One word that brings up a host of opinions among travelers. Opinions about safety, convenience, cost, most of which are negative. Having flown from Croatia to Ireland with them, I've collected a few tips to keep from having a panic or rage attack if you choose to use them.
Ryanair is cheap because you are paying for the most basic flight package there is. A seat (non-padded: think roller coaster seat) in an airplane to a destination. Also a very tiny space in the overhead compartment. You pay extra for everything. Know this ahead of time so you aren't surprised when your $30 ticket climbs over $200. Know this so you aren't dying of thirst on a plane without complementary beverage service. Know this so you can board your plane and go on your trip.
If you have a large bag…or a medium bag…or really any bag that may possibly go over the weight or dimension limit: for the love of God, check the bag! And do this when you buy your ticket. Don't wait and chance it. If you change your mind the day after you buy the ticket: EXTRA FEE. If you wait until you get to the airport and find out you guessed wrong: SUPER EXTRA FEE and the possibility they reject your bag altogether.
I met a girl who actually threw away all her clothes when Ryanair rejected her bag, just to get the weight and dimensions down. She figured she'd like an excuse to buy a whole new wardrobe. If that prospect doesn't thrill you, just check your bag. Now. Check it now.
Print your boarding pass. Again: now, do it now. Sometimes Ryanair will not do it for you at the counter. Not even if you pay them the usual $50+. If you are lucky, your airport might have a business lounge you can pay to access and then pay to print something. Maybe. It's even difficult to find a place to print something outside of your hostel, so just print it when you check in. Oh, and don't lose it. There's a fee for that too.
If you aren't an EU citizen, you have to get a special stamp on your precious might-as-well-be-gold-gilded boarding pass (not your passport, though, as long as you are traveling within the EU). They will let you through security without it, but not on the plane. That means you could be ready to get on the plane and they tell you to basically start over. And you then miss your flight. Ryanair is very very strict about not letting you board late, even though they aren't very strict about their planes actually taking off or landing on time. So be careful and read all the signs indicating where EU citizens should go versus everyone else.
Get to the gate! Unless you pay an extra fee, seats are first come first serve. Line up immediately or risk getting the tiniest, noisiest spot.
Now have fun getting wherever you are getting, because chances are good you landed at a tiny airport off the beaten path.
For the record, I did not have any problems on my flight, except for having to spend the night in the airport because it was itty bitty and I couldn't get a bus ride there in the morning in time to make my flight. I was paranoid the whole night that I wouldn't pass muster and would be stuck in Croatia, but it was fine. I was surprised by the scary condition of the plane (mismatched seats is never comforting), but we landed in one piece in the middle of Dublin.
Wonderful, native-English-speaking, Guinness-producing, Dublin.
I miss you, Dublin.
Not so much you, Ryanair.
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