those close by to other seats, performing 1st aid, removing seat cushions etc. within seconds of being alerted. A doctor was found, & the whole thing was well done, with a happy outcome. They were friendly & helpful to everyone else throughout.

Nice to hear the Captain publically thank the CC on the PA when we landed (and good of him to give us a nice detailed route info, heights etc. which is nice).

Don't know if the etiquette is to name the flight, so I won't.
Tim.

[OFSO]

Lots of coverage on Catalan TV news last night and today about Ryanair (possibly ? probably ? sometime Real Soon ?) getting slots to fly into Barcelona Prats airport.

The President of Catalunia, interviewed on last night's news, said he is very much in favour of having FR at the Big Airport.

Ryanair has claimed new flights to Prats will NOT result in a reduction of services to Girona and Reus.

[PAXboy]

FR have new a/c coming in and passengers going out in the recession. On the plus side, some people may want to change from other carriers but, the only question is:

How much discount/subsidy will they offer to FR?

That's not cynical, just their very successful business model.

[smith]

Ryanair has claimed new flights to Prats will NOT result in a reduction of services to Girona and Reus.

With FR's phenominal growth over the past 10 years they can now be regarded as a mainline carrier and as such I think we will see a change in policy and see them attracted to more mainline airports for example a shift from PIK to GLA or BVA to CDG etc etc.

Glasgow will be despeate to get a slice of the FR pie and lets face it if you are a pax heading for a meeting in Glasgow city centre where would you rather fly into?

The regional airports have had their day in the sun and with the economy in the state it is in, the bigger mainline airports will be bending over backwards to please MOL. Remember wher you read it first!

[Avman]

With FR's phenominal growth over the past 10 years they can now be regarded as a mainline carrier

:eek: You are joking of course!

If RYR is the future of "mainline travel" that WILL be the end of flying for me, I kid you not.

[racedo]

So how many people do you need to carry to be considered "Mainline"

[OFSO]

racedo asks:
So how many people do you need to carry to be considered "Mainline"

Well, I just checked and there are over 40 FR flights out of GRN today - and mark you, on the Costa Brava this is the dead season for tourists, and in a time of recession.

I'd say the Ol' Harp airline is doing pretty well.

Sneer at the quality of service if you must but their business model is faultless. Yup, mainline.

[Avman]

They might be a major operator, but with the routes they fly I certainly wouldn't call them mainline.

[racedo]

OFSO - not sneering at anything as with 58 million passengers I consider them one of Europeas major airlines.

BA is now carrying 30 million passengers and thats considered mainline.

If someone feels route structure makes them minline then BA are not mainline on many routes.

[Scumbag O'Riley]

'Mainline' means flights operated by the airline itself and not flights using codeshares/subsidiaries. So Ryanair has been 'mainline' from the start. I would expect them to operate into any airport where they could maximise profit/minimise losses and doubt they have a long term view on remaining at a particular airport. They are very nimble.

[Avman]

All down to personal interpretations I guess. For me "mainline" means several things: major; full service; and, importantly, serving the advertised city's main airport. Hahn is not Frankfurt. Charleroi is not Brussels. Weise is not Dusseldorf etc., etc.

[smith]

Avman

If you read my post again that is exactly what I am hypothesising FR being attracted to "major" airports who want a piece of the FR pie.

I fear for PIK at the moment as EDI is about equidistant from GLA and a lot of the routes duplicate each other. A personal choice I suppose if you live on the south side or east end of the city which makes the easiest to get to. I just think we will see FR move to GLA sooner or later and in that respect move into moe "mainline" airports who will lure thme there with free or cheap landing deals.

[Seat62K]

I suppose that AENA, the airport operator at El Prat, is wondering how it will fill its terminals there with a new one due to open soon. The same is true for Alicante and perhaps at other airports in Spain, too.

Are there any rumours about Ryanair serving the new airport at Castellon?

Ryanair's decision not to base aircraft at Valencia looks interesting in the light of the Generalitat's (regional autonomous government) desperate attempts to address the decline in tourism, as reported in the Spanish press.
Meanwhile, down the road in Alicante Ryanair serves 37 destinations. Does anyone know why the Generalitat took the view it did in Valencia whilst, presumably, agreeing to a deal with Ryanair in Alicante? Or was it not involved in the latter?

[frequentflyer2]

Flew BHD to STN and back with Ryanair yesterday. Both flights were on time and the cabin crew very pleasant.
On the outward flight the doors had been set to automatic, armed and cross checked when the senior cabin crew member asked for the process to be reversed and re-engaged the forward airstair.
Three passengers had turned up late and the pilot agreed to accept them.
It was certainly more pleasant and relaxed than bmi whose cabin crew on the LHR route have at times made me feel like something unpleasant ingested through the ventilation system.

[boredcounter]

With the baggage handler looking for the bags?

[True Blue]

A friend of mine made a mistake when booking flights on FR this evening. he had two tabs open, on one he used Mr XXX to take the flight booking right through to the end to see what the final bill would be. He returned to the "proper" tab, to complete the booking. Somehow and he doesn't know how, the Mr XXX details carried through and he has booked 2 flights Mr XXX and MR YYY. If anyone on here can help answer these 2 questions:
1. Would FR take an understanding view on this mistake?
2. Where would the best point of contact be for him to try and sort this out if they were to take a sympathetic view?

Thanks for your help.

True Blue

[Flintstone]

I don't think the terms 'Ryanair' and 'sympathetic' go together. As for a contact number I belive their 'customer service' line http://planetsmilies.net/vomit-smiley-31.gif charges £1 per minute.

Sorry but I wouldn't hold my breath.

[XSBaggage]

Normally FR calls / emails the passenger if there are two bookings for the same name on the same flights. My friend has the same name as his dad and they have gotten a call when they are travelling together to check it is indeed two separate passengers.

Mind you, if there is any internet problem it is normally advisable to call them immediately after the error has been made - they tend to be more "helpful" (ie more likely to cancel and refund one booking made in error) if contacted immediately.

XSB

[OFSO]

I'm just off to buy a carry-on squishy bag to fit in the overhead lockers, and remember someone said Ryanair are about to start selling their own bags with logo on the side (which would pass smoothly on board with a minimum of "fuss".)

Any truth in this rumour, Ryanair chaps, or was it an April 1st gag ?

R

[steve wilson]

I heard this too. The bags will be available from Ryanairs website only.

The bags are due to sell for just 1p. But by the time you add VAT, surcharges, P&P and the £7.50 credit card surcharge then they will be about £40.00 ;)

I have just bought a bag specifically for Ryanair carry-on. Ryanairs limit is 55x40x20. The bag I have just bought is 51x40x20. IT also has trolley wheels and telescopic handles. It also has its own inbuilt lock.

Available from Dunelm Mill at just £9.99.

Steve

[A2QFI]

Please will you kindly quote a Ref No for the Dunelm mill carry on case or a link to it? Searching their website doesn't come up with anything. Thanks

[OFSO]

The bags are due to sell for just 1p. But by the time you add VAT, surcharges, P&P and the £7.50 credit card surcharge then they will be about £40.00

You forgot insurance ! if they are being sold off the website and not by a shop in Stansted, at least the sales personal won't slam the door shut at 18:30 and one second.....

There is an amazing choice of carry-on luggage these days and frankly I think paying more than 15 euros/15 quid isn't worth it. I've seen squishy bags with wheels and pull-out handles for this price.....

R

[steve wilson]

Hi

it was an Envoy Trolley Case. I could not see a serial number on it. I bought it on a special offer so im not too sure if it is available on line.

Hope this helps

Steve

[jkgourmet]

In America, we do not have RyanAir, but we have other discount airlines (Southwest, for one). Sometimes, the round trip airfare is actually less than the one way airfare. This seems to be very much the case with Ryan Air - especially when they have special sales. I am planning a trip from Stansted Airport, England to either Barceona or Valencia. The RT tickets are MUCH MUCH cheaper than a single one way ticket. But, I will never use the second leg of the RT since I will fly home to the US directly from Spain. Does this cause any problems for me? Thank you.

[jetsgo]

It shouldn’t be an issue if you don’t use the return leg.

One word of warning if you’ve never experienced Ryanair, like Southwest they don’t tend to fly to main airports so for Barcelona you’ll end up at either Girona or Reus. Also be aware of the ‘extra charges’ as this is how they make their money. Follow their rules and you’ll be fine. They are ruthless at enforcing the rules and very efficient with their operation. Punctuality is very good, but don’t expect very good customer service.

:ok:

[EISNN]

Have used FR a number of times and sometimes not used the first sector in the end cos I've been able to go where ever a day or two earlier. There's no problem if you don't use one sector. the other sector will be recognised and honoured.

[eu01]

The RT tickets are MUCH MUCH cheaper than a single one way ticket.NEVER seen anything like that @Ryanair. The return ticket costs roughly the same as two one way tickets purchased separately. Are you sure you are trying to buy the flight directly from the carrier (ryanair.com)?

[jetsgo]

Agreed eu01. No frills carriers in Europe don’t tend to sell tickets like that. You are effectively buying 2 one-way tickets with Ryanair so it’s never going to be cheaper.

[Seat62K]

jkgourmet,

Unlike Ryanair services to "Barcelona", its flights to Valencia use the city's airport. It is easy/cheap/quick to get "downtown" from there by metro.

Reus, on the other hand, is near the interesting Roman town of Tarragona whilst Girona is a beautiful city in its own right.

Have you considered Madrid? Ryanair flies from Stansted to Barajas, which also has an excellent, quick (12 minutes from T1-2-3) and cheap (2 euro) metro link to the city centre. I prefer Madrid to Barcelona but others would disagree!

Enjoy your trip!

[OFSO]

..and I much prefer Girona to Barcelona, so fly straight there and ignore Barcelona and Madrid !

Girona: no street crime (or so I've found), less hectic pace of life (daytimes), more hectic pace of life (nightimes - although NOT more hectic than Madrid) plenty of good restaurants, historic sights, old buildings, Jewish and Arab quarters, Cathedral, excellent public transport up and down the coast.

And buy a single ticket on Ryanair, carry-on bag only, no insurance, no priority boarding, and forward your heavy luggage (if any) separately to BCN.

Alternative: Eurostar train London to Paris, TGV Paris to Perpignan. Almost as fast, almost as cheap* (if you buy ticket three months in advance) and luxury you won't believe after flying Ryanair.

Paris last week on the TGV from Perpignan cost €45 each way - first class.

R

[BladePilot]

Flew EDI - DUB a couple of weeks back with EI. When we got to the check-in desk there was an American guy and his wife frantically trying to repack their bags, they even 'offloaded' a few items attempting to 'gift' them to onlookers before resorting to binning them! I turned to my wife and remarked that I'd never known EI to be so hard on folks, I was wrong as it turned out the couple were flying EDI - DUB with FR their flight was scheduled to leave 5 minutes behind ours. They had been told at FR check-in (adjacent to our check-in) that they would need to re-arrange their baggage to aviod paying a heavy excess charge.
We met up with them in the departure lounge and asked them how they'd got on with their weight shedding excercise, not well enough it turned out as they were walloped for £150. The poor guy had never heard of FR - Ryanair, found them on the internet when he searched for flights EDI - DUB didn't spot the alternative EI he was mighty upset. To make matters worse for him our EI flight departed almost 20minutes early and when we got to DUB I checked the FR flights STA the flight information indicated
- Delayed -
And MOL still harps on about how expensive Dublin airport charges are:ugh:

Make sure you check out all the alternatives before you click that 'buy now' button on the FR website!

[AdamC]

As has already been said, that cannot be the case as you are buying in essence 2 seperate tickets.

However, there will be no problem with just travelling the one way - I've done it a fair few times myself. You could even skip the outbound and return on the inbound with no problems (from experience).

[Seat62K]

BladePilot,

I think you'd have a point if:
(i) when they booked, the passengers couldn't find information about the maximum weight they were allowed; or
(ii) the passengers were told one thing at the point of booking and found at the airport that the actual allowance was less; or
(iii) other carriers' excess baggage charges are significantly lower than Ryanair's.

I have some sympathy for passengers in the situation, but not much.

What part of the "three bags, maximum 15kg, no pooling" regulation did they not understand? It's not rocket science.

[sitigeltfel]

1) The flight was delayed by an hour as the techlog needed to be sighed off by an engineer.

Yep, a shrug and a scribble. Nothing new there.

Sorry, couldn't resist it

[Sir Lee B´stard]

OFSO, please check your emails

[The Real Slim Shady]

The application of the 1 bag in the cabin policy is being enforced everywhere: reasons are straightforward.

Firstly, it is in the T &C's of travel. Secondly, it generates revenue, checked and excess baggage, and finally there isn't enough locker space on a full flight for people to take more than 1 bag.

Anyone who is carrying more than 1 bag when they present themselves at the gate will not be refused travel, however: they will be asked which bag they wish to leave behind.

[The Real Slim Shady]

Engineers are only located at FR bases.

Gatwick isn't a base, hence engineer would have to come from Stansted or Bournemouth or Luton.

As to the cabin crew.....take it up with your favourite Irishman MOL.

[al446]

I do know what OP means, I have vowed never to fly CryingAir again. came back from Murcia to LPL with them. Couldn't understand a thing being said in announcements, girl at check in looked most put out when my bag weighed 15.0 kg exactly. When we booked we decided that we could with just 1 bag but wife could not check in online (this was booked before they charged for on line book in) so bit the bullet and paid for check in desk. Lo and behold, we were charged for two bags but only credited with one. Not worth the effort to reclaim and would have cost more in phone calls.
EZY or Jet2 next time. And never again FR. And I know what is meant by the smiling CC, must of them were chewing wasps or sucking lemons.

[Avman]

If you choose to fly that joke of an airline, Ryanair, you have absolutely no right whatsoever to criticise them. They pretend to be Europe's equivalent of the USA's Southwest Airlines. As one who has flown SWA frequently, I can testify that there is nothing further from the truth. SWA provide a smile and a good, respectful service to its clients from a team of happy employees who are in turn treated with respect by their employer. I've said it before and I'll say it again, Ryanair are a disgrace to the industry.

Ducking for incoming scuds from the pro RYR lobby.

[Seat62K]

I'm about to book some trips away for later in the year. Ryanair and easyJet prices are similar and my preference is to fly Ryanair. I'll be booking easyJet, though, and for one reason only: I'll be away for more than a fortnight so would not be able to check in online for both flights before leaving home if I choose Ryanair.

Come on, Ryanair. Why can't passengers check in online earlier?

[Dit]

1) The flight was delayed by an hour as the techlog needed to be signed off by an engineer. Fair enough but where did he find the traffic jam that allegedly delayed him for so long?you would've thought they'd have woken the fella up beforehand so he could miss the Cork rush hour at 13.00The part will almost certainly have been changed at Cork as it is a base, whereas Gatwick is not. It may have been a simple case of the part being changed overnight and the engineer forgetting to sign it off, then on the first flight of the day the crew notice the missing signature and know they can't go without it. I believe the engineers at Shannon are now covering the Cork base as well, so he may well have had to drive all the across from Ennis...

2) Were all the cabin crew having a miserable day or have they been told that they have to pay a pound to smile. I often wonder why people don't give the crew some benefit of the doubt. The work damn hard and in this instance have picked up an hour delay before they've even got going, with the real possibility of picking up more at Gatwick due to arriving late. They may well have been thinking about the possibility of the day becoming a 14 hour shift, missing out on any plans they had made for the evening etc. Granted, a smile and a good attitude go a long way, and are sometimes missing from some of our crew, but there’s up to 189 of you and only of them. If you have all run out of patience, imagine how rapidly they'll run out of it looking after nearly 50 impatient people each!
5) Finally, is Ryanairski an airline or an advertising company that flies around Europe at .8M? The incessant announcements for mobile phone networks, lotto scratchcards, car hire, discount hotels is almost enough to make you buy their light and fruity cabernet sauvignon. Come on, you've paid £20 for a ticket to go about 620km, of which over £10 will go to the Irish government due to taxes! How do you think we make any money?

[Dit]

I've no problem with using FR as it's cheap... Generally [ryanair's] pretty reliableAnother pilot once summed up FR to me; We get you from A to B on time (something like over 95% of our flights are on time) and without losing your bags... Thats not bad service for £20 in my opinion.

[ladylily63]

We have just returned from our second flight with Ryanair EMA-ALC) and as with our first flight we could find no fault with the service. The crew were friendly and efficient and our flights were on schedule. We will continue to fly with them whilst they provide this service at such a low cost. This time we chose to take hand luggage only which caused no problems, I was told to put my (very) small handbag in my suitcase at the gate on our outbound journey which is fair enough as rules are rules. However on our return at Alicante nothing was mentioned!

We did not opt for priority boarding but ended up being bused to the aircraft with the priority boarders which would have needled me slightly if I had payed for this.

However all in all excellent service, we have flown with numerous airlines and we have nothing but praise for Ryanair. Maybe we have just been lucky? ;)

[Michael SWS]

As with most airlines, the vast majority of passengers with Ryanair experience no problems, and get excellent value for money. It's when things go wrong that Ryanair can - and frequently does - leave you high and dry.

Many people accept this as a risk they take to get exceptionally low fares; other (myself included) choose to pay a little more - and sometimes it is only a little more - to travel with a carrier that we know will look after us if a flight is cancelled or delayed. Call it an additional insurance policy, if you wish.

And I would certainly never wish to be in the hands of a giggling, unprepared Ryanair crew if there were a real emergency. How much is your life - and those of your children - worth?

[Seat62K]

"ladylily63",

No, you haven't simply been lucky. I have flown Ryanair around one hundred times and what you describe is pretty much par for the course.

However, I've yet to be seriously inconvenienced and might change my opinion of the airline were this to happen.

Remember that Ryanair has to stick to EU regulations in relation to delays/cancellations and compensation. I'd be interested to know of any instances where it has tried to wriggle out of these obligations. I always carry a printout of these regulations with me, just in case!

I've yet to be convinced that in an emergency my life would be in any more danger than if I was on another carrier. Cabin crew under stress finding it difficult to communicate in English in an emergency is a concern I have, but this is also true for travel on any airline based outside the English speaking world.

And, how likely is a genuine emergency? Since 1966 I have flown many hundreds of times and have only experienced one emergency. That turned out to be a false alarm.

[P.S. Yes, the ground staff at Alicante seem to take a relaxed attitude towards the carry-on regulations. Last time I flew it was a case of "We'll allow it this time but don't do it again".]

[ladylily63]

I agree that if a situation were to arise that greatly inconvenienced me then I may change my view on Ryanair. However, I just speak as I find and as I have said had no problems so far.

I do not think that they would be any more or less capable in the event of an emergency than some other airlines. I admit that I often take a look around at the crew and wonder how they would handle an emergency and whether I have any faith in them. However, this applies to other airlines as well and there are all kinds of factors to consider even though the cabin crew have all undertaken the same training; there are surely going to be inevitable variations in coping strategies, ie personality differences,sex, and language barriers for example.

However I do not feel I am putting my childrens' lives in danger by choosing a low cost carrier. I ensure I listen to the safety demonstration every time I fly and take note of where the exits are so that in the event of an emergency I would not be totally reliant on crew.

[Seat62K]

Good to see the "week view" of fares has returned to the booking process. And there I was thinking that the airline had removed it to make it more difficult for us to find the bargains!

My Ryanair flights continue uneventfully. Ontime or early departures and arrivals, clean aircraft, good cabin crew etc. etc. (not to mention wonderful fares).

Something worthy of note: yesterday, whilst waiting to deplane, I was chatting to the flight attendant who said that he loves working for Ryanair. When I tried a "Yes, but..." type of question, he said that he has no criticisms at all of his employer.

I noticed that the wording used during the safety demonstration has changed subtly and did I imagine that the "hard sell" PA announcements have been toned down?

[AdamC]

I noticed that the wording used during the safety demonstration has changed subtly and did I imagine that the "hard sell" PA announcements have been toned down?

The safety demo does appear to have been reworded, with little or no extra words added! - The old PA was fine, so I've no idea why they changed that.

The hard sell PA announcements have also been changed, with the same voice as the safety demo PA - However, it's just as loud and annoying.

[OFSO]

"Doctors boarded flights at Gatwick and Heathrow to examine passengers for swine flu" - today's media.

Now here's another one for MoL. Like the railway platform tickets of old - which entitled you to step on the platform but not go anywhere on a train - Ryanair can start selling tickets - a pound each sounds reasonable - for non-travellers such as doctors, tearful spouses bidding loved one's farewell, creditors, lawyers, double-glazing salesmen etc. to enter the plane but not actually go anywhere with it. A sure fire success !

[OFSO]

al446 wrote on another thread:

Quite simple, AVOID RYANAIR.

For a stupid remark, that takes the biscuit.

We must fly monthly between GRN and London. I draw your attention to the words "must" and "GRN" and "London".

What do you suggest we do, start our own GRN-based airline as the only alternative to FR ?

Added May 5th - just booked return flight GRN - Gatwick in June, under €60 with all charges. If any other airline can do a flight at that price, and fly from Girona, I'll go with 'em. Until then, Ryanair gets my cash. And thanks.

[OFSO]

I've made a booking for my wife and myself with Ryanair for the end of this month - that's two people, return tickets - but it is possible that due to family problems my wife will have to stay at home.

I shall still be going.

It's too much hassle and too expensive to change the booking, so I wonder, if I turn up on my own but with the booking for two, will I still be allowed on ? Anyone else done this ?

R

[PAXboy]

It's too much hassle and too expensive to change the booking, so I wonder, if I turn up on my own but with the booking for two, will I still be allowed on?
You will be allowed on because you have two single bookings. It is generally agreed that it is NOT worth the time and partial refund to cancel.

All the information is in here.
http://www.pprune.org/passengers-slf-self-loading-freight/345056-ryanair-questions-comments-bouquets-brickbats-merged.html

[OFSO]

WRONG ! I have just looked thru all 192 postings on the Ryanair thread and my question is NOT answered there.

Ryanair's own site has no answer either under FAQ's and directs one to call the local booking office. They couldn't tell me !

[Seat62K]

I have travelled Ryanair without someone else who was on the same booking and had no problem whatsoever. I checked in online and didn't see any Ryanair staff until boarding so I can't comment on whether the same is true for those who don't. I can't imagine it would be any different, though.

[apaddyinuk]

WRONG ! I have just looked thru all 192 postings on the Ryanair thread and my question is NOT answered there.
!

God man, Paxboy was only trying to be helpful....no need for such a reaction. A thank you would have been more appropriate! :ugh:

[OFSO]

I don't like the implication that I hadn't tried to find the answer before posting. There are enough time-wasters on SLF who can't be bothered to read what's gone before. Thanks to Seat62K who did answer my question.

R

[SeenItAll]

Please have pity on a poor Yank who has never flown on a European low fare airline. I was investigating the price of a one-way trip on Ryanair from Santiago de Compostela, Spain to Barcelona. The FR website quotes the fare as 0.99 euro, plus 19.75 euro in taxes and fees -- totalling a very inexpensive 20.74 euro.

But then the web site suggests there may be supplemental fees according to the following schedule (I've only included the possibly relevant ones):

Online Check-In* €5
Payment Handling Fee - Per passenger/ Per One Way Flight €5
Airport Check-In Fee - Per passenger/ Per One Way Flight €10
Priority Boarding Fee* - Per passenger/ Per One Way Flight €3
Checked Baggage Fees* - (Each passenger is permitted to check-in up to 3 bags with a maximum combined weight of 15kgs)
1st Bag – Per bag/ Per One Way Flight €10
2nd & 3rd Bag – Per bag/ Per One Way Flight €20
Excess Baggage Fee - Per Kilo €15
Flight Change Fees* - Per Passenger/ Per One Way Flight €25

While I understand the baggage fees, is there really extra charges to pay for your ticket and check in for your flight? These scarcely seem to be optional. What extra fees does one typically pay in addition to the teaser rate of 0.99 euro and the obligatory taxes? Are there any well-known tactics for evading these extra fees? Thanks much.

[plasticAF]

Yes

Don't fly with Ryanair:uhoh:, try the local scheduled carrier, might be cheaper.
Either way enjoy yourself

Plasticaf

[Michael SWS]

Unless you fly to a place that Ryanair wants you to fly to, on a day they want you to fly there, at a time of their choosing, book the ticket during a specific period, pay with a plastic card that they choose and carry no luggage then you'll find that a full-service carrier is very often cheaper than Ryanair. And you'll pay only £2.20 to get to Heathrow (from central London) rather than £25 to get to Stansted, and will arrive at an airport that is actually in or near the city you wish to go to. And have a generally more pleasant experience.

But the fact that millions of people choose to fly with Ryanair means that the better airlines have to keep their fares down to compete, so I for one would like to see more people fly with them. Just as long as I don't have to. ;)

[PAXboy]

The RyanAir website is complicated but all charges can be worked out. You may find it best to make a dummy run - enter all the data up to the moment of paying and money and then see what the cost is going to be.

Their fees for 'handling' your payment via credit card are steep but that's only because the fare is '1 Euro' and they have to make their money somewhere. If you have a bag to check in then book it at the same time as the flight ticket. You can check in on line, you just have to read all the small print before you start.

There is a long (merged) thread in this forum: http://www.pprune.org/passengers-slf-self-loading-freight/345056-ryanair-questions-comments-bouquets-brickbats-merged.html
and in the Airlines, Airports & Routes forum: http://www.pprune.org/airlines-airports-routes/274500-ryanair-6-a.html

Plan carefully and it will work but, of course, consider all carriers on a route.

[AircraftOperations]

Do Ryanair operate to Barcelona or Girona?

If you want to get to Barcelona city from Girona Airport, there is a bit of extra travel and cost compared to flying directly into BCN.

Without too much luggage and assuming you check-in online, you are looking at an additional €50-€60 on top of flight cost and taxes.

Bear this in mind.... still porbably cheaper than a scheduled flight into BCN, but you have to weigh up the low-cost issues should your flight not be able to operate.

[Final 3 Greens]

Using an Oyster card, off peak, the tube fare is GBP2.20.

At peak times, it rises to an outrageous GBP3.80 :E

[raffele]

Using an Oyster card, off peak, the tube fare is GBP2.20.

At peak times, it rises to an outrageous GBP3.80

Outrageous indeed, but using Oyster is a bargain compared to a standard cash fare!

[Final 3 Greens]

raffele

I was being sarcastic and thinking of the £3,80 versus £25 to go on the Thomas the Tank Engine type experience that is the Stansted Express.

[Seat62K]

I do not think that Visa Electron cards are available in the USA. For this reason, the OP would probably have to pay a booking fee. All the other charges, though, can, in principle, be avoided. The airport check-in fee only applies if you do not opt for "online check-in/0 bags".

Spanish domestic fares have been notoriously expensive so I doubt whether a better deal could be obtained elsewhere. (Having said that, though, I have seen Iberia offer what are, for them, extremely low fares for selected flights on routes which they share with Ryanair.)

I'd like to emphasise what a previous poster contributed: despite what ryanair.com may say, the airline does not fly to Barcelona, a fact that might not be well-known in the US.

[raffele]

You are correct Seat62K - the US is one of the few countries where you can't get an Electron Card

Visa Electron - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_Electron)

It's not all that frequent in the UK mind - there's only 3 or 4 banks that offer the card.

Final3Greens - don't worry, I spotted your sarcasm. I was thinking of the £16 one way cost for Heathrow Express compared with the more respectable £6 odd Connect single, or of course, the much cheaper Tube fare...

But back to the topic in hand - do your research, and if you do decide to go for Ryanair, make sure you don't fall into the trap of inadvertently buying their travel insurance...

[Michael SWS]

There are other airlines that fly between Santiago de Compostela and Barcelona. Try Vueling and Clickair (Spanish low-cost airlines), whose fares start at €35 one-way. I've never flown with them, nor do I know anyone who has, but I doubt they can be any more dispiriting to fly with than Ryanair.

(Sorry... I misread the original post and thought you were trying to get to either Santiago de Compostela or Barcelona from London)

[Junejulyaugust]

I have the same problem as you had in January. I booked Fez to Girona, unknowingly clicking online check in. Did they end you charging you high fees for airport check in? Also does anyone know how I can switch to airport check-in online? there is no option in manage my booking. Apparently I will be charged 40 euros just to check in. Has this happened to anyone else? Is this strictly inforced? I am frustrated, seeing as it allowed me to choose an impossible option.

It has been quite a while since I have flown ryanair (living in Canada) and I do not remember all of these fees or this stress.
I am feeling very ambivalent already.

[raffele]

Was just watching Working Lunch on BBC Two - Ryanair's controversial move to get rid of airport check in will be applied to new bookings made from next Wednesday apparently.

Nothing new there - we've known it's coming since late February. However, there are suggestions regards to what they will do with the self service check in kiosks when they become redundant. The current suggestion is they'll be changed into boarding pass print stations, for those who've forgotten their passes - for a small fee of course, of £40 per passenger... :eek:

The item can be found here: BBC iPlayer - Working Lunch: 13/05/2009 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00kks5l/Working_Lunch_13_05_2009/) when it's been uploaded (UK residents only) - about 10 mins in if I remember rightly

[Avman]

All these draconian add-on charges is fast making travelling by air with RYR a complete farce. Some of their latest policies, such as charging for airport check-in, are bordering on the ridiculous. How long before even the most gullible punters begin to smell the coffee and seek alternatives?

[PAXboy]

Very few. We are in the worst global recession since the Depression and those who want to fly will use anything they can get their hands on. FR have rewritten the rules and made much money as a result. Just because some of us remember how it used to , and had got used to that, does not mean it was sustainable or anything at all.

Not having a go at you, Avman, just playing Devil's advocate on behalf of a company that I hugely admire and try not to travel on.

[S78]

From RYR's website:

Accordingly, Ryanair will remove its £10/€10 airport check-in fee and introduce a £5/€5 online check-in fee per person, per flight, on new bookings, other than promotional fares (fares of “Free”, “€1” and “€5” will include web check-in on a free of charge basis), while a €40/£40 ‘boarding card re-issue fee’ will be introduced to encourage all passengers to arrive at the airport with their pre-printed web check-in boarding card.


If I read this correctly, they're going to charge me £5.00 to check in using my own PC, paper and print cartridge:mad:


S78

[PAXboy]

On the FR a/c are all the toilets at the back? Or do they also have some at the front? Cheers.

[M.Mouse]

You say:From May 20th you will no longer be able to check in online for a Ryanair flight,
then continue:... it will cost you €5 for the privelege(sic) of doing this...

Which is it?

[Nearly There]

I think he means you can no longer check in for free on line.

Ryanair Moves to Web Check-In Only

ON ALL NEW BOOKINGS
PASSENGERS WITH INFANTS CAN NOW CHECK-IN ONLINE

Ryanair, Europe’s largest low fares airline, today (13 May 09) confirmed that from Wednesday next (20th May) all new passenger bookings, including those travelling with infants and checked in bags, will move to online check-in and ‘bag-drop’ only as Ryanair phases out the use airport of check-in desks from its 146 airports by 1st October next.

From Wednesday Ryanair will no longer accept bookings for unaccompanied minors (under 16 years old) while all new bookings will require passengers (including infants and domestic flight passengers) to hold a valid passport or valid national identity card.

Accordingly, Ryanair will remove its £10/€10 airport check-in fee and introduce a £5/€5 online check-in fee per person, per flight, on new bookings, other than promotional fares (fares of “Free”, “€1” and “€5” will include web check-in on a free of charge basis), while a €40/£40 ‘boarding card re-issue fee’ will be introduced to encourage all passengers to arrive at the airport with their pre-printed web check-in boarding card.

Ryanair’s Stephen McNamara said:

“Passengers travelling without checked in bags have already embraced our online check-in service and the extension of this service to all passengers, including those with hold luggage and those travelling with infants will allow all passengers to forever avoid check-in queues. This will also allow Ryanair to lower our airport and handling costs and pass these savings to all passengers in the form of even lower air fares next winter.

“Ryanair’s web check-in service allows passenger to check-in from 15 days to 4 hours before, and print, or re-print, their boarding card up to 40 minutes prior to their scheduled departure time. Web check-in can be accessed via ryanair.com using booking confirmation numbers or flight details”.

[llondel]

Good business opportunity here - set up a stall near the Ryanair checkin with a computer, 3G modem for internet link and a printer and charge people €10 to print their boarding pass. It's cheaper than MOL is asking, and provided you're nice to the airport management and give them a cut, you might not get moved on.

[ManofMan]

Accordingly, Ryanair will remove its £10/€10 airport check-in fee and introduce a £5/€5 online check-in fee per person, per flight, on new bookings, other than promotional fares (fares of “Free”, “€1” and “€5” will include web check-in on a free of charge basis), while a €40/£40 ‘boarding card re-issue fee’ will be introduced to encourage all passengers to arrive at the airport with their pre-printed web check-in boarding card.

The cheek of it......not....

If people dont want to fly with them then dont !!!!! people have had it so good lately they forget what air travel used to cost !!!

[quazz]

So they started to charge 10 pounds/euros to check in at the airport to encourage people to check in online, and now wherever you check in you are going to get charged?
Honestly what is the point of this charge? Why not just add it to the cost of the ticket? I don't think anyone is fooled by the 'fly for 1 pence' gimmick anymore so you might as well just pay for everything upfront

[Doors to Automatic]

Do I understand correctly that unlike other "frills" such as priority boarding and checked-luggage this fee is unavoidable?

In other words everyone has to pay it?

In which case why not just add it to the fare? It seems to be becoming obvious that Ryanair's "low Fares" are unsustainable.

[Avman]

ManofMan, as someone aptly noted somewhere else, "RYR are charging me 5 quid for the use of my PC, my paper and my ink"!

Perhaps each pax should send MOL a bill.

[Whiskey Papa]

ASFKAP Apparently this company will fly 68 million passengers this year yet I don't know a single person who would ever dream of flying with them as a passenger

It's simple really, I've just booked with Ryanair to fly to Perpignan. Total price £52.99 return, inclusive. I could go on the same dates with Fly-be, total price £287.17; or EasyJet, £107.88 (To Barcelona, with 2 hour car journey to Perp). Even if I pay £10.00 to print my own boarding ticket, it's still a no brainer!

Don't get me wrong, O'Leary's charges pi$$ me off as well, but I, and many others, cannot afford the luxury of saying "I'll fly with another carrier."

WP

[757_Driver]

Good business opportunity here - set up a stall near the Ryanair checkin with a computer, 3G modem for internet link and a printer and charge people €10 to print their boarding pass. It's cheaper than MOL is asking, and provided you're nice to the airport management and give them a cut, you might not get moved on. Love it!

Funily enough I had a similar idea along the lines of selling 50 quid old bangers for 500 quid outside of a car dealers, so people could reclaim the 2 grand government scrappage bonus!

I cannot beleive that this shoddy airline will be around in its current form for much longer.

I also firmly beleive that the EU should clamp down on this sort of dodgy marketing.
Any 'fees' that are not optional should be forced to be advertised in the headline price.
i don't mind e.g thomas cook wanting to charge me 10 quid for a meal - because I can choose not to have it, but you cannot choose not to check in, not to pay etc etc on ryanair. A 20 quid ticket turns into 100 quid and none of those extras are optional.
They are not the only people who do this - i also get fed up with ticketmaster charging me 60 quid for a 45 ticket.
Surely if something is advertised at a given price you should have the option of actually paying that price, sure if you want extras you can have them, but if you don't then you should be able to pay the advertised price. The car industry were forced to do that a decade ago - why not this horrible little company?

[PENKO]

I still don't get it. What's next, a £5 surcharge if you actually show up for the flight?

[M.Mouse]

I have just booked a ticket with Flybe. The headline price after a search on the internet was one figure then all the add ons started:

Select a seat - £7 or £15 for one with more leg room
Hold baggage - £7
Credit card fee - £3.50
Booking charge!!! - £2 (like theatre tickets you cannot avoid paying for the privilege of buying a ticket therefore it ought to be inclusive).

Eventually yet more legislation will be introduced to stop the circus. I do not argue that the fees aren't necessary to cover costs but it ought to be all inclusive.

[Sober Lark]

Ryanair seem to be in danger of only appealing to those travelling off peak, short duration and no bags. Surely they are taking a gamble in hoping they are not pricing others off travelling and slow growth. Much as I'm a supporter, we could be seeing the seeds being sown for a second place finisher here?

[captjns]

But hey... no fuel surcharge:ok::}:E

[Dit]

One front, two back...

[Otterman]

The consumer has chosen, and made Ryanair as big as it has gotten. If Ryanair manages to unseat a legacy carrier on a route, the price will be at the same level or higher than they were when it was just the legacy carrier. It is capitalism in its purest form. All the low cost stuff is just “el toro pooh-pooh”. It is just the price of entry.

If you can’t be fair about the ticket price, we will just nickel and dime them to death.

[silverelise]

Booking charge!!! - £2 (like theatre tickets you cannot avoid paying for the privilege of buying a ticket therefore it ought to be inclusive).
With a theatre you at least have the opportunity to turn up in person at the box office and buy a ticket and avoid the booking charge.

[Mikehotel152]

Good business opportunity here - set up a stall near the Ryanair checkin with a computer, 3G modem for internet link and a printer and charge people €10 to print their boarding pass.

Although a tongue-in-cheek suggestion, sadly it won't work. As we discovered in December, you have to print off the boarding pass at the moment you make the booking. Unlike other airlines, you can't come back later, access your booking, and print off the boarding pass the night before you head off or at the airport.

Or so it was for us.

I had made the booking on a computer which wasn't linked to a printer. When I later wanted to print off the boarding pass I couldn't access the particular webpage containing the printable boarding pass. This meant that having access to a computer and printer didn't help and we were forced to pay for normal check-in despite having no bags! :mad: Perhaps things will change with the new system, but somehow I doubt it...

[prettygrumman]

The next scam might go something like this-upon boarding a ryr flight all the window blinds will be in the down position. Under the blind will be a coin operated slot machine, whereby the introduction of a £2 coin will allow you to open the said blind. I flew ryr once to Italy many years ago. The departure allowance was 20kgs for baggage, but whilst on holiday they reduced the allowance to 15kgs and I had to cough up approx £70. Fly with ryr? Never again

[Based]

Unlike other airlines, you can't come back later, access your booking, and print off the boarding pass the night before you head off or at the airport.

Of course you can and it's the way it's always been with their online check-in facility. User error to blame here I'm afraid.

[skyloone]

Reference the above and printing at time of booking... I know many who sit on the laptop in a coffee shop, office, airport etc... book, then print out later. If this were to be closed off as an option I'd agree a complete own goal... but the wording does say "re-print up to 40mins before departure".

“Ryanair’s web check-in service allows passenger to check-in from 15 days to 4 hours before, and print, or re-print, their boarding card up to 40 minutes prior to their scheduled departure time. Web check-in can be accessed via ryanair.com using booking confirmation numbers or flight details”.

[Whiskey Papa]

Sorry Mikehotel152; you're wrong, I do that all the time.

WP

[racedo]

Although a tongue-in-cheek suggestion, sadly it won't work. As we discovered in December, you have to print off the boarding pass at the moment you make the booking. Unlike other airlines, you can't come back later, access your booking, and print off the boarding pass the night before you head off or at the airport.

Or so it was for us.

Think it must have been as can only check in 15 days beforehand.


I had made the booking on a computer which wasn't linked to a printer. When I later wanted to print off the boarding pass I couldn't access the particular webpage containing the printable boarding pass. This meant that having access to a computer and printer didn't help and we were forced to pay for normal check-in despite having no bags! http://static.pprune.org/images/smilies/censored.gif Perhaps things will change with the new system, but somehow I doubt it...

I'm figuring you went back to the original page and tried to load the page and print from there.
What you were able to do is go onto the Ryanair website and check in and print boarding pass from there.

[racedo]

Of course you can and it's the way it's always been with their online check-in facility. User error to blame here I'm afraid.

As an IT engineer claimed PICNIC was responsible for 80% of his call outs.....Problem In Chair Not In Computer.

[raffele]

I mentioned this in this forum: http://www.pprune.org/passengers-slf-self-loading-freight/345056-ryanair-questions-comments-bouquets-brickbats-merged-10.html#post4924005 yesterday after watching an article yesterday lunchtime on BBC Two's Working Lunch.

From Wednesday (20th May), all new bookings made will have to check in online. No alternative. And yes, I believe Ryanair are going to charge £5/€5 for the privilege of performing this non-optional task.

When the check in desks and kiosks get shut down, Ryanair is planning on using the self service kiosks to offer a reprint service - yes, at a cost of £40/€40 per boarding card

[World of Tweed]

Ladies and Geekymen,

Who is to blame for failures in this self-check-in system; whether its the user or the computer etc... its not really relevant is it?

The fact is that Ryanair is really taking the biscuit with these charges. Its 'fare' now only represents a small percentage of the monetary value that is exchanged in the process of flying on their(or the banks) aircraft. Much of the charges are unavoidable and personally where there is a choice and where the difference in fare is £30 - I'll NEVER chose Ryanair. Because in my experience that is pretty much what you end up having to add to your ticket anyway for bags, check-in and now online checkin.

Roll on the charging for the loo....

A slippery slope leads us to damnation..... with MOL collecting his five euro on the way down.

Where you have a viable choice - please exercise it.

[starling60]

With the removal of check in desks, who /how will produce hold luggage tags? :confused:

[Mikehotel152]

Well, judging by the helpful comments in response to my post I can only hold up my hands and admit it must have been my fault. :uhoh:

I should add that I'm actually not daft and pretty good with computers, but I simply couldn't find a way of printing off my boarding pass. I've had no trouble with BA, whose system seems more straight forward.

[latetonite]

I still think a customer has the right to know how much he will be charged, in plain language, before he buys a ticket with any airline. Apparently everybody pays more at the end of the day for his trip, which I call a scam.

[Whiskey Papa]

Luggage Tags? Print them off yourself! Only £5.00 or two for £12.00!

[starling60]

Very good one! Right up MOL street :ok:

Self printed paper tags........can you imagine the amount of lost-stranded luggage? T5 will have been a dream in comparison

Seriously, does anyone know how this will work?

[abzandy]

Check in desks will probably become fast bag drops. Which if they are anything like BA you will have to queue for just as long as you did for check-in:ugh:

[paull]

Mikehotel152

Google cutepdf writer. Install the program. When you print you select the "cutepdf" printer and it then prints to a file. You can then print at will later, or forward it by email if you are booking for someone else.

[Ex-RN]

Cant be done. FR told Boeing they didnt want blinds fitted - at the same time that they dispensed with reclining seats

[MD11Engineer]

Just to clear the whole thing up a bit:
At the airport I work on FR has replaced the traditional check-in desks (except AFIAK for those for non-Schengen or non-EU flights due to the requirement of checking the visas for non-EU citizens) with checkin computer terminals.
If you chose airport checkin you'll got there with your iternerary and your credit card (which you will need for identification purposes). You'll insert your credit card and enter your details (booking number, name etc.). Then the machine will print out a boarding pass. Now, if you have hold luggage, you'll proceed to a luggage drop-off desk (one of the old checkin desks), where some airport employee will take your luggage and tag it, putting a luggage sticker on your boarding pass.
BTW, there is an internet cafe located on the balcony level of the terminal. There you can reprint your boarding pass for as little as 50 Euro cents.

[MD11Engineer]

All FR aircraft HAVE window blinds from factory. Only if they get damaged, they don't need to be replaced.

[Mikehotel152]

cheers Paul :ok:

[bia botal]

Good business opportunity here - set up a stall near the Ryanair checkin with a computer, 3G modem for internet link and a printer and charge people €10 to print their boarding pass. It's cheaper than MOL is asking, and provided you're nice to the airport management and give them a cut, you might not get moved on.

only problem is that at places like say dublin, the airport will charge you Euro 65000 P.A. for a desk, which is one of the reasons ryr want rid of them.

Check in desks will probably become fast bag drops.

correct abzany, however word is that ryr are about to "declear war on hold baggage" in a attempt to reduce the number of ground personal needed thus reducing there own cost and giving them leverage when dealing with other airports.

And no more worring about making it to "check in" on time, ie. turning up 2 hours before the fight to get in a queue. Just show up at the gate in time to board. Honestly i don't see the problem.

[ManofMan]

I have just found a way round this.........

Taking into account the £ 5.00 each way online check-inn fee, at the moment book to fly Manchester to Brussels for £ 16.00 return, However should i not want to pay this £ 5.00 i can book on Flybe for £ 137.99 that way I avoid this crazy £ 5 charge.

Problem Solved.

[Whiskey Papa]

Brilliant, ManofMan, you've just succinctly expressed what I said in post 9! Well done!

OK, Ryanair bashers, respond to that!

WP

[davidjohnson6]

OK, Ryanair bashers, respond to that!

WhiskeyPapa - I've done a post in a separate thread which I think responds to your challenge

http://www.pprune.org/airlines-airports-routes/274500-ryanair-6-a-220.html#post4926375