I have not flown with Ryanair for a while but may have to soon due to non availibilty of other options. What hidden charges etc do they currently have – for example it seems they charge for online check in, but do not give you option of airport check in. Is this true and what else should I be aware of?

You must check in online, otherwise its c.£70 if you forget.

They are very strict on baggage allowance, each kg over will cost you £20.

You can take it out and stuff it in your hand luggage though..stupid huh?

A cup of tea is about £3!! Take anything you want to eat or drink on the plane with you from the airside shops.

They are a bunch of total shisters, If I never have to fly with them again it’ll be too soon.

They are a bunch of total shisters,…….

Or they know exactly how to turn a profit in difficult times.

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/aug/16/ryanair-moan-glamour-air-travel

I avoid them whenever possible, but you do know what to expect when you use them.

Online check in may have solved this, but they used to be total a*ses at over booking flights.

Once turned up for a flight to Berlin in plenty of time, queue at check in desk. We’d been stood in the queue for a while which was moving, people in front of us/people behind. The check in lady just turned the sign off and walked off. We were told to go to customer services.
Went to customer services where we were told we were late for check in (about 30 of us all in different parties), the only option with Ryanair was to wait a day and fly out the next day.

We headed over to the Air Berlin desk, paid and flew out with them about 30 mins later. Just cost us a bit more and lost the money we paid Ryanair for the outward leg. Haven’t flown with them since.

Slightly off-topic, but someone told me there is a website you can buy Ryanair tickets without ever using the Ryanair site, thus avoiding all the popups requiring that you really really don’t want extra travel insurance and all the other pestilence they throw at you. Ring any bells?

geoffj – Member

They are a bunch of total shisters,…….

Or they know exactly how to turn a profit in difficult times.

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/aug/16/ryanair-moan-glamour-air-travel

I avoid them whenever possible, but you do know what to expect when you use them.

Nope, they’re still a bunch of shisters..who can turn a profit in difficult times. They’re general attitude, customer service and customer is wrong attitude makes them shisters.

They have a successful business model which relies on the fact that people will sacrifice service for cheaper up-front ticket prices.

They are plumbing the depths of how badly you can treat people before it starts impacting profits, and consistently find that enough people are willing to take it.

O’Leary’s a canny chap, and sure he’s got his fingers on the pulse. And take any opportunity to get in the papers should they decide to change anything.

I tend to fly BA and make every effort to get my money back through complimentary Gin.

Ryanair? I’d sooner stay at home.

EDIT: Try again

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAg0lUYHHFc[/video]

Friend of mine is a pilot, flying luxury private jets. He wanted to move back into bigger aircraft, and with a bigger airline for better job security, so he trained up for Ryanair.

He left after his first flight with them.

After he accepted a coffee from the air-hostess she demanded he paid for it. When he was trying to land! Wouldn’t get out of the cabin until he’d paid up. Turns out they charge all the staff the same for food/drinks as they do the customers, most of the pilots take a packed lunch and a bottle of water to avoid paying for it on the plane!

4 of us not long back from biking in Italian Alps. 3 of us with ‘budget’ airline, other with BA. Only one of us was delayed both ways and stung for bike bag being too heavy.

I love how people hold BA up as a shining light and beacon of air travel, makes me laugh!.

After he accepted a coffee from the air-hostess she demanded he paid for it. When he was trying to land! Wouldn’t get out of the cabin until he’d paid up. Turns out they charge all the staff the same for food/drinks as they do the customers, most of the pilots take a packed lunch and a bottle of water to avoid paying for it on the plane!

How very dare they!

Meanwhile, BA have been subsidised for years.

The problem wasn’t so much having to pay for the coffee, it was that the hostess didn’t seem to understand that she HAD to get out of the cabin as he was trying to land a plane full of passengers and he couldn’t concentrate with her pestering him for the money.

Their latest scam is when booking car rental through Hertz with them they ask that the car is returned with an empty tank and they charge you for a full tank however much fuel is left in!

Of course they will be charging top rate for the fuel (about 10p / litre more than supermarket price).

It was a damn site easier and cheaper returning a car with a full tank