Ryanair note......

I don't know if this has been mentioned before as it doesn't concern OH & myself as we can only fly Easyjet from Bristol.

This has just been posted on my urb's website.

I have just spoken to Ryanair who are now charging passengers to
check in at the airport. This means that if you have to take a case
in the hold you will have to check in at the airport and you will be
charged not only for the case which has been their policy for ages
but also now for the pleasure of standing in a checkin queue. I
decided that I didnt want to give them more money so checked in on
line which is free. However, you can only check in up to 4 days
prior to flying. This means that if you are travelling for a week
you would have to checkin online for your return journey from an
internet cafe if you dont have access to your own internet at your
holiday home. I put the point across that many people may not be
anywhere near an internet cafe as not all travellers stay in
populated areas and also why should customers be expected to pay
internet cafe fees. I was told that I would either have to find one
or check in at the airport and again pay for the pleasure of joining
a queue. All I can say is a big fat thank you for Ryanair's
excellent customer service. I really do think with this one they
have gone a step too far. I have voted on my feet and will never
fly with them again. I will not be further adding to their coffers
by buying food or drink on the flight. As far as I am concerned
they dont deserve regular customers. Just thought some of you may
like to know this so you too can avoid getting conned in the future.

I can only assume this person could qualify to check in on line because she was travelling with hand baggage only. (As I doubt this very much she's really going to be peeved when they clobber her).

http://www.ryanair.com/site/EN/conditions.php

• Each passenger checking in at the airport is subject to an Airport Check-In fee per one way flight of £3/€4 (or local currency equivalent) which is payable at the time of flight reservation.
• Standard opening of check-in desks is 2 hours prior to scheduled time of departure.
• Ryanair recommends that passengers check in two hours prior to scheduled departure. Check-in desks close strictly 40 minutes before scheduled departure. We reserve the right to cancel your reservation and deny you boarding if you do not comply with the Check-in Deadline.

Online Check-In

• Qualifying passengers may check-in online and receive priority boarding free of charge from 2 days up to 4 hours prior to flight departure on www.ryanair.com.
• To qualify for Online Check-in each passenger must present either a valid passport or National Identity Card, issued by the government of an EU/ European Economic Area (EEA) country which matches the document details printed on their online boarding pass, at both airport security and the departure gate. (See paragraph headed "Documentation" for details of accepted EEA National Identity Cards).
• The following passengers do not qualify for Online Check-in:
  • Passengers travelling with checked baggage
  • Passengers travelling on the same reservation with a passenger who is not entitled to Online Check-in
  • Children aged between 14-18 years travelling alone
  • Passengers travelling with infants
  • Passengers travelling with mobility equipment (including children's pushchairs)
  • Passengers with reduced mobility, blind/visual impaired passengers including those travelling with a sighted companion (*)
  • Blind/visual impaired passenger travelling with a guide dog (*)
  • Passengers who require special assistance at the airport (*)
  • Passengers travelling from Italy to the United Kingdom
  • Passengers travelling on a passport which is due to expire within 30 days from the date of travel
  • Passengers travelling on the same reservation with a passenger who is not entitled to Online Check-In
  • When there are more than 9 passengers booked in a reservation
    

  Where a passenger is unable to avail of Online Check-in by reason only of a matter marked (*) above any Airport Check-In fee paid will be refunded at the time the special services are requested. Where a passenger is unable to avail of Online Check-in by reason only of not being the holder of either a valid passport or a National Identity Card, issued by the government of an EU/EEA country, any airport check-in fee paid will be refunded upon application.

• Any passenger failing to present their printed online boarding pass at airport security or at the departure gate will be required to check-in again at the airport desk and will be charged an airport check-in fee of £3/€4 per person/per one way flight (or local currency equivalent). This facility is available only if the applicable airport check-in desk is still open.
• Each passenger who has checked in online may carry one item of cabin baggage (see paragraph headed "Cabin Baggage").
• Any passenger who arrives at the airport with cabin baggage that exceeds the maximum weight and/or dimensions will be required to check-in again at the airport and will be charged an Airport Check-In fee of £3/€4 per person/per one way flight (or local currency equivalent) plus the standard checked baggage fee of £12/€18 per item/per one way flight. This facility is available only if the applicable airport check-in is still open.
• No further changes may be made to passenger names, flight date/times/route once a passenger has checked in online.
• We reserve the right to cancel your reservation and to deny you boarding if you do not comply with the above.

Yeah they really take the pee with their extra charges.  Luckily I don't have to use them very often but one time I had booked a flight and didn't use it in the end, and in those circumstances you can claim back the airport taxes.  When it happened with Easyjet the money was in my account the next day but Ryanair wanted to charge me a £20 'Administration Fee' to claim back £15 taxes, and you have to write to them using Snail Mail, no emails or anything.

I hope that woman above has no Checked Luggage or there'll be fireworks I think.

She has, I know she has.  Actually I have posted in my urb's forum but don't think she'll like me telling her she's wrong. Some just don't appreciate More like you guys do.  Sydney will have nothing on her, I tell you, I know her. 

We all appreciate you 'More'!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Julia

Hi All

I totally agree Ryanair need to sort themselves out.

I went with them in summer, everything fine going out but coming home they said my cases were to heavy. They gave us bin bags and told us to empty some stuff into them and carry as hand luggage. CAN YOU IMAGINE THE STATE OF US>  A family of 5 we had a bag each full of stuff you dont wanna look at til you get home to the washing machine. And anyway what difference did it make to the wait of the plane, in fact I thought it more dangerous than letting it stay in the case, as that meant more stuff in the cabin with the people. They didnt charge us anything so what was the point in me running over the runway with a 6 year old 3 bin bags, boarding card, handbag, and might I add the bags were ripping, OH I WAS SO CROSS!!!!!!!! (We had paid 12 pounds a case we only had 3 for 5 of us.

Plese can someone make sense of this.

Sandra

No Sandra, I can't understand what difference it made at all.

We have bathroom scales in the UK & bought some for Spain & we only pack what weight we're allowed, whatever it is ie max 20kgs each with Easyjet. We are well aware we'll be asked to pay £6 / kg if we are over the 20 kg each. 

From Easyjet's Carrier's Regulations, scroll down to point no. 10 Baggage, Checked Baggage

Where checked-in hold baggage exceeds 20kgs in weight (subject to the above rule), each passenger will pay an excess baggage charge per kg up to a passenger maximum of 50kgs, as follows:

If you look at their Q&A section it gives you option to give them your email details for them to contact you if they change these. On their home page where you give dates of travel there's this on the left.

Search easyJet.com

A few years ago we had our hand luggage weighed when we were travellling on a holiday charter. I think it was mostly fruit and soft drinks (pre liquid con days) so were going to be eaten anyway but they made us take them out. As a large lady I thought it was an absolute joke that I could weigh several stones more than my travellling companions yet we could all only take x kgs as hand luggage.

I like the policy that 'as long as you can lift into the overhead compartment you can take'. It probably explains why some people have enormous so called hand luggage. Does anyone check the sizes of the bags even though they're stated?

If weight is really an issue they should weigh everthing including the passengers!! It might be the final straw to make me diet (again)

I believe there are plans to make people pay for two seats if they are over a certain size, I've seen them do it on the american airline programmes.

No prizes for quessing who the first airline in the UK will be.

As to bag sizes I don't think the crates under Easyjet signs at the airport check-in are correct as my carry-on just fits in there and it's well under the sizes given on website.

In four years of travelling I've only had to put it in there once and that was at Alicante.

The suitcase fits in the overhead locker with enough room to put my coat on top of it. 

I've seen other peoples cases just about fit in, they looked like the ones you get down the markets in Spain and they are expandable.  My last trip I bought one as they are quite roomy but I checked mine in.  I measured it but it is slightly over size, the one's I saw on the flight had even been expanded as well.

To get back to Ryanair, they have the worst luggage allowance and many people suspect that the scales at San Javier are loaded in the company's favour.  Whenever I've flown with them there's always a lot of disgruntled people who have to pay an excess baggage fee.

I think Chrism you'd have been even more annoyed to pay excess baggage rather than carry it on to plane.  Someone posted on another forum that she travelled back to UK with 2 Children, paid for 2 cases each way but on return had an extra case.  As she was still in the allowed quota, I case per person, all she had to pay was the duty for 1 case, double the amount that you pay on line.  As you said you paid £12 a case then after deducting the £2 check-in charge each way, you would have had to pay £8 or euro equivalent.

Or other option is to carry lightweight holdalls which can be used in an emergency.

On my last Ryanair trip a couple of girls in front were asked to pay 60e because they were over weight, I suggested they off load some things into a couple of bags between them as they only had a small amount of handluggage.  Not the best solution but better than paying the excess fee.

Of course we could just all stay in the UK.

Skegness is a great place to own a caravan I know.

Best hols ever there when I was a youngster. Nearly drowned but that's another story.  Got burnt too.  Boy, it hurt.

Seen this ?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2008/jan/30/nudist.flights

Good Grief - can you imagine the chaos it would cause in the aisles when they all start to strip off.

Wot you doin' recommending Skeggy, More? And what's up with Weston-super-Mud - sorry, Mare? We used to have a 'van at Brean!

Sorry all, but I guess I must be in a minority of one - we actually have absolutely no complaints whatsoever with Ryanair!

We fly with them several times a year to/from Murcia, and so long as you accept them for what they are - a cheap and cheerful, no frills, budget airline, and don't try to take the mick with their rules and regs about luggage etc, then you can't go wrong. They are deffo the cheapest carrier, not known them to be late (yet!), we don't take extra cases, we don't eat or drink on the plane; frankly, for quick, basic travel, you can't beat 'em! Also, when we took my 92 year-old mother last November, their whole set-up couldn't have been more helpful, and, much to my surprise, they didn't charge us an extra penny over the flight price for all the extra assistance she needed.

We have had hand luggage weighed - always at Murcia, never at East Midlands - but with no problems, and we always use the on-line check-in, although you have to queue with everyone to come back.

Sorry to upset the applecart, just my two-penn'orth!

If you look at the breakdown of charges they charge every person for wheel chair assistance, so really everyone is paying whether someone on the flight needs it or not.

I think out of all the airlines there charges are the highest and they still don't abide by the rules of showing what each individual flight is costing, they still show the flight as 1p when if fact with all the extras it could be as much as £24.  I booked a flight recently and it came to £62.03, if you take of baggage and early boarding that's charges of £46.01.

But then again I suppose it depends of what choice you have at your local airport.

Hi All

Have just returned after 4 days in Costa Del Sol. Travelled from Ireland with only hand luggage (plenty for 4 days). Checked in on line before we went so no queue in Dublin Airport. By checkin in on line you also get priority boarding so got two lovely seats at the exits. Didn't have to wait at the carousel to collect baggage on the other side. 24 hours before returning checked in on line again at internet cafe, printed out boarding papers (1.30 euro) and again priority boarding with lovely exit seats and plenty of leg room.  All this cost us for two people return EUR52.00, plus car hire with Auriga Crown for 3 days EUR35.00. How can anyone complain about that !!!!!!!! 

Helen

Juat thought I'd put in my two pennorth!!!

Just booked to fly to Luton with RYANAIR in April and it worked out at 162€ for 2 of us return ( all in )......................the next cheapest flight was 347€ for the same dates!!

SO.........whatever is said about Ryanair, they're still the cheapest, and I have no complaints about them.

We go back pretty regularly cos of the age of my hubby's parents and always fly with RYANAIR. Yes, I have been overweight ( both ME and the CASE ) several times, but we know RYANIAR'S rules, so it's my own fault. Actually, on our return from UK last week we were nearly 5 Kilos over but we only charged for 2 kilos.