Here we are time of accounts. I have flown far and wide around Europe with Ryanair but it is really exaggerating. For a long time it was my ideal company, cheap, easy and fast, but for some time now there Ryanair is really getting tired of me.
First act: the little painless booking
Flights for € 5, flights for € 1, flights… ..you book with Ryanair and not even the shadow of these flights, or rather: you must be very lucky. The flights are there, but the taxes too, 20/30 euros of taxes that lead you to pay for a flight never less than 60 euros return when with Alitalia and other national airlines you find many on offer and less than 100 euros (luggage included), but of this we have already discussed.
Until a few months ago only with Visa Electron at the time of payment you were not charged any expenses, now with this they are 10 euros per way per person. We all do the Visa Electron and Ryanair offers the same service exclusively to Mastercard owners. And in short.
Second act: hand luggage and seats
Okay weight a 10 kg, all measures are fine, liquids and dangerous objects are fine too, and God forbid, but in the end is it worth it? Comfortable for a trip of 3 days maximum, but no more. Narrow seats are fine, perhaps too much, unassigned seats are fine, a bus is better, but Ryanair is starting to exaggerate even with the priority boarding, i.e. the opportunity to board the plane first by paying a small fee of just over € 3.
Third act: the annoying flight
Bologna-Seville two hours of chatter and redundant announcements. Bologna-Alicante two hours and a little less than chaotic announcements and walks in the corridors.
In short, every time Ryanair makes you pay less, but then bombards you all the time of the flight with promotional and sales messages. In order of appearance:
- dinner, meal, snack (depending on the flight time), pay attention to prices
- drinks, which are always separated from food to prolong the agony of sales
- airport perfumes or souvenirs (but beware that on the plane they are further discounted, so it's worth it)
- the Ryanair lottery (yes, there is also this one)
- various and possible during the whole trip, announcements, arrival on time or not, more announcements, various and possible, final applause.
Act four: the return and… hand luggage
If you are returning home and you only have one hand luggage, be careful because you cannot afford to buy anything, or almost anything. If the weight on the way was already 9 kg, do not buy anything at all because there will always be a scale that does not work as expected at the airport.
Life lived: twice in Spain and twice the same story. While at the Bologna airport no one has bothered to check the weight or the measurements of the suitcase, at the Spanish airports they did. And so far, nothing bad, indeed.
The only thing is that it would have been better to check the measurements before actual boarding. In Spain, how many people before me (and once I even risked myself) had their suitcase taken away just before boarding? Thus, the passenger does not have the possibility to share his weight with the travel companion or to adapt the suitcase. The cost of the operation? On 30 euros, to be paid on return, otherwise no suitcase.
At this point, online check-in is of little use, since in the end it involves only a small saving of time and a considerable use of money (if we think it is proportionate to the ticket). Rather it would be smart thing check the weight and size of the baggage directly at the security checkpoint.
That said, I am not saying that I will no longer travel with Ryanair, but surely when I can, I will prefer other companies.
