Ryanair

There is a first and last time for everything. I reluctantly booked a flight from Gatwick to Dublin with Ryanair and I should have taken notice of all the negative reviews first. I was out of Internet connection for 6 days prior to my flight so could not do the final booking online. I thought I would be able to do it when flying Norwegian but still could not access Ryanair website. I had 1 hour to get a boarding pass printed but after standing in line at the one Ryanair counter in Gatwick I had run out of time. Ryanair insisted I pay £70 for printing out a boarding pass. The original ticket cost less. The result - I will never fly Ryanair ever! Everything is geared to make money from the moment you sit in your chair.

I have recently made two return trips on Ryanair. I am 6 ft 5 in (1m95) tall. Whilst I recognise that I am taller than average I am by no means unique these days. When the pilot said we should sit back and enjoy the flight - I was unable to comply. I was travelling with my wife. Had I not been then I would not have been able to contain my legs in my own space allocation. Recently the seats seems to be even more upright allowing less space still. I was not able to turn the pages of my tabloid newspaper adequately in the space between my chest and the seat in front and the newsprint was so close to my face I had to remove my spectacles to read it. Altogether a bad experience and I am questioning whether I will continue to use Ryanair in future.

FR8386 Jan 30. FR8387 Feb 2. Just come back from a long weekend in Majorca paid £75 for two return. I lhave been on lots of cheap flights in the past 15 years about six per year! All been great been to places that would have been unaffordable in the past.

I didn't have high expectations for this airline having used them a couple of times before however on this trip (Stansted to Berlin and return) they actually performed quite well. The outbound trip was on time the return about half an hour late. Seats are not that comfortable but are bearable for short flights. It was worth paying the supplement for extra legroom seats and priority boarding. Staff on board were helpful and courteous Food purchased on board was ok and the coffee excellent. The only let down was the poor service in the airports at each end but this was outside the control of the airline.

Logged into the site to print out boarding cards three days before flight from Stansted to Lanzarote and told that normal seating couldn't be booked until the Sunday were due to fly out at 7.15 am. So I had no option other than to pay an extra £20 for 'allocated seating' which turned out to be no different from normal seating. Friends have also reported this experience. Also been caught out by paying travel insurance because to opt out of this is not made clear. Used Ryanair frequently and they are good in term of price and punctuality but I'm always wary of 'tricks' they can pull to extract more money.

I'm embarrassed and confused to find myself writing a positive review on of all airlines the dreaded Ryanair! I've flown them a dozen or so times and always found them punctual clean and friendly staff generally value for money. The sales pitches were pathetic but seem to have been mostly removed. Seat pitch at around 23 inches is terribly uncomfortable but Monarch is much worse. 29 Jan 2015 FR3208 Manchester to Malaga. Manchester airport suffering from a 1 inch 5cm snowfall they were unable to cope with causing many delays and cancellations this is not the airlines fault just plain bad airport management. Arriving very late for the flight due to traffic delays the friendly gate staff smilingly allowed us onboard (45 mins after boarding began). As soon as we boarded the Capt announced a 30 min delay. Calculating a 5 hour delay I immediately asked to be disembarked - the capt responded immediately arranging stairs and ground crew. In minutes we were off with helpful crew around. As we entered the terminal the airport announced closure and the flight delayed by 90 minutes plus. Fact was it departed 4 hours 46 minutes later. We cancelled our seats. A few hours later I received an email advising that I could claim a refund or another flight. I opted for a refund and a few hours later received confirmation the refund had been processed!

London Stansted to Riga 28th Jan out and 30th Jan back. Once again an avid Ryanair fan like me gets a bargain of a ticket for £39.98 return! 2060 mile return journey for this price you cannot fault it! Play by the rules it is a piece of cake! Coming back we were 1.5 hours late due to snow at Stansted but easily forgiven because an airline cannot control the weather!

MAD-CIA. Last minute option but the experience was good for the price paid. Departed and arrived on time. The only issue is the stewards trying to sell too many products during the trip.

On a flight back to the UK from Dublin last night (26th January) we were surprised and pleased to hear that we would arrive back 20 mins ahead of time. On arrival at Gatwick the stairs were moved to the door ready for us to disembark but there seemed to be a problem and the cabin crew did not open the door. We sat there and waited and waited but not once did any member of the cabin crew explain to us why we were still sitting there. Eventually after some considerable time we used our own initiative and used the exit at the back of the plane. At no time did the Ryanair staff say anything! So much for Health and Safety. Seats were cramped and uncomfortable but as I am only 5ft 4ins not too bad for me but must be horrid if you are tall with long legs. Will try not to use again.

PRG-STN. Get what you pay for. Was mildly annoyed when I checked my reservation and saw that my only options as a non EU was to print my own boarding pass why no mobile option like everybody else? Check in desk was opened an hour before boarding and manned by one person. On the other side (for premium members?) there were 2 more employees but they were too busy giggling and messing around to consider taking a few passengers off the hands of the sole employee for economy. he was very friendly/quick and didn't seem at all jaded or phased that it was him vs 200 plus people. As I was in the front of the line my wait was short. The flight was full and everybody seemed to have carry on that well exceeded the limit so I was glad I paid the extra and checked my bag. Nobody was called out re succeeding the luggage limits so overhead space was at a premium but they got it all stowed. Cabin comfort was average and flight crew were pleasant enough. Arrived on time/luggage was offloaded quickly. All in all it was still a great price and well worth the money for the convenience of a short direct flight.