Yes, it’s right, but by the time you add all the fees it will probably be about 20 pounds, which is still a good deal of course.

Then you’ll have to figure some amount to get from the airport to where you’re staying.

But still, it’s a very good deal, and if you want it, you should buy it now, because it won’t last.

These flights are obviously not in main cities… but how FAR out are they? Are there hostels/hotels nearby, because the planes land REALLY late at night time (10pm-11pm).

Prestwick to Beauvais. On the Ryanair homepage, click "Destinations" on the left side. Wait for the map to load. Then click your origination and destination cities for links to local airport homepages, bus and transport links. Ryanair almost always have worked out a shuttle bus from the outlying airports to the main city’s central bus or train station—and usually at a very reasonable price. These busses will wait if a Ryanair flight is delayed arriving because otherwise, they won’t have any passengers.

1. Do the ryanair flights get cancelled often? I would hate to be stranded without time/money to get where I need to before my flight leaves on its way back to Canada (at the end of my trip!)

2. The amount they allow (15-20kg) is that very much? Would my backpack weigh that much – probably not?

3. If I wanted to go from Glasgow to Paris, would this be cheeper in time/money than going on the bus/chunnel? Because I want to bypass London until our return.

SORRY for so many questions – I have so many more, I’ll try to pace them

20 kg is the usual limit of all major airlines and it’s quite enough for a backpack.

1 kg = 2.2 lb

so a 15kg allowance = 33 lbs. checked baggage allowed free w/Ryanair
10kg carry on = 22 lbs. allowed free with Ryanair
= 55 lbs. of stuff

I honestly can’t imagine schlepping around more than 55 lbs. worth of stuff on any trip unless I were a trade rep or something.

If you have to meet up with a flight back to Canada, I’d suggest leaving at least one overnight night, or even two, at the end of your trip so you don’t have to worry about this. Ryanair’s flights are cancelled very rarely, but like any airline, there can be delays from time to time.

Like Don says, the luggage weight restrictions shouldn’t be a problem for the typical budget traveler.

I had a Ryanair flight I was on cancelled once because of heavy snowfall (in Belgium, where it rarely ever snows). They gave me a choice of flying stand-by the next day, or for sure the day after that, so I picked the safer option and saw my trip cut 2 days short. But I’m sure that sort of thing is very rare, and happens with other airlines as well (Ryanair were the only airline flying form that airport at the time). And I was very pleased with the way Ryanair handled it, and the friendliness of their staff. But if you need to catch a flight back to Canada, yes it would be wise to have 1 or 2 days inbetween the 2 flights.

quote:

I honestly can’t imagine schlepping around more than 55 lbs. worth of stuff on any trip unless I were a trade rep or something.

Don:

Are you allowed to use the word ‘schlepping’ in Norway? And does anyone there have any idea what it means?

If anyone has good experience with Ryanair could you answer this. Do you need reservations for these cheap flights or could I just walk into an airport and expect to get a .99euro flight? Becasue I’d like to possibly take advantage of those flights but my itinerary won’t be that solid to make reservations.

quote:Do you need reservations for these cheap flights or could I just walk into an airport and expect to get a .99euro flight?

Yes! You do need to book early to get these really cheap fares. One way that Ryanair and the other low-fare airlines actually make money is by charging much higher walk-up fares. However their walk-up fares are still much less than you would have to pay on other airlines. You can do a sample booking on their site with departure today or tomorrow just to see the difference in airfare.

I have "eaten" a cheap flight with Ryanair before. I paid such a small amount that it wasn’t a big deal that I missed it—maybe $30 with taxes—and flight insurance would have cost more than that.

It’s too bad that ryanair doesnt have a frequent flyer program. But, as people have told you before, yes it’s all for reals, and the taxes are what will get you. Sometimes they will even have flights for free and you just pay the taxes. The prices will change everyday—trust me on this one. It’s annoying you think youre going to pay 30 euros but it goes up. So, I would go ahead and buy it. I’ve used Ryanair 7 times last year and I never had a flight cancelled. www.Easyjet.com has great deals too and they fly into major airports, instead out out in the middle of nowwhere Beavais-Paris. But, the Dublin one is the major airport so that ones good.

I have flown Ryanair many times, and rarely has there been a problem. Sometimes flights are delayed, rarely cancelled….but the fares are absolute bargains at times….and yes you definatly need to book as far in advance as possible.

Do remember though that they rarely use the main airport of a city, so take into consideration to transportation costs for your transfer…Ive still found that its cheaper to fly with them though!

They are quite strict on your luggage allowance in my experience so be careful with that!

Hope this helps.

I flew them once and had a 3 hour delay, but it was worth it for .99 GBP. Anybody have any idea how they make a profit?

Another question – If I book RyanAir from here in the USA, I’m thinking that I would probably need a printout of my confirmation and id/visa right? Do I need anything else? Do they send out a confirmation email with the itinerary?

Thanks,
-Dee

Passport and confirmation print out—that’s all. I don’t think Ryanair fly anywhere you will need a visa unless you plan to stay beyond the tourist allowance (90 days Schengen, 6 months UK, 1 month most others).

Unless viswad is a citizen of a country which does require a visa for European travel.

If you fly Ryanair you may encounter problems you WON´T have with other airlines, such as: >Refusal at check-in because your passport is blotchy or worn or valid less than 6 months -they might then sell your cheap seat and offer you another flight later that day, ten times as expensive (no more probs with your papers) >Huge delays and then cancelations leaving you alone in a far-out joint named "Frankfurt Hahn Airport" (85 miles away from the real EDDF airport) or "Milan" (actually Bergamo airport, somewehere in the Alps) with nothing given than a tiny sheet of paper with a premium phone number (expext to pay $ 4,50 per minute to hear only some hold-the-line-muzak) and their Head Office address in Dublin/Ireland. There you have to humbly ask for a refund of the fare which MIGHT be granted within 4 weeks. If you manage to make the sometimes really unfriendly (overworked and underpaid) staff to offer you another flight 2 days later, you have to pay that flight full fare not knowing if you will get your monies back for the first one. Don´t expect to ever see any kind of Station Manager or so who cares about your problems -they dont´t have any. Under NO circumstances be late at check-in for even ten seconds: They will have sold your seat to someone willing to pay ten times more than you and not give you any refund. Their "cheap" fares get blown up by fees, taxes, a "booking charge" of $ 6 per person per flight (!) for use of credit card, insurances you book unwillingly if you don´t uncheck them in their Internet booking form and so on. This list is not complete! So if you are the daring (and patient) kind -go ahead and fly Ryanair!

These are the sort of stories I’ve heard from people who’ve never flown Ryanair (but who know someone who knows someone who has) frequently. My own experience is different. Yes, if you are late for check-in, you’ll lose your seat, so don’t be late for check-in. And they don’t give refunds, but they will book you onto a later flight!

Seraphim: What´s wrong about knowing people who experienced the Ryanair policy? Websites and forums dealing with budget flying are full of those stories -if you would listen to them you could learn a lot! By the way: Most part of my posting describes my own experience -facts, no hearsay! After My family and I got lost at Hahn airport after a 6-hours delay of Ryanair, they gave us NO refund, NO other flight that day (and on the next day we would have to pay extra), NO information (not even a cup of coffee,) they just left us alone -together with 150 other wish-to-be -passengers. That´s the truth Ruth. What´s so good about cheap flying when you don´t take off?