Flying RyanAir and Not Losing Your Sanity (Or Your Money)

I just returned from my trip, and spent many hours waiting in the airport. I flew an unusual amount of RyanAir flights on this trip, and had 0 problems on any of them. The idea for this post came to me when I came to that realization. I wanted to share with you how I deal with this infamous company on a semi-regular basis. 

Lots of people hate on RyanAir. Just Google "RyanAir horror stories" and you'll be hit with a plethora of tales from overcharges to being deserted at a random airport. There's even a website dedicated  to warning travelers of the potential risks they incur should they chose to fly RyanAir. 

However, I've flown on countless RyanAir flights in the past 5 years, and have had minimal problem. Yes, I prefer to fly other discount carriers such as Easy Jet or Vueling, and will when possible, but sometimes RyanAir are the only budget carrier that will take me to a certain place. 

Over the years, I've learned that dealing with RyanAir comes down to one simple principle:

Pay attention to the details

I have heard many friends claim how they've been "suckered" into paying for printing their boarding pass, into paying for an extra bag, or missing flights altogether because they skipped the visa check, which is mandatory if you're not an EU citizen.  I have a hard time feeling sympathy for them, however, because if you read the fine print, you'll find they address every single one of these issues, and nothing should be a surprise. 

Let me break it down for you:

"Surprise" #1: Paying an "administrative" fee for using a credit card to pay for your ticket

Of all of RyanAir's practices, this one irks me the most. No matter if it's you paying for your own ticket, or buying for a group of friends, they'll charge you a 6 euro administrative fee for each ticket for not using their "RyanAir" credit card. As long as you factor that in to the 12 euro flight, there will be no surprises. 

"Surprise" #2 Printing out your boarding pass

Budget airlines do weird things to cut costs. One of the strategies RyanAir employs in charging you 40 euro should you not print off your boarding pass before arriving to the airport. Even if you do online check in, even if you're backpacking around rural Albania, find an internet cafe and print that pass out. You'll save yourself a lot of money and grief. 

"Surprise" #3 Visa/Passport check

If you're not an EU citizen, make sure you get your boarding pass stamped at the visa check station. Sometimes it's in the same place as the check-in counter, but sometimes they put it in really weird locations. Make sure you ask when you get to the airport. This is a huge thing to mess up, because they will make you go back out through security or not let you on the plane if you don't get your boarding pass stamped. Even though it's written in huge letters on your boarding pass, I commonly hear travelers complain bitterly about how RyanAir "made" them miss the flight, when they should have just read the fine print to begin with. 

"Surprise" #4 Baggage restrictions

RyanAir have some of the strictest baggage restriction in the business, so anything you've experienced with other carriers probably isn't going to fly. You get one bag. That's it. No purse, no laptop bag, no duty-free goodies, nothing. Make sure you leave room for any purchases or your purse, because they will make you stuff it in, or you'll have to check it. Now, said bag can only weigh 10 kilos. They will weigh it, and make you put it in the baggage check apparatus. The only time they haven't scoped out my bag has been when the flight has been undersold, but how can you know that ahead of time? My advice? Try and find a bag that doesn't have an external frame or hard exterior. They're less likely to make you weigh or try and stuff it in the test compartment if it looks like it can squish. Another tip: if asked to try and fit your luggage in the test compartment, pack your big stuff in the bottom and flip it upside down. Works like a charm. 

"Surprise" #5 Airport location

Finally! You've scored an amazing deal to Vienna. You can't wait to get off the plane and head to check out that Viennese architecture, have a coffee, and explore the...wait. You're not in Vienna. You're not even in Austria. You're in Bratislava, Slovakia, and RyanAir wants you to pay them to take a bus, which will take over an hour, to the city center. This is one of the ways RyanAir keeps their prices low. They fly you into airports outside the city center, and require you to purchase a bus ticket to get to the center. If you're flying into Paris, you're actually flying into Beauvais. Going to Barcelona? You'll be in Girona. Make sure you factor the cost (anywhere from 5-13 euro for one-way, and you're probably going to need a return) and the time it takes to get to your destination before you click purchase. It might be cheaper or easier to use a different airline, especially if you don't have much time in your destination. 

I'm not going to address claims people have made about RyanAir being unsafe, the pilots being untrained, etc, because I can't comment on the validity of those comments. I haven't noticed any difference in my flight quality with RyanAir than other airlines, so I'll stay away from that topic. 

This guide is intended to help you figure out how RyanAir works so you can have a smooth, stress-free trip with them, and to point out common mistakes travelers make when flying with RyanAir, and how to avoid problems on your end. 

Just make sure you read the fine print.

Originally posted 6.21.12