# Ryanair Priority Boarding



## lyonsa3 (10 Apr 2010)

Hi,
I'll be travelling to lanzarote in the summer from Liverpool.  As I'll have 3 kids with me and my wife, I'm considering buying Priority Boarding from ryanair.

Does anybody know if this is worth paying for? Would need to be sitting with kids as they are young.

From hearing horror stories and reading past posts I'm undecided what to do.  Does anybody have any recent experiences with Priority Boarding with ryanair. I know they limit Priority Boarding to 90 people per flight but I'd like to be confident that we'll all get on together and sit together.

Cheers


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## tenchi-fan (10 Apr 2010)

I paid for it before with a group of friends. It was great walking past everyone else in the queue but really, we weren't in that much of a hurry.
The only benefit I can see for you is you'll all get to sit together & less commotion when boarding the plane.


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## diver (11 Apr 2010)

I travelled with Ryanair recently and had priority boarding....both queues were the same length. We were near the back of the priority boarding queue, as we reached the top of the queue, Ryanair gate staff had already started to board people in the regular queue. It was bedlam!

I think it's worth paying that bit extra for priority boarding but also make sure that you arrive at the gate in plenty of time to ensure you are near the top of the queue!

Happy travelling!


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## feltox (11 Apr 2010)

I would recommend paying for it to seat together especially with kids and be near the top of pb que


I have seem families turn up late on other filghts at back of the que with other airlines and it is expected that a single person who got on the plane first would have to move if free seat next to them so an audut and daughter say 9/10 years old could seat together- This has happened me twice and both times the female parent did not even say thanks for moving. If they want to seat together they should be responsible themselves to be near top of the que to guarantee a seat. If I did not move to give them two seats side by side I would be seem as awkard. I have a thing about getting a idle seat as a nervous flyer


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## BOXtheFOX (11 Apr 2010)

tenchi-fan said:


> The only benefit I can see for you is you'll all get to sit together & less commotion when boarding the plane.


 
You are not guaranteed to get seats together. If you are near the top of the priority queue you might get seats together. If you are at the back of the priority queue you might not get seats together. It also depends on how fast you can walk to the plane. You could be overtaken by non priority passengers especially if you are struggling with three young children. At some airports the priority queue only gives you priority to the bus that will take you to the plane. There is then a mad rush to the plane.

It is absolutely dreadful and with little difference between Ryanair prices and Aer Lingus prices I am now choosing Aer Lingus over Ryanair. I would rather pay extra for my specific seat that put up with the Ryanair scrum.


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## serotoninsid (11 Apr 2010)

Can't see the point in priority boarding myself.  You get on early - but you still have to wait for everyone to get their backsides on the plane.   One of the most annoying things is how long it takes everyone to settle down...jeez...how long should it take to sit down!


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## tenchi-fan (11 Apr 2010)

BOXtheFOX said:


> You are not guaranteed to get seats together.



True, very little is guaranteed with ryanair to be honest! best the op can do is arrive early and hope for the best.

op, i wouldn't worry too much about not getting 5 seats all together, 2+3 is usually fine. there's nothing stopping the kids changing places after all and the flight isn't *that* long. 

you can also be a bit pushy when you're on the plane. ask people "would you might swapping seats" or "can i sit on the outside".. a lot of people prefer sitting by the window anyway and people can be a pushover if you make a direct request. don't be afraid to walk slowly down the aisle of the plane either until you spot good seats together, people can't just push past you after all.


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## z107 (11 Apr 2010)

> and people can be a pushover if you make a direct request.


This comment make me feel like never swapping seats to accommodate someone, ever again.


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## tenchi-fan (11 Apr 2010)

umop3p!sdn said:


> This comment make me feel like never swapping seats to accommodate someone, ever again.



haha yea i know. it's true though. Personally I have respect for people but there's a saying "don't ask don't get" and some people just have such a sense of entitlement!


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## Yeager (11 Apr 2010)

Its a farce, don't waste your money. You will all get seats together.

I'd happily move if it was a case of having to sit beside kids. In fact I wouldn't have to be asked I'd be gone!


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## tosullivan (11 Apr 2010)

this is what we do...
I book my flight with kids as they are on my passport without p/boarding. Then book my wifes flight on its own with p/boarding. She gets on the top of the line and keeps the seats when she gets on.  Usually people don't ask as she puts a bag on the seats she's keeping.


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## k&d (11 Apr 2010)

I use that same strategy - divide parents  works a treat usually!


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## lyonsa3 (12 Apr 2010)

Thanks for replies, think we will book the priority anyway.  Kids are 6, 4 and 2 so sitting apart is not really an option!


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## setanta1 (13 Apr 2010)

Just board and take seats wherever you find them. When everyone is seated call the Ryanair attendant and ask him/her to take a bottle back to your 2 year old, and check if s/he needs a new nappy. You'll be seated together in jig time!


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## Shoeshopgirl (13 Apr 2010)

We're flying to spain in July with thomas cook (2 adults & 1 child - 8yrs old).  there was an option at the booking stage to pay extra to get seats together on the plane.  I didn't choose this option as I figured that if we check in early we'll probably get them together anyway.  Any other time I went on holidays this was never a problem.


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## addob (13 Apr 2010)

Not sure if this has been mentioned before, but we flew from Liverpool to Dublin just last month and there was no designated Priority boarding Q - everyone was just in one. Mentioned it then as I was glad we hadn't paid additional for something that clearly wan't being offered!

ad


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## phanteon (13 Apr 2010)

Pay for priority boarding. Small money for big saving in hassle in your situation


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## micamaca (13 Apr 2010)

I have flown and paid for priority twice in last month. I don't usually bother. Both times it was a bit of a farce, as the plane was late landing, so we did not get any priority other than having our boarding passes checked first. Then all the other passengers had theirs done immediately and stood behind us in the queue while we waited for arriving passengers to disembark. 

The only advantage I can see is that you avoid queuing for half an hour before the plane lands, as everyone in the 'Other' queue seems content to do these days in an effort to be first on the plane. In priority the queue is generally smaller and you will be checked first (in most cases) before everyone doing normal queuing. So then you can sit down while everyone else is queuing and you should still get on the flight before most people and get your seats together.  

It is a farce though in most airports. In Memmingen airport near Munich, the priority passengers used to walk onto the plane first before they would let the other passengers head out. But in Frankfurt-Hahn, it's every man for himself! 

I hope that helps.


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