Accepting the balance that great fares comes with greater penalties I booked Ryanair from Stansted to Cork and from Dublin to Gatwick. My experience:
The booking process is fairly uncomplicated and it does have an informative uncluttered site. Did you know that Ryanair allows
"PRE-FLIGHT CHANGES
24 Hour Grace Period for Minor Booking Errrors
Customers who book directly on the Ryanair.com website have a 24 hour grace period from the time of original booking, to correct any minor errors (i.e. spelling of names, incorrect routings/dates) made in their original booking.
Please contact Reservations where we will be happy to assist you."
I was travelling on a holiday and obviously could not do away with luggage. Ryanair baggage rules state:
CABIN BAGGAGE
One cabin bag per passenger* weighing up to 10kg with maximum dimensions of 55cm x 40cm x 20cm, plus 1 small bag up to 35 x 20 x 20 cms.
Due to cabin space limitations only 90 cabin bags (55 x 40 x 20 cms) can be carried in the cabin, any remainder will be carried free of charge in the aircraft hold.
Oversized cabin baggage will be refused at the boarding gate, or where available, placed in the hold of the aircraft for a fee of £50/€50 (fee subject to VAT on domestic flights at applicable government rates). If you are unsure, check at the Bag Drop desk before going through security.
The cabin baggage weight allowance is more generous than the 7kg rule set by most other low cost carriers and permitting a decent size second bag is quite a plus. But; a very stern 55x40x20 rule started me and scared me in the face.
How was I and my family going to pack clothes and personal effects for 5 days in what is a traditional overnighter size bag? I had no choice but to book an extra bag, and I opted for a 20kg allowance for GBP 20. I checked all the cabin size bags I had at home and each one was a bit here or there in terms of size as compared to the Ryanair standard. None violated the 55cm and 40cm rule; but all of them were a tad over 20cm. I did a bit of reading on the net and was put at ease by some reviews that basically said that while size does matter; the airline will allow modest variations as long as it does not hit the eye as being too far out. Do note that the 55cm length includes the handles and wheels as well.
I was staying at the Tune Hotel Liverpool st. and had researched my travel options from there to Stansted airport. The hotel is actually a fab option as it too follows the same principles of a budget/low cost limited service carrier; that is, great basic prices with pay for the add-ons. The location is a plus as it is barely 300mts away from Liverpool st. station/underground/national express/london bus.
I had never flown out of Stansted before and was quite looking forward to experiencing an airport that is not as crowded as Heathrow. Taxi is obviously the most expensive option; but when there are 4 passengers - I wondered if taking the train or bus made any sense. Guess it does. National Express A9 cost me GBP 20 and the Stansted Express train from liverpool station would cost me almost as much as children pay half price and the adult fare is GBP 8. Took about an hour to get there - no trouble at all.
Another rule to remember with Ryanair is "Print your boarding card on A4 sheet paper on your own". There is a heavy price to pay for getting it printed at the airport. I had to proceed to baggage drop for two reasons - first, drop the check in luggage; second, get my visa and passport checked. Thank God that people respect queues in the West and despite a bit of a haphazard start; organized queues start taking shape at some point. My check in bag weighed 20.5kgs. The ground agent tagged it and sent it on the conveyor. Relief. Documents checked; boarding card stamped; then off to clear security and on to boarding gate. I checked all my off-size bags at one of the numerous sizing boxes near the check in area. They all cleared the test as none were filled to their seams. But then, there was this lingering tick of getting past the boarding staff.
Once I reached the gate, I was pretty sure that I would not be bothered as the other passengers in the queue had equally unconforming bags; and better still, loaded to max limit I suppose. The baggage bins inside the 737-800 can accommodate any standard cabin size bag and has not been designed specifically for the set size. I think the pressure put on the site is there with the express purpose of either selling bags or maybe making sure that passengers don't abuse the cabin bag allowance. I am all for it if it is to promote the latter practise as I hate sharing space with passengers who virtually carry the equivalent of a full size luggage bag inside the cabin in some form or the other inconveniencing fellow travellers.
On the way back from Dublin, the experience was no different; but for the fact that my check in bag weighed 21.5kg. The ground agent suggested that I reduce some weight else there would be a penalty of 10 Euros. I obliged and transferred about a kg to my cabin bag and that was fine with the handling staff.
I enjoyed my overall experience with Ryanair. It's not a flying monster as some would have us believe but a well thought of operation. I would think the extra charges are a way of deterring passengers from jumping out of the rule box to ensure the efficiency of the operations process. Yes it does make money from those who do jump the rules; but then, why not?
The aircrafts were clean despite a 20 minute turnaround; the staff polite if not friendly; and it even allowed passengers to carry their own food and drinks on board. Add to it a near on time schedule and I am a satisfied customer.
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