# Ryanair Booking Ordeal -I don't want a Ryanair suitcase.



## Kimmagegirl (25 Jul 2013)

I have just gone through the ordeal of booking some flights with Ryanair. Having to opt out of not purchasing travel insurance, priority boarding, reserved seating, purchasing a suitcase, purchasing a gamble to win a free flight, then a pop up page asking me if I was sure if I wanted to opt out of travel insurance, then a pop up for Hertz cars rental and probably some others that I have already forgotten....it's an absolute disgrace. No wonder people make mistakes inputting information about dates, names, credit card details etc. All the while looking at the monetary tot in the right hand column of the booking page as you progress is not easy.

Why I have to opt out of purchasing a Ryanair suitcase is beyond me!


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## Slim (25 Jul 2013)

Kimmagegirl said:


> I have just gone through the ordeal of booking some flights with Ryanair. Having to opt out of not purchasing travel insurance, priority boarding, reserved seating, purchasing a suitcase, purchasing a gamble to win a free flight, then a pop up page asking me if I was sure if I wanted to opt out of travel insurance, then a pop up for Hertz cars rental and probably some others that I have already forgotten....it's an absolute disgrace. No wonder people make mistakes inputting information about dates, names, credit card details etc. All the while looking at the monetary tot in the right hand column of the booking page as you progress is not easy.
> 
> Why I have to opt out of purchasing a Ryanair suitcase is beyond me!


 
Totally agree...and you will have to go through it all again when you go to check in online!!


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## dereko1969 (25 Jul 2013)

If you don't like it book with someone else for the same price......if you can find them.


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## runner (25 Jul 2013)

you actually get used of dodging bullets there eventually and it can be done fairly quickly ..and we are all there for the price anyway.


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## Laramie (25 Jul 2013)

dereko1969 said:


> If you don't like it book with someone else for the same price......if you can find them.



It doesn't have to follow that because something is reasonably priced that you have to go through an ordeal to get it? Anyhow Ryanair is no longer a low cost airline. Their prices have been creeping up very quickly in the past year or so.


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## Mystic Oil (25 Jul 2013)

dereko1969 said:


> If you don't like it book with someone else for the same price......if you can find them.



Ryanair dominate European skies, but EasyJet, Vueling, Norwegian, and (increasingly) Aer Lingus offer real alternatives.


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## dereko1969 (25 Jul 2013)

Mystic Oil said:


> Ryanair dominate European skies, but EasyJet, Vueling, Norwegian, and (increasingly) Aer Lingus offer real alternatives.


 
That's true, people here seem to only look at Ryanair or Aer Lingus and forget that other airlines exist - I've flown cheaper to London with BA (though had booked with BMI flight was operated by BA) - really everyone should use www.skyscanner.ie to check their options.

The fact is though that moaning about Ryanair is just so tiresome and pointless, if you don't like them don't fly with them.


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## Lauren (25 Jul 2013)

Agree with the OP. The experience of booking and checking in online is so horrendous that I would actually pay more for an easier booking experience.


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## TarfHead (25 Jul 2013)

dereko1969 said:


> The fact is though that moaning about Ryanair is just so tiresome and pointless, if you don't like them don't fly with them.


 
I disagree. Sometimes, the RYANAIR flight is the only option for where you want to go. And if you pay them money to get you there, you're 'allowed' to comment and/or complain about the quality of service received.

Earlier this month, we travelled to Biarritz on a Tuesday and back to Dublin on the Friday of the same week. Both flights were with RYANAIR and booked in April. We (2 adults) paid nearly €600 for the flights, which included just one checked-in bag (15kg). We declined all other optional add-ons.

That, for me, is not a cheap flight so the usual defence of "_Ah sure you paid half nothing so what do you expect_" does not apply here.

RYANAIR and the DAA are doing a great job in encouraging Irish people to holliday at home .


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## Mongola (25 Jul 2013)

I hadn’t flown with Ryanair for a few years until recently.  I was attending a wedding which about an hour away from Beauvais.  It was easier to fly there and rent a car than flying to Charles de Gaulle and having to cross l’Ile de France.  Now, I agree, the online booking process is an obstacle course! The fact that “no insurance required” is at the bottom of the list rather than the top baffles me.  I truly believe that they do hope that some people will not notice things like that and end up paying for them without realising it.  The process is confusing and in my opinion, done on purpose.  In saying that, you know what to expect with Ryanair now: we have heard enough about it to know that the handbag and shopping bags should fit in the suitcase, you will be penalised for not checking in online etc… Although they are not always the cheapest, should one decide to fly with them, they should follow their rules and the journey will be pain free!   The only thing is that if you are an elderly person or are simply distracted/not paying attention during the booking process, it can turn into a real headache. 

For me, it was no handbag, a suitcase that did not look like it was overflowing but most importantly: a reserved seat!  This meant that we just had to walk in without the pushing and sometimes shoving in the queue.  One thing I was quite happy about is the fact that the first few rows are “off limit”.  The reason I do appreciate this is that for example when I book my seat with Aer Lingus, although I do have a seat booked, ususally 2D as I like to be in and out, unless I board the plane quickly enough, I am not guaranteed a space for my little suitcase.  Meaning that you have to walk up the aisle until you find an available space.  So even if you are seating at the front, when disembarking, you will probably not be one of the 1st to do so.  So, this is something I appreciated.   

Where the journey went sour for us is that after all of that, we could not rent the car as we had both forgotten our driving licences at home!!!!!


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## ashambles (25 Jul 2013)

TarfHead said:


> Earlier this month, we travelled to Biarritz on a Tuesday and back to Dublin on the Friday of the same week. Both flights were with RYANAIR and booked in April. We (2 adults) paid nearly €600 for the flights, which included just one checked-in bag (15kg). We declined all other optional add-ons.
> 
> That, for me, is not a cheap flight so the usual defence of "_Ah sure you paid half nothing so what do you expect_" does not apply here.


You're flying in July, all Irish schools and colleges are closed. Why would Ryanair sell these peak travel time tickets cheaply in April or any other time? Imagine M'OL telling shareholders we'd 100% seat sales in July but the clever cloggses tricked us by booking early so we didn't make the profit per passenger we'd hoped for.  

With computerized price setting you will get little discount for booking early of near guaranteed sales. You might even get penalized for identifying yourself as a someone who has a restricted travel window.

If you want cheap tickets you need to travel when Ryanair isn't so confident of filling a flight.


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## seantheman (25 Jul 2013)

Mongola said:


> Where the journey went sour for us is that after all of that, we could not rent the car as we had both forgotten our driving licences at home!!!!!


 
Bloody typical of Ryanair, ye'd think they could have sent ye a reminder


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## Jim2007 (25 Jul 2013)

seantheman said:


> Bloody typical of Ryanair, ye'd think they could have sent ye a reminder



Ah well, the very efficient  airline took it upon itself to send us all our boarding cards by email last Tuesday morning - to be printed out!!!  Given we only had smartphones it failed!

Small wonder when we got to Dublin airport there were very few in the queue for the "WebCheck-in/baggage drop off" everyone was in the other queue explaining that they could not print out the boarding passes...


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## elcato (25 Jul 2013)

> The fact that “no insurance required” is at the bottom of the list  rather than the top baffles me.  I truly believe that they do hope that  some people will not notice things like that and end up paying for them  without realising it.  The process is confusing and in my opinion, done  on purpose.


Possibly, but the fact is that you have to select something deliberately to actually get charged for it. If you don't fill in any of the fields you will get an error telling you that you have not entered an answer. It's also now easy to see what you are paying for as the flight total is at the start, not like the old days where they added the tax and charges later on. So at the end if the price does not tally with your initial price you can venture back and change it. Now if you didn't have a mouse and had to tab around using the keyboard that would be difficult.


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## putsch (25 Jul 2013)

What really scares me is the future. I already find the Ryanair booking process difficult and intimidating and while I am no spring chick I am at least computer literate and used to dealing with administrative issues. In 10 or 15 years times I may not be able to manage it.


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## shesells (25 Jul 2013)

There is a "add no extras" button or something like that at the bottom of the page??


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## TommyB (25 Jul 2013)

Its a bit of an ordeal but its a game worth playing. Whatever you click you only have to keep an eye on the price. If that changes something has gone wrong. 

I'd still encourage people to mess up and pay too much as they subsidise the low costs for the rest of us.


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## Mongola (26 Jul 2013)

seantheman said:


> Bloody typical of Ryanair, ye'd think they could have sent ye a reminder



I know !!!! It would have been nice indeed!


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## Mongola (26 Jul 2013)

putsch said:


> What really scares me is the future. I already find the Ryanair booking process difficult and intimidating and while I am no spring chick I am at least computer literate and used to dealing with administrative issues. In 10 or 15 years times I may not be able to manage it.



I think you have used the right word here, it can be intimidating and I completely agree with you.  While I would be comfortable and confident today when it comes to computer in 20/30 years time, it may be a different story.  But who knows how we will travel by then?


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## Black Sheep (26 Jul 2013)

Who said the days of cheap flights are over. I've just booked the annual trip (return) to Nice for 2 for €151


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## poppy1 (20 Aug 2013)

just booked flights for 4 of us to london the oct bh €160 now thats a bargain


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## roker (20 Aug 2013)

I take you are not going on holiday and have no luggage


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## seantheman (20 Aug 2013)

roker said:


> I take you are not going on holiday and have no luggage


 
I would have thought that 4 people flying to London for the Oct bank holiday weekend could be loosely termed a holiday.


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## dereko1969 (21 Aug 2013)

seantheman said:


> I would have thought that 4 people flying to London for the Oct bank holiday weekend could be loosely termed a holiday.


 
Yes, but haters gonna hate.

I just booked a weekend in Manchester in October for €45 return, out Friday afternoon, return Sunday evening. Oh, and I was able to read the screen and just tick no to all the additions, and my carry-on bag will suffice with room to spare.


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## Magpie (21 Aug 2013)

Is it really such an ordeal to click no thanks five times? It takes seconds. I think some people just think it compulsory to whinge about ryanair. If you hate them so, fly with someone else. But really, clicking a few drop downs on a website is by no reasonable definition  a dreadful ordeal.


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## roker (21 Aug 2013)

It's the way you can be caught out, particularly if you are not used to the site


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## dereko1969 (21 Aug 2013)

roker said:


> I take you are not going on holiday and have no luggage


 


roker said:


> It's the way you can be caught out, particularly if you are not used to the site


 
I'm not seeing any link between these two posts other than just whining about Ryanair. Why would someone necessarily have to bring bags with them on a weekend away? It's a choice the person makes and Ryanair don't hide what they charge for bags to be put in the hold, so what's the problem?


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## daithi28 (21 Aug 2013)

Indeed I am NO fan of Ryanair. Whilst their prices are tempting at times I can always find the same price or a similar price from alternative airlines if I spend about 15 mins surfing the net.

I've probably flown to Malaga about 20 times in the last 7 years. The first few times I flew Ryanair but for about €20 more I always got a similar flight with Aer Lingus or Iberia. For me it was worth the €20 not to have to travel with Ryanair. Given the flights are 2hrs 45mins each way, that's only an additional cost of €3.63 per flight hour to get helpful and respectful service, from check-in, to boarding, to in-flight service and disembarckation. I'm not asking to be pampered, I'm just asking to be treated like a decent human being.

I know some will say that you get what you pay for with Ryanair, but as I live in a border county, I've gravitated more towards using Easyjet out of Belfast to get to Malaga in the last few years. They operate a similar no-frills policy as Ryanair, but apart from the garish orange interior of their aircraft, they provide the same courteous service as Aer Lingus, Iberia etc. 

So I see no reason why Ryanair have to be the exception in terms of excusing their actions.....................


...........and rant over


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## Magpie (21 Aug 2013)

roker said:


> It's the way you can be caught out, particularly if you are not used to the site



Caught out? How? You have to actively opt in to any of the extras, its all very clear. All you have to do is read the info and check the right box.


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## Black Sheep (22 Aug 2013)

I have been flying with Ryanair for many years and so far have never had a problem. We have been caught out with Ash clouds, Air traffic controllers strike and other incidents but have always been either re-scheduled or re-imbursed by them. 

By the way I am going to Nice (as mentioned in my previous post) for a week's holidays with carry-on bag only. They actually have water in France and even washing machines also!!


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## so-crates (23 Aug 2013)

As a very, very frequent flyer over the last ten years, I would agree  with the OP, the Ryanair check-in experience is overlong and loaded with  questions already asked at time of booking. It smacks of Mrs Doyle to  me and irrespective of whether or not I can click no thank you multiple  times, as a customer experience it is less than engaging. They aren't  the only perpetrators of this upselling approach, booking flights with  BA recently I noted the same eagerness for me to take advantage of  various offers that they had to make. Needless to say, they got the same  response that Ryanair do. 

On the bash/defend Ryanair that these  topics always seem to drift to. For the most part, I have had fair to  reasonable service from Ryanair, most staff have been courteous, most  flights have flown and have operated reasonably on time. Furthermore I fly  frequently enough to be irritated but not put out by the various zealous  campaigns that their management institute to squeeze the last cent out  of the client base. However, as time has gone on, I am less and less  inclined to fly Ryanair, while I am not excluded by their busy website,  their cross-selling, their up-selling, their strictures, etc, I am put  off by it. It is a little bit of extra hassle and irritation that I  would have to encounter every week if I was flying with them and, as  other posters have pointed out, the price is far from always right. 

So  as time has gone on, Ryanair have worked hard at it and lost me as a  regular customer. Once I chose to fly with them weekly, now I only do so  when I really have no other option.


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## DrMoriarty (23 Aug 2013)

One thing I will say in Ryanair's favour is that at least you can check in online a full 15 days before the flight (i.e. allowing you to check in for both outward and inward flights on a typical fortnight holiday). I was returning from Thailand recently and the Etihad online check-in could only be done 24 hours before take-off, which was not at all convenient as we were by then already travelling back to Phuket via ferries and buses, and internet access/printing facilities were not readily available. Aer Lingus aren't much better with their 30-hour window. 

Mind you, these other airlines don't gouge you the way Ryanair do if you _don't _check in online...


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## Sunny (23 Aug 2013)

I am actually always surprised at how good Ryanair staff are when you consider the CEO's attitude towards customer service. 

Ryanair offer a certain service. Everyone knows what it is and they have no need to apologise to anyone considering how successful they are. However, their business model is to have headline fares as low as possible while getting people to spend money on ancillary items like baggage and lottery tickets. This of course leads to hard selling. I don't enjoy it but considering the amount of muppets I see on flights buying said lottery tickets, I don't blame them for trying.


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## so-crates (23 Aug 2013)

Actually Dr Moriarty, be careful with that particular "bonus" of a fifteen day check in. Once checked in you cannot make changes to the flight, not usually something you'd have to worry about (or want to pay for) but I have seen it cause a problem or two which were costly.
The big problem with the Ryanair checkin policy (as opposed to experience) is the four hour cut-off which is an unusually long cut-off and the lack of a mobile check-in facility (the insistence of the scrap of paper).


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