Ryanair is the airline that everyone loves to hate. Yet it prides itself on its low fares and is the largest airline in Europe. It is also the most punctual, has the fewest lost bags, has the newest, most environmentally-friendly planes, and has never had a fatal accident. Ryanair operates out of 22 Italian cities, with numerous internal Italian flights as well as flights from Italy to all major European countries.
The reason so many people refuse to fly with Ryanair is because they dislike or don’t understand the airline’s operating model. The threads about Ryanair on the online forums on Italy seldom fail to evoke heated negative responses, and the airline generally fares badly in consumer surveys. Ryanair doesn’t operate like a conventional airline and is fanatical about cutting costs, although not at the price of safety. Understand its operating model and there is no reason why you shouldn’t have a smooth flight which, in many cases, will cost considerably less than other airlines.
So how do you ensure a smooth flight?
- First and foremost, always play by Ryanair’s rules. Abandon all preconceptions on how airlines usually operate. Ryanair is not your conventional airline. To get a feel for how Ryanair runs, familiarise yourself with the Travel Questions section on the Ryanair website, particularly if any of your party have special needs.
- If you are well organised and book your flights early, you will benefit from low prices. If you are more spontaneous or flexible, watch out for special fares and promotions as they are often free of airport taxes, resulting in incredibly low prices.
- Ryanair will charge you for every extra. If you accept this in advance it is a lot less annoying. You will be charged to check-in, for adminstration fees, and almost always to use a charge card to pay. Outrageous, but consider it part of the overall cost of the ticket. If you want to check-in bags, sports equipment, a musical instrument or even an infant’s travel cot, expect to pay. If you are fussy about where you sit on the plane, be prepared to pay for priority boarding. If you want to avoid the expensive in-flight food, bring your own.
- Regular travellers can avoid the substantial credit/debit card fee by using Ryanair’s preferred charge card. Up until recently this was the Visa Electorn, now being dropped in favour of the MasterCard Prepaid Debit Card.
- You can’t check-in at the airport, it must be done online. Online check-in is available 15 days in advance, so if possible, print out the boarding cards for both your outward and your return flight before you leave. Alternatively, find an internet cafe at your destination to print out the boarding card for your return flight. If you turn up at the airport without a boarding card, expect to a pay a ridiculous amount to have it printed by Ryanair.
- Have all the correct documents with you. It sounds obvious, but without the confirmed reservation number and correct travel documents for all the passengers travelling in your party, including children and infants, you could be denied boarding.
- Ensure that you have enough time to check-in your bags, if you have any. The bag drop closes 40 minutes before each flight. Arrive late and not only will your bags not be accepted, but Ryanair could cancel your flight.
- Arrive at the departure gate with time to spare. Ryanair depends on an extremely quick 25 minute turnaround to keep its costs down. The airline is extremely strict and waits for no one. You will be denied boarding once the gate is closed. No amount of shouting or tears will change that.
- Stick to the rules for cabin baggage. Generally, one item of cabin baggage is all you are allowed, although some ground crew have been known to turn a blind eye to the odd handbag or shopping bag. If they think you are avoiding checking-in baggage and you have exceeded the allowance, at best you will be required to check-in your bag at an exorbitant fee, or at worst you will be denied boarding.
- Finally, if Ryanair reschedules your flight and puts you on another flight that does not suit you, call their customer service department. Of course you will be charged for the call, but the cost of the call could be considerably less than applying for a refund and then rebooking the flight yourself. Similarly, if you are unlucky enough to have your flight cancelled due to fog, for example, when you are already at the airport, avoid the long queues by phoning the customer service department direct to reorganise your flight.
Michael O’Leary, Ryanair’s chief executive, is frequently quoted on new ways to impose further charges. O’Leary believes that there is no such thing as bad publicity and is an expert at manipulating the press, so don’t believe everything he says!
Words by SC Parry, a freelance writer based in the UK & Italy. Copyright © 2010
