Ryanair Review

Overall 2.40 of 5 view all 5 reviews

richelmore
Chattanooga, TN

A HUGE money saver

budget conscious traveler, love to travel, family traveler

Pros

inexpensive, basically only pay for the fuel, transport to all major European cities, quick flights, cheap, easy way to get around quickly

Cons

airport taxes are high by MAJOR cities, no seat assignments, no snacks, charges for gas prices can be a shocker

AUG

2008

Ryanair —

I spent the last three years of high school (2003-2006) in England with my mom and siblings while my dad was stationed in Italy (Navy). Since we were in Europe, we knew we had to take advantage of the locale. So, we traveled as much and as often as possible. This made our time overseas so much more enjoyable than it would have been without and I cherish my travel memories so much.

How does RyanAir fit in? They are the only airline we used when flying within Europe. The prices were often dirt cheap; the gas charges are what brought them up. Still, when flying all around, I often got tickets, including fuel charges, for 15 GBP. We knew that the fuel charges would be many, many times more than the basic charge (often only 1p). For price, absolutely nothing compares. They do tend to take you to kind of remote airports but none so remote you can't get to and from the major city easily.

We hated the bright yellow furnishings but loved the cheapness and ease of transport. Perhaps it was because I usually traveled with a young child (little brother) so we got to skip the lines a lot. Even when not, though, we stuck together and just put up with it. No flight was so long that we couldn't manage sitting away from each other or by a smelly old man. No big deal. Snacks are not provided, to cut costs. Solution: bring your own or just wait 'til you get to your destination. Easy. I've taken many school trips with RyanAir that wouldn't have been an option with higher prices. You take what you can get. You just got a flight from London to Prague for 60 GBP? SCORE!

Really, just think of RyanAir as public transport. It's not supposed to be clean, accomodating, and luxurious. Buses never are, why does an airplane that gets you where you want to go so much faster supposed to be? With cost-cutting airlines like RyanAir, you get to go where you want without sacrificing too much of your money.

If on a European vacation and not just hopping around while living overseas, just remember that the weight limit per bag is not as much as the limit for US international flights. Chances are you don't need that much luggage anyway, though. My brother, sister, and I always fit an entire summer's worth of clothing and then summer shopping into the bags we carried without a hitch. One time I even brought a 3.5kg (7.2lbs!) hunk of marble back from Italy without a problem.

Just know that this isn't luxury. You get what you pay for. You also get to see Europe when on a budget. Just go with the flow, talk to some of your neighbors from all over the world, and enjoy your trip!

Recommendation: I always use RyanAir when abroad and recommend it to everyone.