Is low cost really “low cost”? The RyanAir experience

We may assume that taking flights inside of Europe are expensive, but you would be surprised how low cost airlines are getting trendier than the fancy ones. In a first world continent going through a continuous decreased economy, things couldn’t have gotten better for RyanAir.

Flying from Madrid to Paris (1 hour 30 mins. flight) for only €40 are prices you would never even expect at your local airline. Although everything may sound like a dream come true, there’s always unexpected surprises (and I’m not referring a birthday surprise).

Like all airlines, there are strict policies that have to be followed, but prepare yourself… These are the ones that may cost some extra euros if they are not followed.

“I can’t believe I paid an €100 luggage fine”

You get pretty annoyed when you realize that your cheap €40 ($44.66USD) Ryanair plane ticket, is about to become a €140 ticket. Ryanair can be cheap, but they can also be very tricky.

I was in the counter doing my check in for my Madrid to Paris flight, and the guy who assisted me had realized that I had just checked 1 (one) luggage.

He saw I had a small back pack in front of me and explained me that since it was not checked through my purchase, unfortunately I had to pay an €100 ($111.64USD) fee in order to be able to fly. I was astonished and a bit upset about it.

It seems that according to their policy, they strictly only allow you take (1) one luggage for free, but if you bring another (no matter what size) without registering it (and paying the €20 fee ($22.33USD) through the website, you had to pay the consequence which was 5 times its initial value. What’s funny about all this is when you head to a different counter to pay the fine and realize that you see this huge line with almost 20 persons where all of them had to pay it too as well.

Note to self: pay attention to the terms and agreements of the airline in order to avoid losing money.

I’d like a glass of water and if it’s possible, free of cost please?

If you are really thirsty and expecting a glass of water (as in a regular airline) or starving to death and expecting free food, you are definitely in the wrong plane.

You will see them offering food and beverage service, but BEWARE: it’s NOT FREE… not even water. Some flight attendants would actually laugh at your face if you dare to ask for water (I’ve seen it by myself).

Tip: Buy any bread/pastry or sealed package snack and bring them handy in your handbag. They are totally legal. But if you try to cross through with a bottle full of water, they will take away the whole bottle, so If you you will be thirsty, just bring an empty bottle and refill it inside the airport at any water fountain.

RyanAir airports are most likely 1 hour away from the city

So after just a (1) one hour and (30) thirty minutes flight that took me to arrive to Paris, I just realized I’m not really that close to Paris. The airport was located in Beauvais which is a city that is actually 2 hours away from the center (with traffic).

The same happened when I had to do my connection flight from Brussels (Belgium) to Bratislava (Slovakia), I had to take a bus to Brussels Charleroi Airport which is almost (1) hour (without traffic) away from the city.

So if you consider purchasing a cheap ticket, consider that most likely there’s minimum a one hour distance in arriving to your destination.

Traveling low budget is definitely inexpensive, but do not expect comfort or any type of customer service. Although it may sound like a nightmare, it is what people buy and studies say that it is the future of airlines.

Only time will tell, but while we want to go cheap, we will keep choosing RyanAir, but always be prepared!.

Questions? Feel free to ask me at blog@coupletraveldiary.com

Originally published at coupletraveldiary.com on May 24, 2015.