This is not so much a trip report as a general flight review. I had never flown with Ryanair before so thought I’d give you all my impressions after these two flights with them.
Background:
I am currently living and working in Galway, Ireland. Swansea City were playing Leeds Utd. on 22nd September and my family were going up to Leeds to stay with some friends and to watch the game. I was playing around on the Ryanair website and was able to book a return to the UK for the hugely expensive sum of £70 (£50 for the outbound and £20 for the return) including all taxes, credit card fees, online check in etc…. I decided the price was good enough and fancied meeting up with the family and friends so went ahead and booked the flights.
The journeys:
I was actually quite excited about flying Ryanair (well I get excited about flying anyway so that wasn’t really a surprise). I knew their reputationg of cutting all costs and so was looking forward to comapring them to other LCCs such as Easyjet, Germanwings and Hapag-Lloyd Express. I checked in online for both flights and found this system easy to use and very convenient. Online check in gives you priority boarding so I knew I’d secure a window seat on the flight.
I arrived in Shannon with plenty of time to spare and went straight through to departures as I hadn’t seen that part of the airport until then. It was quite pleasant but pretty outdated. There wasn’t that much going on in departures so I just grabbed a seat by the window, set up my airband scanner and read for a while. About 1 1/2 hours prior to boarding, I went to gate 4 as I know that passengers on Ryanair flights start queueing very early. There was nobody there so I sat down near to the gate and waited. Around 45 minutes before departure, I went to the front of the priority queue and waited to board.
The aircraft was slightly late in from STN but they called boarding as soon as it was on the ground. The gate staff lead us over to the aircraft where we waited on the tarmac until the STN passengers had finished disembarking and they were ready for us to board. I boarded by the front stairs and secured the window seat in the front row. Plenty of legroom and a window seat! What more can one ask for? Boarding was soon completed and we pushed back on time after a turnaround of just 20 minutes. Impressive!
The crew did the safety demo and we taxied towards runway 24. Once airborne, we turned 180 degrees and headed for MAN via DUB and LPL. It was a clear night so there were fantastic views of Dublin city and Liverpool as well as the Reebok stadium, Middlebrook retail park and the mast byt Rivington Pike on approach to MAN. The 45 minute flight was very smooth and we landed in MAN on time and were bussed to UK/ROI arrivals in T1. I exited T1 quickly as I had no checked baggage and met up with my family for a great weekend in Leeds (despite the Swans losing 2-0).
The return from EMA was very similar with efficient boarding and a quick 1 hour flight over to Shannon. I got the front row window seat again so was very comfortable. The flight was much more turbulent than the outbound but this made it all the more interesting.
The Crew:
The crew on both flights were excellent. The were highly efficent at boarding the aircraft so that we could get away on time despite the aircraft operating both flights arriving slightly late. The were very frinedly and noting was too much trouble for them. I have read many reports about Ryanair’s crews being surly and disinterested but these crews were neither. The lead stewardess on the return flight, in particular, was a perfect airline employee. She was warm and welcoming and very good to a disabled lady who was sitting in the row behind me. Overall, 10/10 to the cabin crews!
Verdict:
I was very impressed with Ryanair on these two flights. I went in with very low expectations and was more than satisfied with the service. The flights were on par with all other LCCs that I have travelled with. The aircraft were in good condition (the return aircraft was more worn than the outbound but still fine) and the crews were top notch. For the prices they charge, you cannot beat Ryanair in my opinion. I hope this positive impression does not change when I fly with them on a more regular basis (as I am bound to do when they offer such good prices from an airport very near to me). I would not hesitate to fly with them again and am looking forward to having the opportunity to do so in the very near future.
Final Scores:
Check In: 10/10. Online check in was excellent and saves so much hassle at the airport
Boarding: 10/10. Boarding was well organised at both airports and this ensured that the flights got out on time even though the aircraft were late coming in.
Punctuality: 10/10. Both flights departed on time and arrived ahead of schedule. What more do you want?
Aircraft: 10/10. New, clean 737-800s with the leather interiors. I am not a fan of the yellow overhead bins but what can you do? Admittedly, sitting in the front row does give me a false impression of how comfortable the aircraft were but I was first on board so had the chance of extra comfort.
Crew: 10/10. The crews on both flights were fantastic. The purser on the return was one of the friendliest, most helpful cabin crew memebers I have ever encountered.
Final Score: 50/50 (100%). Maybe I’m just easy to please but these flights really were second to none. I hope I can travel with Ryanair again and say the same every time!
Hope you enjoyed the report. I didn’t take any pics as I hadn’t planned on doing a trip report. Apologies for this. I’ll be happy to answer any questions and look forward to your comments!
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September 24, 2007 at 2:44 pm