Ryanair Passenger Reviews and Ryanair Customer Trip Reports

Flew Glasgow Prestwick to Malaga 13/09/2012 having read all the reviews was dreading it, printed boarding passes with no problems, ensured hand luggage was right size and weight. At airport experienced no problems, got seats, didn't see anybody rushing or fighting for seats as others have witnessed, flight took off in time and landed 30 mins early, staff on board were polite and smiling. Return flight delayed for over 2 hours with no explanation, it transpired when on the plane that the problem lay with Prestwick airport being closed due to heavy rain, flight was to be diverted to Edinburgh but got changed to Glasgow International, arrived there at 02.30 am, staff on board flight reassured passengers there would be transport for us to get back to Prestwick however there was not and it was up to passengers to make their own way back to Prestwick which was costly in taxis.

Having flown over a dozen times in the last few years, most recently returning yesterday, I have to say that I think the anticipation of flying Ryanair is worse than the actual experience. Only one of those flights has been late (for reasons truly beyond the airline's control) and cabin staff are generally friendly and helpful (unlike some of the passengers). As others have noted, there are major irritations: hand luggage rules are rather randomly applied but if you stick to them (and they are very clearly stated when you book) there is no problem. I have little sympathy for those who have not bothered to read them or think they do not apply to them, and there appear to be several on every flight. The constant selling on board is annoying, but take some personal music and reading material and just ignore it. Maybe if nobody buys their scratchcards they will stop selling them? I fly fairly frequently with more 'traditional' airlines and frankly the difference in the standard of service in economy class is not that much better for maybe twice the price (though admittedly you can pay Ryanair level prices if you book in advance and choose less popular times).

STN-KIR and return. A few years ago it would only cost £80 for our flights. The price was £300 now, and for these fares, you're better of looking elsewhere if possible. The flight itself was fine, but as usual the staff seemed disinterested and inattentive throughout. I flew with easyJet the week before, and the increase in service and overall friendliness with them was remarkable. But, as long as you read the rules and regulations before you travel, Ryanair is a tolerable experience.

You get what you pay for. In this case, for the little you pay, what you get is actually a half decent flight. Cabin crew were funny, the flight smooth and on time. Make sure you do your research about the rules and regulations. We knew all about the bag sizes but some people clearly didn't and had to empty luggage in the bin! Also, some people do push in the queue, however this nonsense about rushing on the plane is rubbish.

We have flown on numerous occasions with Ryanair the most recent Luton-Girona 02.09.12 and found once again no problems what so ever, we actually arrived at Girona 25 minutes early due to tail winds which was nice. Same old story with people not sticking to weight limits and then blaming Ryanair, we were at the bag drop off with only 8 people ahead of us, 4, yes 4 people were overweight and were either switching bag contents between themselves or having to go and pay the excess and moaning. The return flight 12.09.12 was just as efficient and although we left 15 minutes late we arrived back on time. Once again a very satisfactory performance.

POZ-STN. Unfriendly and tired staff, nervous atmosphere during the speedy boarding. During the flight I had to listen announcements like "Win trip to Las Vegas" or "Buy 6 scratches, get 6 free" etc. Flight on time.

A regular commuter Italy-UK, I was one of those rare people who stood up for this company on the basis you get what you pay for - stick to the rules and get from A to B for a cheap price and on-time. Recently however its become apparent the FA's have been instructed not to leave passengers alone for a single moment during the flight. The announcements are non-stop for the various sales items, and the items of tat they're trying to sell is embarassing. Recently I had 3 attempts at flogging the lottery tickets on a 1hr 50 flight. Its particularly irritating on the early or late flights taken by business travelers. So on balance, their on-time record is still great but the unpleasantness of the flight experience from the second you step on the plane is pushing me to alternative carriers. The difference in costs are no longer so wide, BA and EZY are often less expensive nowadays without all the nonsense.

Manchester to Dublin and return. Checked in online and printed off boarding passes several days before. Ryanair's outdated method of boarding where no one is given a seat number meant that the departure area around the gates got flooded with people queuing before boarding was even announced. I had a mad panic about by back pack the night before as it was 1/2cm deeper than stated but decided to run with it anyway as I had no other bags. It fitted very comfortably into the bag checker at check in, and there were many people with carry on luggage MUCH larger than my own who were allowed to take it into the cabin - in one instance a girl who struggled to fit hers into the overhead cabin! Very strict about the 1 piece at Manchester. Flight left on time and arrived on time, cabin crew busy selling food, magazines, scratchcards. No welcome from captain on either flight. No airline in flight magazine. One thing to note was that the bag checker at the gate at Dublin was noticeably smaller than the one at Manchester. Although the flight was ok, no major troubles and landed on time, I would not choose to travel Ryanair again - too much jumping through hoops, stress and totally inconsistent policies on hand luggage.

We flew to Cork and the service was awful. I appreciate the flights are cheap before all the add ons but it just wasn't worth it. My main complaint was that they seem to open the gate for boarding so everyone gets up and forms a queue only to then wait at least 15-20mins before they actually let customers through. And obviously as everyone is concerned about getting seats together everyone wants to stay in the queue. Also there was no air conditioning at the gate, it was a hot day, everyone was getting very tired and my elderly mother who has a bad back was really suffering. I know they make it clear that carry on hand luggage needs to be a certain size, weight etc which on the way out we were very careful about but no one checked the weight of our bags and we were also allowed to take on a plastic bag from the duty free shop no problem - and we had been told at the duty free shop that Ryanair allowed a duty free bag. Yet on the way back a very rude, officious young man made us weigh our bags and said all duty free bags must be inside the main bag. We explained we had been told at the duty free shop that this would be allowed but he didn't care and said it wasn't his problem! My bag weighed 1.5kg over and yet my mums was 2kg under yet he made us swap all our things over and made us put our duty free bags inside etc. - bearing in mind we only had very small duty free bags with a couple of presents not massive bags full of spirits! It was just humiliating as the rest of the passengers passed us - and he didn't make everyone weigh their bags just seemed to pick on a few. I found the staff rude, petty and unhelpful!

Flew Bristol - Malaga and return. Paid for priority boarding - well worth the extra in my opinion. Check in queues were long, but for our particular flight was only 5 deep. 5 check in gates in Malaga. Easy to get seats together, plenty of room for hand luggage. Entertainment consisted of my mp3 player turned to such a volume that the multiple sales announcements are inaudible. Both journeys departed and arrived on time. Staff were courteous at all times. 2nd time we've flown with them, and probably won't be the last.

Stansted to Malta. Check in delayed due to additional forms which all passengers were asked to sign for each piece of luggage to confirm that they were not damaged, apparently due to many complaints on this route. Check-in staff was not a happy soul this morning and struggled to explain this properly. Otherwise flight was punctual, pre-allocated seats in row two worked well and crew friendly. Euro 3.50 for a bottle of water on board is excessive.

I guess with Ryanair it's a case of a little experience goes a long way. I booked my first flight with them from home in Australia. The flight was Barcelona to Mahon, return. When I arrived in Europe I got an email saying I had to check in online and print my boarding pass, this was news to me as I had booked and paid through one of the many online websites that just sell the seats. So. I had to mess about in Barcelona finding somewhere to print out the boarding passes. Got all that done and then arrived at the airport to discover I also needed to pay for my bag as I had missed the section on paying for luggage. So had to fork out 100 euros to get my bag to Mahon. Hopefully the return trip will be ok. I have my bag checked in at 25 euro, so cross fingers it all goes through. I think the only way to take advantage of the cheap fares they offer is to travel within their system. Have all your luggage in a bag size and weight that will pass the carry on requirements. Print the boarding pass before you leave home. Otherwise. It was an ok flight.

I have flown many times from London Stansted to Graz and have found the flights always on time and very good service. I hope the service will continue as I have read they will not be going to Graz this winter, I know many people will be saddened by this decision as they are the only Airline that flies direct from the UK and at a very reasonable price. If they cannot get Ryanair back, I am sure another Airline will take their place as the aircraft is always nearly full.

Tallinn - Dublin, it does what it says on the tin, yes there are more rules and precautions than flying with other airlines but I can't argue with a fare of 48 euro for a 3hr flight booked two weeks in advance! Follow the rules regarding online check-in and baggage weight limits and it's usually fine. Earphones allow you to miss the constant sales announcements. Ryanair are closing this route for the winter, I hope that it will be reintroduced next spring as it's very popular.

My husband and I travelled to Majorca on the 6th September 2012 with Ryanair, and I must admit, after reading all the reviews, we were paranoid about the size of baggage we could take. We flew from Edinburgh Airport and the staff couldn't have been nicer, but I'm afraid the Spanish staff are totally different, and we felt they were picking people randomly. How come you can travel with hand luggage from Edinburgh and not pay any excess, but have to pay returning from Palma, as happened to a passenger in front of us? 50 euros is a lot of money to find when coming home from holiday.

First and last time ever with Ryanair. Staff were very aggressive and we read the rules, having been warned what a poor reputation they had for customer service. We ended up paying extra for a handbag' being informed at boarding and having paid six pounds for the privilege of dashing to our seat first. We were only told at the last minute and we could have easily been informed on the 3 prior check in points. We were then hassled into paying 50 pounds for a handbag as we were told to rush as everybody was boarding and we did not have time to put in our hand luggage, which we has ensured had weight capacity and within the specific dimensions. We both felt, as experienced travellers, that this airline was designed to seek and exploit every opportunity to gain extra revenue. We would never ever fly with them again.