Mega bus of the air (Ryanair)

Member Name: jasminesarah

Product:	Ryanair
Date:	15/09/08 (121 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheap, basic, no frills travel

Disadvantages: Hidden extra costs if you aren't careful

Ryan Air provided the cheapest option for flying to France this month, and from a relatively local (to me!) airport - Bristol. Initially I felt annoyed and frustrated at all the added extras - there is an extra charge for just about everything Ryan can think of - you pay extra to use a credit card on the website, extra to check in at the airport, extra to get on the plane first as a 'priority passenger' and extra to take luggage with you (!). No food or drink is included, and a small bottle of water on the plane will cost you £2.50. (What would happen, I wonder, if every single passenger paid the fee for priority boarding....?)

However, once I'd thrown a mini strop, I thought about it and realised that Ryan offer the option to NOT pay for these things - whereas they come included with higher price airlines. I checked us in online, so there was no need to pay that fee, and with a bit of careful packing we just took hand luggage, meaning there was no fee for large suitcases, with the added benefit of skipping the baggage collection queue too. We weren't priority boarded, but we were pretty close to the front of the normal boarding queue (by means of paying attention to announcements and moving sharpish), so we had a choice of seats and we all sat together. (Ryan boards like a bus, with no reservations.)

The seating was more cramped that other flights I have taken, but more comfortable than a bus. I wouldn't like to go long haul in one of these planes but for a couple of hours it was absolutely fine. We arrived ahead of schedule on both the outbound and return journey. Ryan have an impressive record where arriving on time is concerned, compared to other airlines. The whole process was extremely smooth.

In my experience, Ryan deliver what they say they will - this is no frills air travel and to take advantage of it you need to be fairly independent. If you want or need extra care, this is not the one for you. Do be careful to take into consideration what is or is not included when comparing prices with other airlines. A meal, check in and luggage fees can all add up.

Summary: You get what you pay for, nothing more, nothing less