Airline review: This budget carrier constantly gouges you for more money

The flight

FR3082 Ryanair Rome to Brussels; Boeing 737-800; economy class (the whole plane is economy). Seat 26B in a 3-3 layout. Departed 6.15pm; flight time two hours, 10 minutes.

Frequency

Once or twice daily.

Ryanair: “It feels like you’re constantly being gouged for more money”.

The loyalty scheme

Ryanair Choice won’t earn travellers any air mile concessions but for a price – an annual fee of €199 ($329) – members can book the lowest fares, fast-track airport check-ins, priority board and have a checked bag weighing no more than a miserly 10 kilograms.

Carbon emissions

6.0 tonnes CO2. Ryanair offers a carbon offset program to fully, or partially, offset CO2 emissions, and aims to be carbon neutral by 2050.

Checking in

The airline is cheap but never cheerful. The website is so confusing, even impenetrable, with extra fees for a reserved seat, a carry-on bag, a check-in bag, priority boarding, speedy security clearance etc. It feels like you’re constantly being gouged for more money. And you are. A recent report found Ryanair had earned an astonishing €3.84 billion this year alone through add-ons. The process was so bewildering, I ended up booking through another site, paid for more services than I used in the fear of missing something, and then had to pay an extra €55 at the check-in when the online check-in app refused to recognise my passport as ID.

The seat

Ryanair has some of the least comfortable seats you’ll find on any airline. Credit: iStock

One of the tightest in the air at 17 inches (43 centimetres) wide and 30 inches (76 centimetres) of legroom with no option to recline, no seat pocket, no magazine. Ryanair advertises itself as the low-fares airline, and there are definitely no frills. Luckily it never introduced the thrills either of its mooted standing room-only tickets, toilet charges and cutting the number of lavs to one to squeeze in more seats.

Baggage

The only bag you’re allowed on for free is a “small” bag that must fit under the seat in front. But how small is “small”? Most people pay for more because being caught with anything oversized is overcharged. Of course, you have to pay to use the overhead locker for a 10-kilogram bag, and extra again for a 20-kilogram check-in bag.

Entertainment

There are no screens; the only entertainment is watching all the other passengers grumbling and sweating over the size of their bags, and the stinginess of the airline.

Service

Staff smile as we get on and off, but we barely see them otherwise. I can’t blame them. Everyone on the plane is so grumpy.

Food

There is food available onboard, but it generally has to be pre-ordered. Most passengers bring their own with them, grimly concealing it in pockets or stuffing it into their “small” bags or into their carry-on luggage. No hot drinks allowed.

One more thing

Ryanair is cheap, as long as you can avoid most of the extra charges. It does fly almost everywhere in Europe, and rarely cancels flights or departs late.

The verdict

Is this really the nicest way to start a holiday? It casts a pall over even the best-laid plans.

Our rating out of five

★★

The writer travelled at her own expense.

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