Ryanair safe and reliable or not?

Question

iv booked a cheap holiday to spain in september and flying with ryanair , iv heard some bad reports about them cancelling flights the day before and am a bit worried as taking kids who are already looking fwd to it, is this likely to happen or is it rare and if they did cancel would they get us another same day flight?

Also are ryanair pilots trained to the standard more expensive airlines are , im always worried about plane crashes and even more now it a cheap airline , what exactly does no frills mean? is this to do with pilots etc

Answer 1

Ryanair are absolutely fine.  Every airline, including budget airlines, is operated under strict guidelines and regulations.

I have flown many times with Ryanair, and only once were they delayed.  The no-frills means no meals (you have to pay for that), miserable staff, etc, etc.  But nothing else!!

Answer 2

I would rather swim to Spain than ever deal with Ryanair again. I wouldn't worry about your families safety, but I would worry about your wallet. Expect to pay at least £100 more than is quoted as they will cheat every last penny out of you. Use Easyjet if possible.

Answer 3

Ryanair are very safe, but reliable????? Not really, I'm afraid. You're right, they are notorious for cancelling flights with only a few minutes notice, but these tend to be flights that only have a few passengers on board. Holiday time to Spain will be a full flight, so you should be ok.

If you're leaving from Stansted, there is a repacking area just near the Ryanair check-in desks, complete with scales for weighing your bags. Make sure each bag is not even 1 kilo over 15 kg. You can't share your bag weights, so even if one bag is 7 kg, and another is 17kg, you'll still be charged for 2 kg overweight on the one that's 17kg. This is what is meant by no-frills. They will try their hardest to get every penny out of you .... you just have to make sure they can't get you.

It becomes a bit of a game, actually. Them being tight-wads trying to squeeze you for more money, and us being even tighter-wads making sure they don't get us!

Answer 4

Safe, but not at all reliable.  No frills is just you do not get meals etc , the pilots are trained the some as other airlines, so no problem there.    Personally I would avoid them.

Answer 5

the no frills bit means that you fight for a seat, they're not allocated, there's no food and there's not a lot in the drinks bit either - in fact, most people take their own.

There's no films, radio etc. either.

I absolutely HATE flying Ryan air - but it's so cheap that when I go to visit my partner's family in Poland it's the only way to go - unfortunately.

Last year, my partner, my daughter and I were not just in different rows we were in different aisles. She's 7 - so I wasn't best pleased at her just sitting with random people.

the only thing to do is FIGHT and get on that d**n plane FIRST! (Bit like a tube or bus.)

But, at least it's not too long when you're on it.

Good luck - this year my plan is to ask my daughter VERY loudly how her diarrhoea is, whilst dry retching. Hopefully, that'll make people move away from us. lol. :)

Answer 6

They are notorious for cancelling flights and leaving passengers stranded, where BA's policy would put you up in a hotel until an available flight.

Also they have a policy of over-selling flights, that is double booking seats knowing that a certain percentage of passengers don't turn up.  Its causes problems when they do though.

Answer 7

I would not be seen dead flying Ryanair - they usually dump passengers many miles away at some cheap mosquito infested swamp airfield, which is littered with crashed bombers from WW2.  

You know you've arrived because the pilot has to make a couple of circuits of the field so that he can find the runway, which is just a grass strip with a Nissan hut at the end with dead flies on the window sills.

The best advice I can give you and anyone else, is always choose the national airline of the country you are flying to.

For example my partner and me are off to Paris by air in late June - we're flying Air France!  Why?  Because the moment you step aboard your airplane you're in France.  Yup, even the food and the booze.

Whatever, don't let me put you off.

Have a great trip.   errr....some of what I've said about Ryannair is tongue in cheek. . . .I think. . . .

Answer 8

Ryanair pilots are certified to the same standards as any other commercial pilots and probably have worked for other airlines in their careers anyway. There is no more 'risk' attached with the budget airlines in terms of safety.

Answer 9

Just come back from spain went with ryanair they were fine no problems! but just remember only 15kilos they charged me £12 for being 1kilo over.