At the end of 2022, we put out a video on our main channel titled “7 Reasons Why Flying Ryanair Isn't
As Bad As You Think.” A few weeks later, there was a companion article titled “Counterpoints:
Five Reasons To Avoid Ryanair,” just to balance things out. Amusingly, highlighting the good
parts of Rynair’s service resulted in some people accusing us of being paid to make the
airline look good. But others, responding to the counterpoints, labelled it as a hit piece! Well,
we’ve learned that there’s truly no pleasing the internet on certain topics!
At the same time, we thought it would be good to use this video as an opportunity to place these
two opposing viewpoints side by side to give a better picture of low cost travel for passengers.
Some points in today’s video will exclusively relate to Ryanair, but - as many have pointed
out with our Ryanair content - many points are also relevant to other low-cost carriers!
So - let’s get started!
We’ll begin with the downsides first - just so we can end on a positive note!
One reason you might not like to fly with Ryanair is the airline’s use of
remote airport locations and obscure flight times.
Indeed, doing this is a way Ryanair keeps its operating costs low while
also being able to charge lower airfares. That’s one big reason
you won’t find Ryanair flying to an airport like London Heathrow!
Indeed, when it comes to larger European cities, the carrier is likely to opt for
a secondary airport - one that is not only located far from the city center,
but is less well-connected to the city as well. In fact, when it comes to these larger cities,
the airline's airports may not even be considered part of the main city's metropolitan
area!I It’s only through clever marketing and branding that travelers might be convinced.
Examples of this practice include: Paris Beauvais
Brussels South Charleroi Airport Frankfurt Hahn
And, of course, London Stansted and London Luton
WIth that being said, the explosion of low-cost carrier services out of those distant London
airports has given bus and train companies good reason to set-up services to connect
to central London… It might take 1 to 2 hours, but at least you’ll get to the city eventually!
Connected to keeping operational costs low, the airline often chooses less popular times
of the day for many of its flights. While there are many reasonably-timed services
across the Ryanair network, there are also plenty of flights that see travelers arrive
at their destination in the middle of the night, when few transportation services are available.
The next downside of Ryanair is its Relentless advertising.
It's bad enough that Ryanair is trying to continuously 'upsell' you on travel
extras during the booking process, but you're also likely to have ads
at the bottom of some of your Ryanair email confirmations and reminders. From
additional baggage allowance to car rentals, to hotel packages, and more,
there's no shortage of opportunities offered by Ryanair for you to spend more money.
The inflight promotions top off the experience, with promotions on seatbacks and on the overhead
locker/bin doors themselves. In addition to these visual adverts, flight attendants may
or may not be selling lottery tickets and duty-free items on your flight as well.
And then, there are fees for everything.
Somewhat related to the high number of advertisements is the fact that
Ryanair's published airfares include very little. Indeed, the basic fare includes
your seat and the allowance of an item small enough to fit under the seat in front of you.
As a result of this aggressive unbundling, you'll be paying extra for everything:
A bag to go in the overhead locker, any checked baggage, seat selection, and more.
Perhaps the most despised fee is the one charged for not checking-in online. For
those who miss all the warnings for this fee, it will come as an extremely unwelcome
surprise when approaching the check-in desk one or two hours before the flight.
In mid-August 2023, Ryanair made the news for charging an elderly couple
£110 (£55 each) because they failed to print out their boarding passes.
These passengers thought that they had successfully managed to print their
tickets the day before the flight, but it was only when they got to the airport and tried to
proceed with through security that they realised they had accidentally printed the wrong tickets.
One of the passengers stated: “ "If you're elderly and haven't
been brought up using computers from day one, it can be very difficult."
Connected to the prevalence of 'fees for everything' is the fact that those
unwilling to pay for seat selection will be allocated a seat at random.
Some travelers swear that this isn't fully random, and that middle seats
are assigned to those who choose to take their chances. What do you think is going on there?
Perhaps less minor is the fact that Ryanair has extremely basic seats. Onboard its Boeing 737s,
the airline's dark blue seats lack the ability to recline,
and exclude any seat-back pockets for convenient storage of small electronic devices or books.
For those who may not appreciate standing around in cold temperatures or extreme heat, or rain,
the airline's common method of boarding via air stairs can be another unpleasant experience.
And Finally, it would seem that if you can endure all of the points we just mentioned,
there's still the chance that something will go wrong with your flight. And whether
or not it's the fault of the airline, it sometimes seems that Ryanair's customer
service and communication in the face of operational challenges can be lacking.
Whether it's an airport strike or a major storm, customers may be left
waiting around for hours without being updated by Ryanair on the status of their flight. Thus,
on the rare occasion that something goes wrong, it seems to really go wrong with Ryanair.
The airline's reputation for hard landings aside, it’s worth mentioning again that many
of the issues listed aren't actually exclusive to Ryanair, and are actually become quite common
among low and ultra-low cost carriers around the world. Oftentimes, however,
if you know what you're getting into, then the extremely low fares will make all of it tolerable!
So what about the other side of the coin?
Why isn’t the airline as bad as people make it out to be?
Firstly, it's cheap and (mostly) cheerful.
Ryanair’s fares are among the cheapest you'll see anywhere across the aviation industry. While
the days of its £1 fare are over, it is still possible to fly one way for as little as £8.
While fares typically ramp up nearer the travel date or during peak travel seasons,
it is often possible to book flights for half that of competing "full service" carriers.
This has opened the door of travel to many who might struggle to afford it otherwise.
Secondly: You pay ONLY for what you want.
As a no-frills airline, Ryanair will
lack some amenities traditionally offered on full-service carriers.
Not including these frills in the ticket price means that passengers wishing to use
them have to pay extra. Related to our first positive point, this allows passengers to save
money. Don't want a checked bag? You don't have to pay for one in your ticket price.
Next, it’s worth highlighting that Ryanair’s focus on point-to-point operations means that
it has many smaller bases across Europe, serving more than 230 airports. This means
that if your local airport doesn't have a Ryanair service, one nearby likely will.
Additionally, many will claim the legroom in Intra-European economy cabins is less
than ideal. In fact, Ryanair crams 189 seats on its Boeing 737-800s,
with an extra eight seats found on each of its 737 MAX jets! However,
each aircraft features ample leg-room- even for those over 6 feet tall.
One of the most important reasons is that fact
that you'll LIKELY get to your destination on time.
Ryanair is keen to let you know if you arrived at your destination before the expected arrival time,
and you are likely to hear their famous trumpet soundtrack on a Ryanair flight. That annoying
jingle may or may not be a downside, but it’s nice to see that, of the 837,703 flights operated by
Ryanair in 2019, 92% arrived on time. In 2021, 96% of the airline's 339,858 flights arrived on time!
Next up is the fact that Ryanair's fleet is young and green.
The airline's average fleet age is around 10 years - and,
with the arrival of well over 100 brand new Boeing 737 MAXs, this is set to get even more youthful.
Newer and more efficient jets are beneficial for passengers. Airlines have lower overhead costs,
meaning that ticket prices for passengers can be
lower. It also means that passengers are responsible for fewer emissions.
By using newer planes with more passengers, Ryanair can cut emissions per passenger. With
a high load factor, emissions get smaller by splitting it between more passengers.
Finally, to top things off, Ryanair has a high level of safety.
The airline is well-aware that safety is one area where you can't avoid spending money. According
to the ASN Aviation Safety Database, Ryanair has never had a fatal accident or incident
and only has a single hull loss on record. Certainly, that’s something to feel good about!
Have you flown with Ryanair yet? What do you think
of the airline? Let us know what you think and why in the comments!
simple flying publishes over 150 articles every week if you're
looking for the latest Aviation news and insights visit simpleflying.com