Anyone flown with Ryanair in recent months? I'm travelling next week and heard that they've changed the baggage policy (again). Apparently, you now have to pay extra to bring on a small suitcase to put in the overhead storage. Otherwise, what you bring on has to be small enough to fit under the seat in front. Tight bastards!

Yes that's correct (both - cos they are bastards).

basil6345789 wrote:Yes that's correct (both - cos they are bastards).

Cheers. Do you know how strict they are with the policy? I've checked the dimensions for the bag they allow to go under the seat and it's 40x20x25cm which is a tad small...a lot of small backpacks/rucksacks are bigger than that!

Flew with them last week. Plenty of hand luggage being taken on board. I had a holdall. Others had the usual wheelie suitcases. Nothing said. Cramped seating but tell you what.....it took off on time and arrived early on both my trips, to and from Belfast. My advice is don't buy anything, don't take the p*** with hand luggage and you should be fine.

not waving wrote:Flew with them last week. Plenty of hand luggage being taken on board. I had a holdall. Others had the usual wheelie suitcases. Nothing said. Cramped seating but tell you what.....it took off on time and arrived early on both my trips, to and from Belfast. My advice is don't buy anything, don't take the p*** with hand luggage and you should be fine.

Cheers! I've flown with them a few times and while it's a bit depressing, it's true that they're usually on time. I can't say the same for Vueling which is one of the worst airlines I've ever experienced - always late.

To be honest, I'd rather that they enforce the policy if they're going to introduce it. Otherwise it seems a tad unfair on those who have actually paid to use the overhead compartments as well as those who've had to squeeze everything into a really small bag. However, if it's not really being enforced then I'll probably be okay then.

not waving wrote:Flew with them last week. Plenty of hand luggage being taken on board. I had a holdall. Others had the usual wheelie suitcases. Nothing said. Cramped seating but tell you what.....it took off on time and arrived early on both my trips, to and from Belfast. My advice is don't buy anything, don't take the p*** with hand luggage and you should be fine.

I can second this. Flew with them a few weeks ago and as said above don't take the p*** and you should be fine. Some of the bags/cases which were taken into the plane were almost as big as the case I put in the hold!

Leisure wrote:I can second this. Flew with them a few weeks ago and as said above don't take the p*** and you should be fine. Some of the bags/cases which were taken into the plane were almost as big as the case I put in the hold!

I was planning on bringing on a small suitcase as usual so I guess that should be fine. However, I may just see if my stuff fits in a small rucksack and decide based on that. Don't want to be screwed over and paying more money to Ryanair, the greedy beggars. Cheers!

Mine was slightly over the size and nothing said. Others had bigger bags too.

BertiesBeehole wrote:Mine was slightly over the size and nothing said. Others had bigger bags too.

Good to know, thanks! Might go crazy and pack more than one pair of socks then

Bear in mind that a lot of those people boarding with wheelie bags, etc will have paid the extra. It's a bit of a lottery but sometimes they do enforce it (especially if it's a busy flight) and it's pretty pricey to add luggage at the gate.

Or just get one of these

I took a small rucksack and the missus took a case but didn’t check the dimensions correctly.

Flew out of Liverpool and they were quite strict - ended up having to pay an extra £60 return? (After already paying £15 each way for the initial case) Because the case was a bit bigger than their allowance.

This was fine but the annoying bit was - we had to pay the full upgrade cost because the case was slightly bigger, not just the difference between the cases.

You could do the “upgrade” and have 2 carry on bags which would be small hold all’s which’s i’ll try to do to save a few quid and also avoid waiting for hold baggage at the airport.

Have a pop into sports direct and check the Nike holdalls they have and compare dimensions...... you’ll end up packing as much as a suitcase into it and will always save on weight too.

At about £15 to buy it’s cheaper than a suitcase too.

aggi wrote:Bear in mind that a lot of those people boarding with wheelie bags, etc will have paid the extra. It's a bit of a lottery but sometimes they do enforce it (especially if it's a busy flight) and it's pretty pricey to add luggage at the gate.

Or just get one of these

Yes, it's perhaps a bit of a risk. I think it said it was €25 if the small bag is too big.

Funnily enough, I bought an outdoor coat the other year in one of these crowdfunding things. Has about 1 million pockets. So maybe I'll just take that without the bag

IndigoLake wrote:Yes, it's perhaps a bit of a risk. I think it said it was €25 if the small bag is too big.

Remember it’s £25 each way - and your initial payment won’t be refunded for the case you have paid for. It’s more a “we’ll, you can have a bag like that as well if you want, it’s your choice not to”

would sooner stick pins in my eyes than fly with that ass whole of an airline

bfccrazy wrote:I took a small rucksack and the missus took a case but didn’t check the dimensions correctly.

Flew out of Liverpool and they were quite strict - ended up having to pay an extra £60 return? (After already paying £15 each way for the initial case) Because the case was a bit bigger than their allowance.

This was fine but the annoying bit was - we had to pay the full upgrade cost because the case was slightly bigger, not just the difference between the cases.

You could do the “upgrade” and have 2 carry on bags which would be small hold all’s which’s i’ll try to do to save a few quid and also avoid waiting for hold baggage at the airport.

Once the extras are added on, I wonder if it's sometimes better to go with a slightly more expensive airline. Feels like these budget airlines are charging for every little thing these days and it soon adds up. I remember when we went on our honeymoon to NYC, we almost booked with Norwegian. However, they charge separately for for meals, drinks, snacks. In the end we paid only slightly more and went with American Airlines (I think) and had all that included in the price.

bfccrazy wrote:Have a pop into sports direct and check the Nike holdalls they have and compare dimensions...... you’ll end up packing as much as a suitcase into it and will always save on weight too.

At about £15 to buy it’s cheaper than a suitcase too.

That's a good shout, thanks. I'm in Spain so I'll go to the Spanish equivalent or look online

peter_nobles_fringe wrote:would sooner stick pins in my eyes than fly with that ass whole of an airline

If you don't like Ryanair, don't try Vueling - they're worse!

You get what you pay for. I pay more to not fly with them now. If you want to fly cheaply you have to make compromises.

IndigoLake wrote:Once the extras are added on, I wonder if it's sometimes better to go with a slightly more expensive airline. Feels like these budget airlines are charging for every little thing these days and it soon adds up. I remember when we went on our honeymoon to NYC, we almost booked with Norwegian. However, they charge separately for for meals, drinks, snacks. In the end we paid only slightly more and went with American Airlines (I think) and had all that included in the price.

Yeah, I can generally pack quite light so don’t mind using budget airlines for small trips. Long Haul trips I’ll just pay for the ease of travel with everything included.

If travelling with the missus though, she’ll always take a suitcase so the savings on budget airlines+baggage usually work out same as booking a flight with baggage included.

Blackrod wrote:You get what you pay for. I pay more to not fly with them now. If you want to fly cheaply you have to make compromises.

Agree! I try to avoid certain airlines nowadays but sometimes there's not much choice depending on dates/times and of course location. I'll be happy enough if it's on time which Ryanair does tend to be.

bfccrazy wrote:Yeah, I can generally pack quite light so don’t mind using budget airlines for small trips. Long Haul trips I’ll just pay for the ease of travel with everything included.

If travelling with the missus though, she’ll always take a suitcase so the savings on budget airlines+baggage usually work out same as booking a flight with baggage included.

Yeah, that's the same for me. I always tend to pack a lot lighter than my wife. The key difference seems to be shoes. I take the one pair I'm wearing and she takes 3 or 4 pairs for different forms of wet and dry weather

I'm going solo this time though so maybe it doesn't matter as much. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't going to be screwed over for having a bag that is slightly wider than the specified dimensions. I'm imagining the check-in staff armed with rulers and tape measures, haha.

IndigoLake wrote:Agree! I try to avoid certain airlines nowadays but sometimes there's not much choice depending on dates/times and of course location. I'll be happy enough if it's on time which Ryanair does tend to be.

Can’t fault RyanAir for being punctual - booked a flight for my parents long haul a while back with another company and got them a direct flight instead of one with a stop which took 3 hours extra.

Then they got a 3 hour delay ..... and I’d paid about 300 extra for them to go direct so it cancelled it out.

IndigoLake wrote:Anyone flown with Ryanair in recent months? I'm travelling next week and heard that they've changed the baggage policy (again). Apparently, you now have to pay extra to bring on a small suitcase to put in the overhead storage. Otherwise, what you bring on has to be small enough to fit under the seat in front. Tight bastards!

Don’t use them unless it can’t be helped is my advice to anyone, they are and always have been a slimy outfit.

bfccrazy wrote:Can’t fault RyanAir for being punctual - booked a flight for my parents long haul a while back with another company and got them a direct flight instead of one with a stop which took 3 hours extra.

Then they got a 3 hour delay ..... and I’d paid about 300 extra for them to go direct so it cancelled it out.

Yeah, it's a bit of a lottery sometimes isn't it. Ryanair is on time 90% of the time I use them. Vueling is on time about 10% (Spanish company so they're never going to be organised or punctual, unfortunately!). Not keen on EasyJet either to be honest - they always seem disorganised. Ryanair is the best of a bad bunch. My solution is just flying less in the coming years. I've been lucky enough to travel lots while I was in my 20s and I'm a bit tired of it to be honest!

This is the new stand for measuring the bags. Small one at the top

aggi wrote:This is the new stand for measuring the bags. Small one at the top

Bonus of having a hold all - you can usually squeeze it through if it’s a tiny bit bigger.

You can’t saueeze a suitcase to make it smaller

In terms of airlines, punctuality (and no cancellations) is always my priority. Food is always terrible in economy so I'm not that fussed by that, I take my own tablet with stuff to watch so that isn't an issue either and the majority of trips are just done with a hand luggage rucksack.

Ryanair is marked down for me due to cancelling a lot of their flights at short notice and the new baggage policy meaning I have to pay extra for proper sized cabin bags (it's not just Ryaniar doing this, others such as Wizz are the same).

I know someone who went to Spain and back and got a specialist company to take his bags from his house to his hotel and then back again. It was a bit cheaper than taking them on board himself and saved him the hassle of carrying them about.

aggi wrote:This is the new stand for measuring the bags. Small one at the top

In that picture, it mentions dimensions of 35 x 20 x 20 cm but online they say 40 x 20 x 25cm. Somewhat misleading! Either way, that's pretty small. They claim they're not doing it for money but to "speed up boarding".

Had around 30 flights with Ryanair over the last 12 months and not one delay. I always travel light which makes Ryanair incredibly good value for money in comparison to other airlines.

I booked 10 flights with Ryanair only last week for the grand total of £349.68

Just booked a week in Spain. July. £79.37 Inc priority plus 1 small bag and 1 19kg cabin bag.
Bournemouth to Girona, return of course!

£40 each way to Spain in Summer, can't be bad! Ryanair is ok.

Blackrod wrote:You get what you pay for. I pay more to not fly with them now. If you want to fly cheaply you have to make compromises.

This

I fly regularly with Ryanair. I've always been happy withe service(s) they provide.
When flying short-haul, ie 3 hrs or less, I look for price, punctuality and cleanliness. Ryanair wins every time.
Short-haul, I never buy food onboard and being a bloke, I carry only essential luggage. So, cheap as chips.

Ryanair has become the nation's favourite punchbag for the press and other whingers who can't be bothered to read T & C's.
I particularly love the comments you get regarding Ryanair flights arriving miles from their "destination". I often travel to Memmingen, southern Germany.
The last time, last month (£18.99 each way), a couple in front of me were moaning it was "nowhere near Munich". Well, why didn't you look where Memingen is before you booked then?

Like has been posted above, if you don't like them and think a traditional carrier (BA ?) is better, don't fly with them. No problem.

Each to their own.

Blackrod wrote:You get what you pay for. I pay more to not fly with them now. If you want to fly cheaply you have to make compromises.

Got to agree with this.

Top Claret wrote:Had around 30 flights with Ryanair over the last 12 months and not one delay. I always travel light which makes Ryanair incredibly good value for money in comparison to other airlines.

I booked 10 flights with Ryanair only last week for the grand total of £349.68

Agree. Never been late/delayed yet with them.

Never had a problem for years with Ryanair until last year. Delaying a flight for 5 hours. Other than that they’ve been great. Just don’t take the **** and you’re fine.

Flew with Spirit Airlines in the United States last year. £15 for a 4 hour flight. I thought I wouln’t care how bad it is. It was the worst flight ever. Think of an empty plane. With that horrible carpet you get in schools. With metal seats that have a thin leather mat as cushioning. Air stewards that looked like car mechanic apprentices. Never ever again.

Top Claret wrote:Had around 30 flights with Ryanair over the last 12 months and not one delay. I always travel light which makes Ryanair incredibly good value for money in comparison to other airlines.

I booked 10 flights with Ryanair only last week for the grand total of £349.68

Same here. Ideal for traveling light, cheap, and you know what you are getting. A lot of folk seem happy to take advantage of cheap fares but grumble about add-ons. Even with add-ons it still comes in cheaper that many airlines.

This has turned into a bit of a Ryanair love-in

IndigoLake wrote:Anyone flown with Ryanair in recent months? I'm travelling next week and heard that they've changed the baggage policy (again). Apparently, you now have to pay extra to bring on a small suitcase to put in the overhead storage. Otherwise, what you bring on has to be small enough to fit under the seat in front. Tight bastards!

Just add Priority Boarding on, between £6 and £10, then you can take 2 bags on with you (within reason)

Ryanair Priority Boarding costs between £6 and £10. With Priority Booking, you’re also permitted to bring an additional 10kg bag (55cm x 40cm x 20cm) into the cabin for no extra cost. However, be aware that Ryanair Priority Boarding is capped at 95 out of 189 passengers per flight for space reasons.

IanMcL wrote:Just booked a week in Spain. July. £79.37 Inc priority plus 1 small bag and 1 19kg cabin bag.
Bournemouth to Girona, return of course!

£40 each way to Spain in Summer, can't be bad! Ryanair is ok.

July? I take it that is before 22nd July when school holidays start?

Chipbutty @ post39 is spot on. If you have any concerns pay for priority and take a large and small in cabin with you. I’m a regular and have never been checked my backpack would be over the 40x25x20.
They are nowhere near as bad as their reputation. In fact I’ve never had a problem.

Never had a problem with Ryanair and have probably flown with them about 10 times.
Just pay the bit extra and you can take two bags on, they're still miles cheaper than anyone else.
Now Monarch really were sh1te.

I do about 50 commercial flights a year and Spirit is the worst airline ever.

IndigoLake wrote:This has turned into a bit of a Ryanair love-in

Maybe fly with Icarus

I dislike Ryan Scare but still the best deal with flying out of any airport here in Ireland , just as long as you play the game with them and don't push it otherwise it will cost you .
Never buy anything from them and i mean anything .

chipbutty wrote:July? I take it that is before 22nd July when school holidays start?

Yes beginning.

tim_noone wrote:Maybe fly with Icarus

At least the weather is guaranteed!

When you can fly to Malaga and back cheaper than you can take a train to London, and guarantee a seat to sit on, there’s not much to complain about. The baggage add on is annoying but still comes in cheaper than Jet2. Its really cheap if you’re travelling light.

Honestly, i like them. Living where i do i can be in several capital cities within an hour or so. (Krakow at Easter in 1hr10m). I actually prefer rail these days though, and wouldn't dream of flying to Budapest as the train is so easy. 6hrs by train but 2 hours kip, ham and eggs for breakfast then a couple of Budvars in the dining car, and you're in Budapest for lunch

Oshkoshclaret wrote:I do about 50 commercial flights a year and Spirit is the worst airline ever.

Hahahaha Spirit.

I used JetBlue, Southwest and Spirit on the same trip last year.

Jetblue and Southwest were surprisingly good.

But Spirit. Those complaining about RyanAir have no idea.