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Love it or hate, Ryanair is cheap. And those prices open up Europe in a way it never used to be. But, if you don’t know the tricks Ryanair pulls to nickel and dime you, and the tricks you can pull to get away with… a lot, your experience may just leave you wishing you’d splurged for an airline with reclining seats. So, here are the ten top tips for flying Ryanair, from myself and other seasoned budget airline hackers.
Table of Contents
Skip Priority Check-in
When booking your tickets with a budget airline, one of the first things asked as you go through the check-out windows is whether you want to upgrade to priority check-in. This is often offered as an extra option in return for a small fee that is added onto your ticket, good deal no?
It seems like it, but in reality, it isn’t. The reason for this is because seats are generally not assigned before you board (unless you pay extra of course), so everyone will feel tempted to go for priority check-in to board first and settle their hand luggage before the large crowd comes in. But if half of the people on the plane go for priority check-in, is it still priority?
Often, this is exactly the case and priority check-in seems more like regular check-in, except that everyone standing in line to board early has paid more. Therefore, don’t let yourself be fooled by all the shiny add-ons at checkout. This is exactly how these airlines make money. If you go for it, suddenly your budget ticket might not be so budget anymore. The same logic holds for other add-ons at checkout or during the flight. Don’t let the airline seduce you into buying something you don’t need!
Emma, Emma’s Roadmap
But Still Board Early
Flying Ryanair can be a challenge, especially if you don’t come prepared. Some (though not many) of their flights still operate with free seating, and you always need to pay extra on Ryanair if you want to pick your seat. Your trip will depend a lot on how early you arrive at the airport and if you manage to get in line as soon as possible.
Getting on the plane early will help you grab a good seat and get a chance to sit next to your loved ones if you’re travelling in a group. You’ll also get the best chance of grabbing space in overhead bins for your luggage if you have any. However, a lot of people flying Ryanair realise these benefits so the line tends to start very early. Just make sure you arrive early and get in line as soon as you can. Even if you’re one of the first 20 people to get on board you’ll be able to grab good seats. Of course, also factor in time you have to spend at security, so arrive at the airport at least two hours before your flight, if not more.
Victoria, Guide Your Travel
Take a ‘travel pillow’
A great, perhaps a little sneaky, way to increase your carry on baggage allowance for no extra charge when flying with low fare airlines is to take a travel pillow with you in addition to your cabin luggage. It’s a method that many travel influencers use to bring extra outfits with them!
Basically, take one of your sofa cushions or an empty pillowcase from your bed and use it to put some extra clothes into. Roll your clothes, so they take up less space and organize them nicely, so they form a well-shaped pillow. This method allows you to fit as many as ten items of clothing in the pillowcase without paying for a check-in suitcase!
At the airport, carry your ‘travel pillow’ in your hand. No airline disallows having a pillow on the flight, so you will be absolutely fine! I have used this method myself and know a few friends that take a ‘travel pillow’ with them on any flight when they want to fly with hand luggage only.
Mal, Raw Mal Roams
Check the Fine Print
When flying with a budget airline, it is important not to assume that services which are available from traditional airlines will be provided free of charge. Take the time to read over the fine print or conditions of your ticket and ensure that you are aware of any documents you might need to print before arriving at the airport.
For example, Ryanair charges around €55 to customers who require a physical printed copy of their boarding pass at the airport because they did not check in before arrival. To avoid this issue, check in online and have your mobile boarding pass ready to display on your phone. Be aware that select airports will not accept a mobile boarding pass, so you can print a physical copy at home if this applies to your flight.
You can also consider keeping your printed boarding pass in a plastic sleeve or other protective holder since it will be rejected if it is significantly damaged or if part of the page is missing. Having to pay an unexpected surcharge is definitely a travel transportation mistake you want to avoid, so read the fine print in advance and arrive at the airport prepared with all your boarding documents to make sure you don’t end up spending unnecessary money.
Claire, Claire Pins Travel
Check Airport Locations
Major European cities often have more than one airport — and not all of those airports are centrally located or particularly easy to get to. Ryanair, and other budget airlines, often use the airports that are not in the center of town, but rather up to an hour (or even more) outside of it. Before you book, confirm what exactly the location of the airport is.
You might say you don’t mind flying in to somewhere that’s not too central. But, check what the public transport is like out there. Does it even exist? Some of these airports are so far from the city that the bus or train lines don’t even reach out to them and you’ll have to pay for a taxi or a ride-share. And, even if the public transport does run that far, does it run at the hour of your arrival or departure? Lots of Ryanair and budget flights depart in the wee hours of the morning and some cities don’t start running their public transport until after you’ll already have to be at the airport. Make sure you confirm all of these things before booking. You may find that you saved on your flight but ultimately pay just as much as you saved to get into or back out of the city.
Caitlin, That’s Me!
Bring Snacks
A great way to save money while traveling on a budget airline is to take your own food or snacks with you.
When you order a meal or drink on your flight, you are likely to pay more than what that meal actually costs. In addition to this, most budget airline meals don’t serve delicious or quality food. Also, if you have any allergies or food preferences, you are always safer taking your own food and not risking it on a flight.
To save money, buy a few ingredients and prepare a healthy and light meal the day before your flight. There are many portable and eco-friendly containers and cutlery that won’t occupy much space in your bag.
If you are running out of time, another alternative is to buy a meal deal at the airport. They tend to be cheaper than airline meals.
-Cristina, My Little Word of Travelling
Pay for Checked Bags Ahead of Time
While it’s cheaper to forgo a carry-on or a checked bag when flying budget airlines, sometimes you need to travel with a bit more stuff than you can fit under the seat in front of you. If you need to pack a larger carry-on, make sure to purchase your bags at the time of booking your flight rather than later on.
Many budget airlines, including Ryanair, Allegiant Air, Spirit, and Frontier, offer discounts for adding bags at the time of booking. With Ryanair, a 20 kilogram checked bag costs between €20.99-€39.99 per flight to purchase at the time of booking. If you need to add a bag after booking, the price goes up to €39.99-€59.99. Once you’re at the airport, it costs €69.99 per flight. They have a similar cost structure for carry-on bags and smaller checked bags. Other budget airlines have similar policies as well.
So, if you know you’re going to be traveling with a lot of baggage, make sure to buy those bags during the flight booking process! Otherwise, your cheap flight might end up being not so cheap.
Something else to note is that budget airlines will often try to sell you a package of something like priority check-in, a checked bag, and something else all together. They will say it’s cheaper, and it may be than buying each of these things individually, but if the only thing you actually need is the checked bag, then forego the package and pay for the bag on its own.
-Sydney, A World in Reach
Use the App
When it comes to flying with a true low-cost flight operator such as Ryanair, you should familiarize yourself with the features and functions of their mobile application. Not only to check-in to your flight from anywhere in the world, but also to help save the planet by downloading the electronic version of your boarding pass instead of printing it on paper. Once you have successfully checked in using the app, your mobile boarding pass will automatically be saved onto your iOS or Android device.
The clarity given in the app can also help you avoid disappointment when coming face to face with Ryanair’s tricky boarding and baggage policies. Not to mention, having access to extras and instantly being able to choose from a selection of in-flight services all while you are on the move can make your life much easier. If you fly regularly with Ryanair, you can create a profile and fill out your personal details and the app will save your information so there is no need to repeat that process in the future when purchasing a new ticket. No matter whether you are spending one day in Venice with a loved one, or doing a backpacking tour around Europe, the Ryanair app is simply a must for anyone boarding a Ryanair aircraft.
-Daniel, Urban Abroad
Buy a Ryanair Specific Bag
Budget airline Ryanair is known for its strict baggage size limits and weight allowances. We have flown with Ryanair many times and are often asked to fit our bags into the sizer at check in and, whilst we have not been caught out so far, we have seen many other travellers forced to pay steep fees for an airport checked bag. One way to avoid this problem is to buy a cabin bag that is designed specifically for Ryanair cabin bag restrictions.
Other bags might have to be squashed or strapped to make it fit within the size limit (especially with the addition of souvenirs at the end of your trip) but a bag designed for Ryanair size limits will avoid this as you can only pack to the size of the bag! I would recommend the extensive cabin bag range from UK based company Cabin Max. Not only do they have a useful check sheet for the bag sizes of major European budget airlines, they also design and make bags specifically to fit these dimensions. We use Cabin Max backpacks for all our family trips and the attractive, well-designed bags are durable and affordable.
-Sinead, Map Made Memories
Download Movies and TV Shows
The cost of the budgeted airfare does not usually include entertainment options and you would need to pay extra to view the movies/shows on the flight using the airline’s entertainment unit. To save this extra cost, a must before boarding a flight, especially during long journeys, is to download movies or TV series on a phone or tablet. The OTT platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime offer downloading options where these movies and shows can easily be downloaded while you’re connected to the internet and then watched while you’re on Airplane mode.
Depending on the number of hours on the flight, downloading at least two or three movies or shows with a mix of new and favourite movies/shows will help keep you entertained. This guarantees a backup of favourite movies to watch if the new movie downloaded gets boring. Ensure you have a pair of earphones or headphones to see these movies and shows without disturbing other passengers on the flight. Also, make sure to charge the phone or the tablet at full capacity prior to boarding so it can last longer on the flight while watching the movies/shows. Or pack a portable power bank to top up with.
-Raksha, Solo Passport
Flying Ryanair and other budget airlines can be hugely helpful to staying within budget and getting to explore beautiful corners of this world. But it’s important to be aware of the tricks they have to get extra money from you. Follow all of these tips and you should be flying easy and free (or at least very cheap!)!
