i am toying with the idea of taking a bike on Ryanair - has anyone done this?
Yes
Aye
Yes
On the plus side when they cancel your flight you will have some way of getting to your destination 😉
Its the Airport than handles the luggage not the flight operator, so it the same guy putting your bike onto a BA or Ryanair flight.
Just check the full cost as Ryanair dont really want to handle any luggage so it can be expensive with them, can cheaper with a flag carrier who may not charge extra
Thanks, want to bring it for a short Easter hop to Ireland, not going long enough for the car.
+1 Chew.
The airport crew are the ones who will smash your bike if anyone does and they’ll affect all carriers.
Definitely pay close attention to upcharges. BA often used to work out cheaper simply because while more money to begin with they didn’t charge extra for the bike in hold plus decent sized rucksac and smaller bag in the cabin.
As other people say, it's the baggage handlers which throw your bike off/on the plane not Easyjet, Ryanair, BA etc.
Recently I had a rear wheel destroyed on a flight from Alicante to the UK. They had obviously stacked a hundred and fifty people's 20kg suitcases on top of my bike box. That said, part of the Terms of Service is that the carrier accepts "custody" for your luggage from the point you drop it off to the point you collect it.
However good luck trying to get money back if they damage it. This can't be avoided when flying a bicycle so ensure you pack the bike well or 'invest' in a hardcase (not very practical). Sometimes I just bag my bike and in theory this means they cannot stack things on top of it and so the theory goes treat it with a little more respect as it is obviously a bicycle not just another cardboard box...
Kind of obvious that Michael O'Leary isn't responsible for bouncing your bike onto the tarmac, however he has a proven track record of shafting his staff and passengers. I would suggest the risks are more associated with overall inconvenience to you as a passenger. If you have no choice then ho-hum, if you have a choice then I'd advise spending your money elsewhere.
Didn't the delightful Mr o leary say something about all cyclists should be shot a while back so maybe he'd have special rules on how to handle bikes
