Ryaniar: Europe's Worst-Kept Secrets

A post dedicated to all fellow travel-lovers:


Flights to: London--20€. Madrid--7€. Paris--3€. Before I moved to Spain, other Europe-travlers told me about the wonders of the low-cost European airline, Ryanair. I didn't actually believe that any airline with over 1,100 routes across Europe would offer such economical travel prices. But when I went to the website and booked a flight to Frankfurt for a quarter of the price that major airlines were charging, I did a double take and saw the total cost of my ticket was very affordable.

Ryanair really is a great, cheap way to travel, I told myself.

But I shouldn't haven stopped doubting there.

The answer to "How can they offer such low-cost tickets and still make a profit?" was evident before I even made it to the check-in counter.

This is how Ryanair will make money from its unexperienced and unsuspecting clients:

1. Check-In Fee
Every Ryanair passenger must check-in online and print off the boarding pass within 15 days-4 hours of the flight. If a passenger show up at the airport without a printed boarding pass, Ryanair charges 40€ ($59) to have someone at the desk to print it out.

My friend Rachael on time dropped her boarding pass in a puddle in the airport parking lot, on the way to her flight. Ryanair showed no mercy and charged her the fee.

2. Name-Change Fee
Passengers must provide identification at the airport, and the name on the boarding pass must appear exactly the way it is spelled on the identification document (i.e. passport). If there is a mistake, the passenger must have the name changed at the desk for a fee of 150€ ($222).

You have to be extremely careful typing in your information when you purchase the tickets online. Without even knowing about this fee, I almost entered the wrong information twice. Good thing I triple-checked my electronic form before I submitted it.

3. Check-In Baggage Fees
There is a fee for all checked-in luggage. Checked-in bags must meet certain measurement requirements and cannot weigh over a certain amount (normally 15 kilograms, ~30 lbs). If the bag weighs more than 15 kilograms (~30 lbs), the passenger must pay by the kilo.

Adam and I booked flights to Madrid for December, we paid 11€ ($16.28) for both tickets, 54€ ($80) to take two suitcases with us.

4. Carry-On Baggage Requirements
Each passenger is only allowed one carry-one bag, without charge. All personal items such as purses, cameras, and laptops must be able to the fit inside of this one bag. The bag may not way over 10 kilograms (22 lbs), and it may not exceed the height, width, and depth of 55cm x 40cm x 20cm. If it exceeds the measurement or weighs one gram over 10 kilograms, the passenger must pay a fee of 35€ ($52).

This is what causes the most stress for Ryanair passengers.

Because checking in luggage is so expensive, most people just take one bag. For this reason, Ryanair representatives check every bag at the gate.

First, each passenger must place his/her bag in the luggage-check box (pictured right). I understand that this is a normal procedure for most airlines. But with Ryanair, if you display the least bit of effort trying to force your bag in or pull it out of the box, a representative may take out a measuring tape to examine your bag. If it's literally a centimeter over, you have to check in your bag, pay the 35€ fee, and wait for your suitcase at baggage claim.

Second, another representative will take each bag and place it on a scale. If your bag is one gram over, you best believe you're paying a fee. Ryanair rules strictly state that you may not take out anything in your bag and place it anyone else's, even if that person is within the same travel party. Your bag is going straight into the hold on the plane, and your 35€ is going in Ryanair's pocket.

Another stressful and annoying aspect of bringing carry-on luggage is that most people opt to carry on a hand bag. Unfortunately there are not enough overhead bins for every passenger on the plane, so the last people to board the plane normally have their luggage taken below to the plane's cargo hold. These passengers do not have to pay the 35€ fee, but they have to wait at the baggage claim at the airport.

This is also a reason that most Ryanair fliers run straight the gate after going through security. There are no assigned seats on the flight, so if you don't get a good place in line, your luggage is going below.

Waiting for everyone's luggage to be situated also usually causes the plane to be delayed. Both of my flights to and from Frankfurt were delayed about 30 minutes. But my luggage did stay with me during both flights.

5. Priority Boarding Fee
Fliers can elect to pay 4€ to board the plane first.

I skipped this option. Single travelers can normally find a good seat.

6. On-Board Food and Drinks
Nothing is free on Ryanair. Not even water. Travelers may pay over 2€ for a thirst quencher.

Two hours without food or drink may sound easy to do, but by the time you wait in the boarding line and sit on the plane while the luggage gets situated you get kind of hungry...and the food smells so good.  But on my flights, I clenched onto my Euros and waited until I landed to eat.

7. On-Board Toilets
On some flights, you must pay 0.50-1€ to use the toilet.

I didn't personally see or experience this myself, but I have heard have this and have read about it on multiple websites.

8. On-Flight Merchandise
Throughout the entire flight, Ryanair advertises items for sale such as tax-free fragrances, mobile SIM cards that work internationally, lottery tickets, and more.

All of the advertisements come on through the intercom--constantly. Don't plan on sleeping during a Ryanair flight.

So if you avoid all of these plots and scams, you can successfully flight cheap. But if you decide to go back to Ryanair.com, they may get you once again with their...


9. Discreet On-Line Advertisements
Ok. Maybe "discreet" is the wrong word.

On its website, Ryanair openly advertises its current specials, appealing to the customer any way it can...especially sexually. (I almost hesitated to add these advertisements to the blog, but I think the ads are pertinent information to this post.)

These are screenshots I took directly form the Ryanair.com website. I wonder if the profits from the calendars, which feature Ryanair's very own cabin crew, really go to charity.

Keep it classy, Ryanair.

In case you are wondering about the integrity of the mastermind behind this corporation, you can check out this video of an interview with the Ryanair CEO (pictured left).

All of the stress I sensed while checking in, waiting in line for the flight, and sitting in my seat during the flight wasn't imagined. Mr. O'Leary openly admits that his company tries to take money out of its clients any way possible. It sounds repulsive, but his business is wildly successful.




So what is the lesson to be learned here? Unless you are extremely offended by Mr. O'Leary and his marketing strategies, Ryanair can be an economical way to travel across Europe. It's ideal for anyone with a budget...or for a poor university lector in Spain.

Although I don't agree with all of O'Leary's tactics, I do admire him for lowering the airfare for travel-addicts like myself. But I must admit, as a feminist, I do wonder whether or not I should book my next flight through Ryanair. I despise Ryanair for hungrily eyeing my wallet, delaying all of my flights, and objectifying its employees for money, yet praise it for getting me to Madrid for 5€. ...I guess we could add "making me feel like a hypocrite" to the "despise" list too.

Flying affordably and efficiently through Ryanair is possible, especially if you avoid the previously mentioned marketing traps. Just be prepared for a few hours of tension and peer pressure. If you have booked a flight through Ryanair but have never experienced the swiftness of its pickpocketing fingers, hopefully this post will help you cling to your Euros and allow you to explore Europe with full pockets.