Ryanair is famed for offering incredibly cheap flight fares, sometimes as little as £1. But beware of being caught out by their hidden additional costs.
These days finding a cheap deal on flights is easier than it used to be, with airlines like Ryanair offering such low prices to get from A to B. However, what looks like a £1 flight can often inflate to £100 when you factor in extra charges and fees.
We take you through these charges so that you can see for yourself how much your bargain Ryanair flight is really going to cost you.
Booking your flight
- Until January 2010 booking with Visa Electron was the only way to by-pass the obligatory booking charges imposed by Ryanair. However that loophole was scrapped and now the only way to avoid being charged is by booking with a MasterCard prepaid card. Otherwise, you'll be charged £5 per person, per one-way flight, when you pay by debit or credit card.
- ‘Priority boarding’ will cost £4 per flight. You must specifically de-select this when booking to avoid paying the fee if you don’t want it added to your flight cost.
- Make sure that you enter your name correctly when you book your flight. If the name printed on your booking doesn’t correspond exactly with the one on your passport, you will be charged £100 to have it amended.
Checking-in
As of May 1st 2009 you are required to check-in online when you fly with Ryanair, rather than at the airport. You will have to print your own boarding pass and bring it with you. From October 25th, 2009, passengers can no longer check in at the airport and Ryanair check-in desks have been phased out to reflect this change.
- Online check-in can be completed up to 15 days before your flights, and must be done at least 4 hours before flight departure.
- If you fail to check-in baggage until you get to the airport, you will be charged £35 per one-way flight.
Luggage charges
- Even if you check-in your luggage correctly, you’ll be charged £15 (£20 in July/August) for the first suitcase to be put in the hold, and £35 (£40 in July/August) for each one thereafter.
- It will cost you £40 per item if you wish to bring sporting equipment with you, and £40 per musical instrument. Infant equipment such as a travel cot will cost £10 per item.
- Hand-luggage is restricted to one carry-on bag. If you exceed this, you run the risk of incurring a £35 fine at the departure gate to place your extra item in the hold.
- If you exceed the 15kg limit on luggage, your excess baggage will cost £20 per for each additional kilogram.
Therefore, when flying with Ryanair, it’s vital that you take all these extra costs into account. If you are careful to read the small print in the relevant sections of Ryanair’s website, you should be able to avoid having to pay the majority of these unnecessary fees.
Ryanair has also suggested that they may soon introduce a host of new controversial charges, such as a £1 charge for using in-flight toilets and extra charges for overweight people. Always check the terms and conditions of your flight before you book to make sure you are happy with what you will be paying.
