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I flew Ryanair for the first time. It may be Europe's biggest airline, but its endless extra fees mean I'm not convinced.

Business Insider's Pete Syme takes a selfie in front of a Ryanair Boeing 737-800
The author and a Ryanair Boeing 737.

Pete Syme/Business Insider

  • I flew from London to Madrid with Ryanair on a ticket that started at £35 ($43.70).
  • But this nearly doubled after needing a normal-sized bag plus choosing my seat — which ended up being wrong.
  • It got me from A to B unscathed, but I'd rather fly with another budget airline for the same price.

When it comes to airlines, my friends often sing the praises of Ryanair — praising its cheap ticket prices, whether it be city breaks or visiting home.

Somehow, I hadn't flown Ryanair before, so last month I booked a trip to Madrid.

But the anxieties from trying to avoid its several surcharges — coupled with mediocre service and booking flaws — left me unconvinced. It actually ended up being more expensive than other budget airlines in the end, primarily because its bag size is miniscule.

Coupled with my train journey to the airport, what started as a £35 ticket ended up costing £90.

If you are planning to fly with Ryanair, I hope this article will help you plan to avoid its pitfalls. Or even if you're not going to travel with them, this piece should give insight into how the carrier keeps its advertised prices so low yet still turns a healthy profit.

The Irish ultra-low-cost carrier Ryanair is Europe's biggest airline by market cap, and has more than 3,600 flights a day.
Ryanair Boeing 737 MAX 8 as seen during taxiing, take off and flying phase in Eindhoven Airport EIN.
A Ryanair Boeing 737 Max 8.

Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images

It's known for its supercheap ticket prices, as low as $18, and outspoken CEO, Michael O'Leary.
CEO of Ryanair Group, Michael O'Leary smiles at a press conference at Sheraton Diana Majestic on January 23, 2024 in Milan, Italy
Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary.

Pier Marco Tacca/Getty Images

The CEO of budget airline Ryanair says his potential $109 million bonus is great value for shareholders compared to the money star athletes make

The booking process was relatively smooth although you have to click past several add-ons like rental cars, travel insurance, airport parking, and transport. A couple of times these appeared as pop-ups which was a bit annoying.
A screenshot from the Ryanair website shows how booking suggests paying for extra transport to the airport

Ryanair

Unlike most airlines, you won't find Ryanair on websites like Kayak or Booking.com. O'Leary has been waging a fiery campaign against online travel agents, calling them "pirates" and accusing them of overcharging customers with hidden fees.

The night before my flight, I measured my backpack and found it was 10cm (4") wider than Ryanair's limit. I paid an extra £24 ($30) for a larger carry-on when I checked in — otherwise I risked a £70 ($87) fine.
A rucksack with a tape measure laid on top of it measuring 35cm

Pete Syme/Business Insider

Ryanair's "small bag" option measures 40cm x 25cm x 20cm (15.7" x 9.8" x 7.9"). You'll have to upgrade if you don't want to risk a surcharge just for a carry-on the same size as pretty much any other airline in the world.

If you choose this at the same time as buying your ticket, it's only an extra £14 ($17), so I lost money by not measuring my bag sooner.

And yet, I could've brought my small backpack for free with Spirit, Frontier, Southwest, Allegiant, easyJet, and Wizz Air — to name just a few.

Coupled with choosing my own seat, this meant my £35 ticket was now £67 ($83), practically doubling the cost of the ticket.
A screenshot from the Ryanair website's booking process shows how a 10kg bag costs £27.50 and a 20kg bag costs £32.49.

Ryanair

Ryanair's checked luggage prices change depending on the route as well as the season. Two carry-on bags cost between £6 and £38 ($7.50 to $47.50), while one 20kg bag costs between £18.99 and £59.99 ($24 to $75).

One particularly silly fee is the option to have your flight details sent via SMS for £2.99 ($3.75)

Ryanair's main UK hub is at London Stansted Airport, which isn't really in London at all. As the crow flies, it's 31 miles away from the center.
Passengers walking through Stansted Airport on April 15, 2024

Pete Syme/Business Insider

To be fair, most "London" airports are outside the city. But Stansted is the second farthest from the middle, only behind Southend, which is much less popular.

Stansted Airport saw 28 million passengers last year — 14 times as many as Southend Airport, which is about 5 miles farther out.

Since it saves the airline money, Ryanair is somewhat notorious for flying to airports far away from where you actually want to be. Among the most egregious examples are Paris-Beauvais Airport, 55 miles from the city center, and Germany's Frankfurt Hahn Airport, which is almost 80 miles from Frankfurt.

I woke up at 5 a.m. in order to make it to Stansted for my 8:40 a.m. flight to Madrid. Then I took the Tube to Tottenham to catch the Stansted Express, which cost £23.50 ($30) with a young person's discount.
A sign reads "Tottenham Hale" and has directions to Stansted Airport at the London Underground station.

Pete Syme/Business Insider

The train to Luton Airport is £16.90 ($21.10), while taking the Tube to Heathrow Airport is £5.60 ($7). So getting to Ryanair's hub airport again increases the cost.

From its starting point at central London's Liverpool Street Station, the train takes 48 minutes to reach the airport. I thought it was comfier than the usual commuter train. It also has level boarding and plenty of luggage space.
A view down the aisle of the Stansted Express train. Luggage racks are visible on the side, as well as several seats with black leather headrests and a moquette pattern

Pete Syme/Business Insider

I finally arrived at Stansted and luckily I didn't need to drop any bags or check in. Remember to check in on the Ryanair app at least 2 hours before the departure time, or you'll be charged £55 ($68) at the airport.
Yellow signs with the Ryanair logo as people line up for the check in desk and bag drop at Stansted Airport

Pete Syme/Business Insider

This fee was £10 when it was first introduced but has since risen. It's a frequent cause for complaints, with the BBC reporting on an elderly couple being "horrified" by the extra costs.

You are allowed to check in at the airport for free if you add the "Plus" bundle that comes with a 20kg checked bag.

I found a bag sizer here, and was surprised when I managed to fit my backpack inside. But I'm still pleased I played it safe because I didn't want to end up in the scenario of getting a fine.
A blue rucksack in a Ryanair bag sizer at the airport

Pete Syme/Business Insider

Since my bag wasn't fully packed, it makes sense that it could still fit in the parameters. As Business Insider paid for the flight, I was more motivated to pay extra to ensure there was no fine, which wouldn't have been easy to explain to my boss.

I had priority boarding because it came with booking the larger carry-on option. Nobody seemed to care how big the bags were. Several people seemed to have backpacks much larger than mine as well as their carry-on suitcase.
Bored passengers stand in a small corridor at Stansted Airport waiting to board a Ryanair plane. In the foreground a man has a very large backpack.

Pete Syme/Business Insider

The priority option includes one larger carry-on and one personal item, so clearly there was leeway with the latter, even on a busy flight.

My roommate flew with Ryanair not long after me, and opted to risk it with a backpack slightly larger than the airline's limits. He was successful.

After being held in a small corridor for a while, we were released onto the tarmac and ambled over to the Boeing 737-800.
Passengers boarding a Ryanair Boeing 737-800 at Stansted Airport

Pete Syme/Business Insider

Following the jet on Flightradar24, boarding opened almost as soon as it landed — highlighting Ryanair's quick turnaround time which lets its planes fly as much as possible.

Boeing has specifically built stairs that fold out of Ryanair's planes so there's no need for airport operations to bring a jet bridge or stairs, again saving time.
A close up of the stairs on a Ryanair Boeing 737-800 with the carrier's logo visible on a step

Pete Syme/Business Insider

A passenger on budget airline Ryanair was awarded over $30,000 in damages after she fell on 'narrow and steep' plane steps and broke her leg in 2 places

But the biggest surprise came when I boarded and found my seat, 16D, was in an exit row. I had paid an extra £8 to ensure I was in the aisle for the benefit of this review — but had I really gone as far as booking extra legroom?
An emergency exit row, Row 16, on a Ryanair Boeing 737-800

Pete Syme/Business Insider

I double-checked the seating plans. Ryanair's website lists row 16 as a normal one which costs less than an exit row seat. The map for the newer 737 Max 8 was displayed instead of the 737-800's slightly different one.
The seat map on a Ryanair booking page

Ryanair

The fact that I'd paid £8 rather than £15 confused me. I presume this could mean somebody paying for extra legroom in row 18, but ending up in a regular seat instead.

A Ryanair spokesperson said: "As this flight was originally scheduled to operate on a Boeing 737-Max, it was the Boeing 737-Max seat map displayed in this passenger booking flow for this flight to Stansted to Madrid (15 Apr)."

"Due to operational reasons, the aircraft was changed to a Boeing 737-800 model, which has a slightly different seat layout."

A regular seat has 30" of legroom but also doesn't recline. I thought the leather looked pretty worn, although the jet is 13 years old. It was still relatively comfy so I don't have any complaints.
A Ryanair flight attendant helps a woman put her bag in the overhead bin while most of the seats remain empty during boarding, as viewed from the aisle.

Pete Syme/Business Insider

However, one thing which wasn't comfortable was my vision, given the garish yellow-and-navy color scheme along with adverts on the overhead bins.
The cabin of a Ryanair Boeing 737-800 in its yellow and blue color scheme with commercials on the overhead bins, as viewed from the middle of the aisle.

Pete Syme/Business Insider

Another unique design point of a Ryanair jet is the lack of a seat pocket, with the safety card printed on the headrest instead. Again, this is to save time between flights as there's less to clean. Although I prefer the pocket as it's handy for storing a book or a water bottle.
The back of a seat on a Ryanair Boeing 737-800 is mostly navy but yellow at the headrest, with the safety card printed onto it.

Pete Syme/Business Insider

In the exit row, it took me a few minutes of fidgeting to find my tray table, which folded out of the armrest. It can also be folded in half, where there's a dint for a drink holder.
The tray table on a Ryanair Boeing 737-800 exit row seat

Pete Syme/Business Insider

After we took off, I went to explore the bathroom. It was a pretty good size and I thought there was plenty of room for my 5'9' frame. Ryanair had its own no-smoking notice written in eight different languages.
Business Insider's Pete Syme takes a selfie in the mirror of a bathroom onboard a Ryanair Boeing 737-800

Pete Syme/Business Insider

Stories of Ryanair passengers having too much to drink or smoking in the bathroom aren't uncommon in the British press.

Video shows police hauling a Ryanair passenger off a flight after he was caught smoking in the plane's toilet

I was also pleasantly surprised to see the bathroom had company branded bottles of soap, which felt almost too luxurious for Ryanair.
A bottle of Ryanair-branded soap

Pete Syme/Business Insider

Shortly after the trolley service began, the seatbelt sign came on for turbulence. The trolley was only a row away from me, but never returned even when the seatbelt sign went off again.
Two Ryanair flight attendants push a trolley down the aisle, with pringles and scratch cards and cigarettes on top, from the aisle seat's point of view.

Pete Syme/Business Insider

I didn't plan on spending even more money by buying food or drink — not to mention scratch cards or duty-free cigarettes — but I was surprised that I was never even given the chance.

I wasn't that impressed by the flight attendants overall.
A Ryanair flight attendant passes magazine to a customer sitting on board a plane.

Courtesy of Ryanair

There were no greetings when we boarded and the whole affair was quite unsmiling.

Of course, it's a strictly no-frills airline, and they work long shifts so I'm not disgruntled, but it's worth noting the cabin crew on similar airlines like easyJet and Wizz Air are definitely friendlier in my experience.

I enjoyed the flight and there weren't really any problems, although tannoy announcements hawking duty-free products were a bit annoying. With no in-flight entertainment or airline magazine, I was happy to read a novel.
An open page of the novel "Money" by Martin Amis is displayed on a Ryanair flight.

Pete Syme/Business Insider

Another quirky feature came as the cabin crew collected everyone's trash. Instead of using a large garbage bag, they used several small carrier bags including one from British newsagent WHSmith. This just seemed inefficient.
A general view of someone holding a WH Smith bag outside a store in Bristol.

Anthony Devlin - PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images

We touched down in Madrid on time, after two-and-a-half hours in the air. It was definitely a bumpy landing though. On the row in front, a passenger's headphones appeared to be jerked off their head. But hey, we got from A to B unscathed.
A passenger's perspective on board a Ryanair Boeing 737-800

Pete Syme/Business Insider

There wasn't too much to complain about because you know not to have high expectations with Ryanair. However, I was still surprised by the restrictive bag size, lackluster service, and increasing costs. Unless there's a good deal on, I'd rather choose another budget airline.
Passengers deplane a Ryanair Boeing 737-800 at Madrid Airport on April 15, 2024

Pete Syme/Business Insider

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