Flying with Ryanair; as bad as they say?

[figflair]

I'm going to have my first experience of flying with Ryanair and having heard so many horror stories about them over the years I'm worried I'm going to get stung for something extra, like having the wrong colour shoes or something.
My main concern is their limit on luggage you can take onboard. The maximum dimensions say that it can't be any any bigger than 55cm. My bag is just under that but including the wheels it's about a centimeter over the limit. Do they break ouit the tape at the gate or only if it looks too big?

[endo]

They often do, so be careful. If your bag is soft and you can push down the end you'll probably be OK, but increasingly often these days they'll get people to put their luggage in the box thing they have at the gate to check its size. Bear in mind it'll have to fit in terms of width and depth too.
For a zero frills airline, they're not that bad, but if you can accept it for what it is they represent decent value for short flights. I wouldn't fly with them for anything over an hour or two though. The constant sales pitch onboard can get irritating as well.

[figflair]

Thanks for all your help. Looks like I will have to take a different bag to be on the safe side.

[toythatkills]

You should fly with figflAir.

[/obvious]

[/not helpful]

[figflair]

LOL! Not helpful; but quality.

[EvilBoris]

I don't see what the problem is with Ryan air, they are cheap and if you want more luggage allowance you have to pay for it. Alternatively you can fly with another airline, pay a load more and get a bigger allowance.

Ive seen them let through bags that are blatantly bigger but refuse others that are only just over. It's pure fluke as to how good the staff is at adhering to policy.
Best bet is don't take any risks and measure and weigh your case before you leave home.

Don't bother paying for the priority passes, they are meaningless. More often than not I see people join the priority queu , and get onto a shuttle bus first. They are then wedged at the back of says bus as everyone gets off the bus to get on the plane!

Just make sure you are alert when you are waiting to find out what gate you are at and you'll get just as god results.

If you are boarding the plane via the stairs to the front and back doors, always go for the one that's furthest away. People usually go for the front one first , but people will faff around putting there bags in the overhead storage and slow down the queu.

The planes are basically like coaches, if you bear that in mind and prepare in advance then you'll be fine.

[charlesr]

I think if you are the sort of person that stands up and tries to exit the plane as soon as the plane has stopped (and then stand there for 5 minutes until they open the doors and then wait to get your bags at exactly the same time as everyone else, so why did you rush?), you might get confused. But if you are happy just to let people do their thing, then you will be fine.

[randombs]

I'm planning on going Spain next Friday so have been looking at Ryanair(as well as Monarch and some others). Going to just take hand luggage and I think their dimensions are 56x45x25cm which apparently was enforced by the DoT across all outbound UK flights. However, according to DirectGov:

"From 29 April 2010, the Department for Transport no longer sets a maximum size for items of hand baggage."

I'm going to stick to those limits, though, as I haven't seen any airline imposing any smaller size restrictions so at least I'd be safe regardless.

I might still go with Ryanair as a joke. What's the worst that can happen?



btw, anyone seen that Girls of Ryanair thing? Blimey

[Brad]

They pull tricks like this:

use your boarding pass, THEN they check and see you have an ounce more water than you're supposed to so you have to go back out to get rid of it but then you have no boarding pass so they make you buy a new printout. If you can play their system perfectly then you get cheap flights but make no mistake, the tickets are cheap because they manage to eek out extra cash from so many people using underhand tactics.

[baad bwoy]

don't think Ryan Air are particularly good value, would avoid if possible.

[Daragon]

Ryanair is the very meaning of "no frills"

You get what you pay for and no mistake.

[Anpanman]

BA have a value calculator;

http://www.britishairways.com/travel/value-calculator/public/en_gb?link=main_nav

RYR aren't my choice, if I were going low cost I'd fly EZY.

Oh and the Girls of Ryanair get topped by the Mexicana girls anyday (mexicana calendario 2011)

[megatron]

I paid ?2 for a return ticket to Milan. No complaints.

[NW2013]

I've only flown with them once and it wasn't too bad. The colour scheme inside the plane was eye-searingly bright and they try to flog you stuff the whole trip but apart from that it was ok.

[EvilBoris]

Smokeless cigarettes and scratchards anyone?