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Is Ryanair worth flying? Our experience, pros and cons

Ryanair plane
Ryanair plane

Ryanair is possibly the air Line most controversial today.

I have had occasion to fly with Ryanair on numerous occasions over the years, the last time I used this being recent. low cost airline, when I flew from Berlin a Stockholm, and from here to Madrid.

Therefore, I have experience in this regard, especially considering that, mainly for professional reasons, he has flown with many different companies in recent years.

 
 

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And the truth is that not everyone has had the opportunity to fly with Ryanair, and you have doubts when considering doing so, as is the case of one of our readers, who raises these doubts in the Travel Guides Facebook page.

This has encouraged me to reflect my opinions, with pros and cons, of flying with Ryanair, which you have below.

Advantages of flying with Ryanair

Without a doubt, the great contribution of the low cost airlines, and Ryanair in particular, is the opening in recent years of new connection lines between European cities, and in Spain, at regional airports.

Thanks to the low costAs Ryanair Specifically, we can now fly directly at low prices to destinations where it was previously necessary to make a stopover to reach them.

And this advantage is very important in the case of those who live in cities that are not Madrid or Barcelona.

Ryanair check-in line at Skavsta Airport in Stockholm
Ryanair check-in line at Skavsta Airport in Stockholm

In fact, these flights connect Spanish cities with important European destinations, avoiding the need for stopovers in, for example, Madrid or Barcelona.

Disadvantages of flying with Ryanair

Now, RyanairFrom my point of view, it is the largest airline uncomfortable to travel, with some demands on travelers that are sometimes at least within the limits of what is legal.

A major inconvenience is that when you buy a ticket on their website, you have so many options to choose from, they make the purchase excessively difficult, so the final price increases to the point where you don't even know what you're going to pay.

 
 

In many other companies the process is much more transparent and simple, so you have a clearer idea of ​​whether or not it is worth taking a passenger on board. hand luggage (55 x 40 x 20 with a maximum weight of 10 kilos) or invoice it.

Please note that in the check-in lines and at the access point to the plane, the control is exhaustive with metal baskets and even weighing devices that you will find to test the dimensions and weights.

If you choose to invoice, you must also keep in mind that you can only Take a single carry-on bag, briefcase or backpack into the cabin  (40 x 20 x 25) that you must place under the front seat, in which you must put everything you carry, such as a camera, bags... to only fit one piece.

Ryanair plane at Madrid airport
Ryanair plane at Madrid airport

Another aspect that you have to take into account is the obligatory de invoice online and print the boarding pass before arriving at the airport,

And if you have forgotten, in Spain you will have to pay 30 euros to issue the boarding pass in the area of check-in of the airport.

On certain trips, the great inconvenience of flying with Ryanair, as with others low cost, is that the airport you fly to is much further from a city than the usual one.

For example, if you fly to Stockholm, Ryanair takes you to Skavska, an airport located 100 kilometers from the Swedish capital.

In short, more time and travel costs.

Are the prices really cheap? Ryanair?

Although a priori the prices of flights with Ryanair that are advertised are a very striking factor, this has its nuances.

It is true that you can get very good prices on unusual routes and by purchasing well in advance, but when flying to more popular destinations, where other companies fly, such as London o Rome, not always the final prices of Ryanair they are the best.

And it is basic to talk about final price, since to the initially announced price we must add other additional amounts which significantly increase the final price.

I'm referring to the price you have to pay if you have excess weight in your luggage, prepare to pay 11 euros per additional kilo!!

What are the Rates of Ryanair

  • Here you can check the Ryanair rates that you will have to pay in certain situations, such as changing your flight or changing the name on the ticket

In short, before deciding on fly with Ryanair Compared to doing it with other companies, you have to make sure what the final price to pay will be.

Be careful, you also have to consider the cost of travel to the city destination in the event that Ryanair fly to an airport located far from the destination city.

My opinions

I recognize that Ryanair It is the airline I like flying the least with, and that is despite the fact that I have never had the slightest incident (delays, poor service, etc.).

If there are other options, I try to avoid Ryanair, even if you have to pay a little more for the ticket.

I will also say that on the last flights I have paid the priority boarding option, because with this supplement you can be sure to avoid the long queues that often occur in front of the check-in lines. Ryanair (without the risk of missing the flight).

And, also, not having to stand in line at the boarding gate half an hour later, to enter earlier and find a better seat on the plane and, instead, be able to get in first and choose seats comfortably.

Of course, if on a trip you can only fly with Ryanair, I have no problem doing it. The important thing is to be able to travel, and Ryanair that makes it easier a lot of times.

And you do you think? I hope your comments.

 
 

About the Author

José Luis Sarralde

Journalist and traveler throughout his life, José Luis Sarralde is the founder of Guías Viajar, where since 2008 he has been capturing his travel experiences around the world, specializing in cultural and scenic destinations in Spain and Europe.

Comments

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  • It works wonders for me. Last year I was able to travel to more than 10 different destinations thanks to them because if you book early, you have flexibility of dates, the prepaid Mastercard and no bills is almost free. I flew to Helsinki with Finnair and I noticed the difference in quality but of course, the price of the ticket was €300, nothing like the €20 return ticket in Paris or London.

    Come on, I have taken a total of about 40 Ryanair flights in the last two years and except for some delays (just like with any other company) I have not had any problems.

    The inconveniences at the moment compensate me. Oh and I'm going to Marrakech on Monday with them for €35 😉

  • Without a doubt, the PRO of Ryanair is that it has the lowest prices on the market and that it has opened new routes. The bad thing is that the flight is uncomfortable (seats that cannot be reclined, sales of all kinds of things throughout the trip) and it has a lot of heck in which if you make a mistake you can end up paying a lot.

    If you read the fine print, you know the company and the flight is not very long, it is very valid. In fact, I always look at flights with them.

    Very good entry. 😀

  • For ho for b, I have to fly often. And it is increasingly clear to me that this company is at the bottom of my preferences. Always, and I repeat, always, you have a problem with them. The last straw glass arrived last week, without going any further... From now on I will only use it as a last option, and not because of a campaign against it, as another reader points out above, but because of its own way of operating.

  • I'm sure there is some sort of campaign against Ryanair.
    I have traveled a lot with them because in Zaragoza there is nothing else (Iberia and Vueling, they don't know that there is an airport in ZGZ, and I have never had a problem. They are like everyone else, but cheaper. Last week I traveled with Zchec airlines, in a flight that I think was from Iberia and they are just as narrow, with a market, and much more expensive.

  • I have traveled with Ryanair and with many other companies, and the truth is that there is not that much difference. Vueling is also cheap, but you are just as cheap as Ryanair or more.
    I wish there were more low-cost companies, but it turns out that in the second-class airports (in this fucking country only Madrid and BCN count with their enormous and pharaonic terminals that we have all paid for (and the old ones have been abandoned), Here we are smarter and We give them to foreign companies.
    Furthermore, this company has allowed us to travel to the “provincial rednecks” who do not live in Madrid.

    • Antonio, in fact, the great advantage of Ryanair is best appreciated by those of you who do not live in large capitals: it makes traveling easier for those of you who live in cities with less population (and without having to be a “redneck” :) ), by avoiding stopovers, reducing travel times travel and offer sometimes very cheap prices.

  • The worst thing about Ryanair is that, ALWAYS, you have to read absolutely everything every time you buy a ticket... or it is very likely that at the airport you will find some new, and expensive, surprise.
    I understand that they control hand luggage and so on... after all, that's supposedly why they don't charge you more but... I think they overdo it. There are times when you feel like a criminal.
    Another big drawback is that they are annoying selling everything on the plane. Sometimes, at certain times, you want to rest.

    Flying to secondary airports is sometimes both an advantage and a disadvantage. And sometimes it allows you to reach other places where it is difficult to reach with other companies.

    Regarding the price, it is clear that although they are generally very competitive, they are not always the best. And if you add up all the extra costs, and take advantage of offers, if you are flexible in days, you can sometimes find better prices, or slightly more expensive, with other companies. As an anecdote, I traveled from Madrid to Amsterdam for less money with Iberia than some colleagues with Ryanair to Eindhoven... and their ticket still had to add the train to Amsterdam.

  • Apart from the issue of subsidies and pressures, I am in favor of there being options for those who like to travel and Ryanair has opened them up to those of us who live in the periphery and I am not just referring to the economic aspect. In Galicia despite having 3 airports There are few direct flights and having to make a stopover in Madrid or Paris greatly limited the possibility of making short trips. Ryanair is becoming very strong in Porto with 32 destinations on a direct flight and if I have to choose between losing 4 hours making stopovers or printing in I get a boarding pass that takes 5 minutes, I have no doubt: I'll stick with Ryanair, its air market and its luggage restrictions.

  • I think the post reflects the points for and against quite well. Finally, the price of the flight is what rules and with their model they can offer very interesting rates. I personally think they should improve customer service. They absolutely happen to this, something that Miguel already points out.
    And then there is the whole issue of subsidies and pressure on airports. It is something that escapes the general public, but that sooner or later the European Union should also stop. And it will have an impact on routes and prices.
    Regards!

    • Regarding the issue of subsidies and pressures, you are absolutely right, but I have not considered it since it is an issue external to travelers.

      But we already know the situation. Cheaper secondary airports are used and with subsidies, taxpayers in the area indirectly pay Ryanair. In exchange, routes are opened that no company would offer.

  • I am with you that Ryanair has opened routes and lowered prices, and I also agree that many times Ryanair's final price is the best, but it bothers me that they deceive you to the point that too many times downloading the pdf for See if you are in a hurry and end up accepting that they charge you €40 at the counter. That is why the European Union files these people again and again, and now they are seriously investigating them. They might as well give them a good displeasure, and if not, at the same time.

    • In agreement with all of the above and in addition to all of this they force you to go to distant boarding areas in all airports, and even after being in line at the boarding gate they make you walk around the airport even in the early hours of the morning and with temperatures below zero in front of the plane door itself, let's go for the sheepish treatment. Not to mention their raffles during the flight, whether there are children on the plane or not.
      I do not recommend this company

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