Review of Ryanair
Ryanair is a low-cost Irish airline that was founded in 1984. As Europe’s largest airline, you will likely encounter the option of booking a Ryanair flight if you are planning a multi-country visit within the continent. Ryanair offers flights to over 200 destinations in 37 countries in Europe, North Africa & the Middle East. The center of Ryanair’s success is its foundation of low-cost flights paired with straightforward service. When booking a flight, it can be stressful to determine if a low-cost airline provides a suboptimal experience or a great value. Read below for my experience and review of Ryanair and if it’s a good option for your vacation.
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Booking
I have flown on Ryanair three times: from Barcelona, Spain to Menorca, from Girona, Spain to Pisa, Italy and from Porto, Portugal to Barcelona. I found the booking process to be quite straightforward. You can book through the Ryanair website or through the Ryanair app on your smartphone. The pricing structure of Ryanair is fairly simple to understand. The basic or lowest ticket price allows for one small carry-on bag and non-priority boarding. For a larger carry-on or checked bag you can pay an additional fee which also upgrades you to priority boarding. Keep in mind that the price for a larger bag increases the day of the flight or if purchased at the airport so it’s best/more affordable to plan ahead and purchase early.
Tip: I find that small bag will suffice for trips less than 2-3 days. For longer trips, upgrading to the cabin or checked bag is a good value.
Ryanair App
The Ryanair app is easy to use and interactive. After booking your flight, you may view your boarding pass in the app. Check-in is available through the app with seat-selection (if purchased) and you can also book other travel-related services such as a rental car, bus and train tickets or hotels. You can also view the in-flight food options and pre-order your food directly to your seat to get ahead of the food trolley.
Boarding
The boarding process for Ryanair includes two queues: one for priority boarding and one for non-priority. Given that these planes are relatively small, you may exit your gate outside before entering the plane via a flight of stairs. Note: Ryanair can accommodate passengers with walking disabilities/needing a wheelchair, but you must request for assistance 48 hours prior to departure to ensure those services are available. Ryanair has generally good reliability with their on-time performance ranging between 84% to 92% in 2024.
In-flight Services
For a no-frills airline, I feel that Ryanair’s selection of food and drinks is fairly expansive. They offer a variety of sandwiches, pastries and hot meals such as lasagna. They also offer a decent selection of soft drinks, coffees, teas as well as liquor, beer and wine. The pricing is reasonable for airline prices with nonalcoholic drinks less than €4 and alcoholic drinks less €9.
If you are looking for in-flight entertainment, you are better off bringing a book since Ryanair does not offer Wi-Fi. You may encounter the occasional plane with shared overhead monitors playing an in-flight movie, but you won’t find monitors on the back of the seats for personal entertainment. Personally, I have not found this to be an issue since these are shorter flights with the average flight time lasting approximately 2 hours.
Tip: I suggest downloading a podcast, book or playlist ahead of your flight to stay entertained.
In-flight Comfort
I have found all of my flights on Ryanair to be reasonably comfortable. The seats are quite basic, as expected, but comfortable and the legroom is adequate. The planes are clean and the flight attendants are friendly and responsive. The cabin temperature throughout my flights was comfortable but as with any flight, it is always a good idea to wear layers.
So, should you book Ryanair?
I think so! Ryanair is a very solid option for travel within Europe. The prices are reasonable and transparent. The in-flight amenities are lacking but for the cost savings, I can entertain myself for a couple hours. They are a fairly reliable airline with a friendly staff and an easy-to-use app to make your travel days less stressful. Bon voyage! ✈️
