By Alex Ford
December 21st, 2022
Flying on low-cost carriers like Ryanair can be an amazing travel hack — why pay more when you can travel for less, right? While savvy travelers can snag some incredible deals, if you aren’t familiar with the carrier’s many rules and regulations, you’ll end up paying a lot more. After more than 45 flights, I consider myself a Ryanair veteran — here’s my handy list of things you need to know so you can have a positive experience as well.
Tips For When You Are Booking Your Flight
Do Not Select A Seat: Firstly, when it comes to selecting a seat, don’t fall for Ryanair’s trick of choosing one at an extra cost. Instead, choose to be assigned a seat later. Ryanair is trying to get you to pay more, but if you wait until check-in, you may get a seat that was not taken during the reservation process. This can save you some money while still guaranteeing you a seat on your flight.
Travel Light: Another trick to save money is to travel light. Ryanair charges for additional bags, and they’re trying to get more money from you. So, unless you really need to bring more, stick to a small backpack. It will save you money and make it easier to move around.
Pay For Extra Luggage Sooner Rather Than Later: If you do decide to bring more luggage, make sure to pay for your checked bags ahead of time while purchasing your ticket or before you travel. Paying for your luggage at the airport will cost you more, and Ryanair often charges different prices for different weights on different routes, with fees varying seasonally. Electing your desired weight, paying when you buy your ticket online, and weighing your bag before you go will save you time, money, and sanity.
Pack Smart: If you find yourself running out of space in your backpack, consider bringing a shopping bag for extra storage. Both Ryanair and EasyJet allow one “personal item” (i.e., your backpack) and one “shopping bag” to carry extra items. You can even get creative and use a small pillow to store your clothes, as seen on popular social media platform TikTok. If you are an avid traveler I would recommend investing in a large regulation size backpack.
Check Your Arrival Airport’s Location & Proximity to Your Final Destination: When booking your flight, always check and see where the airport is located in comparison to the city center. Sometimes, it’s worth it to spend more money on a more expensive flight because you will end up spending just as much on public transportation to get to and from the airport to wherever you’re staying. Do your research and calculate the cost of getting to and from the airport before you book.
Consider Purchasing Priority Boarding: If you don’t want to pay to check baggage, spend a little extra on priority boarding. Ryanair passengers often bring rolling carry-ons, and if you board last, there might be no room left for your bag. Priority boarding can make your experience less stressful, and you get to board early.
Ryanair’s Bag Policy:
Ryanair allows passengers to carry one cabin bag weighing up to 10kg with a maximum dimension of 55cm x 40cm x 20cm, plus one small bag of 35cm x 20cm x 20cm. Make sure to measure your bag beforehand and check that it fits. Ryanair is strict on luggage, and if your bag is too large, you will have to check it in.
Learn From My Mistakes:
On a weekend trip to Amsterdam my friends and took a 2 hour long uber ride to get from the airport we flew into to the city of Amsterdam… if we had been more diligent and checked the location of the airport beforehand we could have spent half the time and the same amount of money flying on a nicer airline.
Tips For Your In-Airport & In-Flight Experience
Print or Download Your Boarding Pass Beforehand: If you don’t, Ryanair will charge you €15 (~$15) to print it. While Ryanair recently launched mobile boarding passes, it may not be available in some airports.
Stamp Your Boarding Pass Before Security: Make sure to get your boarding pass stamped before going through security if you don’t hold EU citizenship. You cannot board the flight without the stamp, and failure to obtain one may result in being denied boarding.
Invest In Noise Canceling Earphones: Investing in noise-canceling headphones can also make your in-flight experience more enjoyable. Ryanair loves making announcements and selling things on board, which can be irritating. Having noise-canceling headphones will cancel out the noise and prevent distractions.
In conclusion, following these tips will make your experience flying with Ryanair more enjoyable, stress-free, and economical. Remember to prioritize saving money while still maintaining a comfortable travel experience.
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