Cabin baggage....

[rockershovel]

Next week’s “new experiences” appear set to include flying RyanAir, something I’ve always assiduously avoided in the past.

 

Still, you’re never too old to learn, and No 1 Son began by advising that I insist on Priority and 2 cabin bags for all bookings, and printing boarding passes well in advance because the airport staff are utterly useless.

 

This led me to the rather bizarre world of RyanAir’s FAQ page. Did you know that RyanAir will carry human remains, but only on the London-Knock service? This doesn’t apparently refer to ashes, which are covered separately. Cabin baggage can include parachutes, wingsuits or paragliders, although not if fitted with smoke canisters, pyrotechnics or petrol engines. Drones receive an entry of their own (ok, it seems), as do Avalanche Rescue Kits containing oxygen cylinders, BUT NOT diving equipment.

 

Pets are not allowed, nor are Christmas crackers or party poppers; but you will be ok with a (deflated) rugby or football. Musical instruments are not accepted, although (fully deflated) bagpipes in a carrying case cause no particular problems.

 

The thing which amuses me, is that someone clearly thought it worthwhile to list all this. It’s a very different world from the scheduled flights I’m accustomed to..

[tomparryharry]

Speed reading is not very good for me.

 

A quick scan (my poor old eyes) saw the words "Captain Cabbage".....

 

To the opticians, methinks.....

 

Cheers,

 

Ian.

[Jonboy]

Frankly I haven’t ever noticed a difference between Shorthaul BA, Ryanair or EasyJet...

 

But yes that is a bizarrely comprehensive list.

[Killybegs]

Have a good flight, I use them all the time as I travel between Ireland and the UK regularly. As long as you remember that it's more akin to catching a bus (only cheaper) than more traditional forms of air travel.

[polybear]

^{......And don't wear your best strides cos' you'll be sitting on the remains of numerous previous passengers' picnics.....}

Edited September 20, 2018 by polybear

[PMP]

Next week’s “new experiences” appear set to include flying RyanAir, something I’ve always assiduously avoided in the past.

 

Still, you’re never too old to learn, and No 1 Son began by advising that I insist on Priority and 2 cabin bags for all bookings, and printing boarding passes well in advance because the airport staff are utterly useless.

 

This led me to the rather bizarre world of RyanAir’s FAQ page. Did you know that RyanAir will carry human remains, but only on the London-Knock service? This doesn’t apparently refer to ashes, which are covered separately. Cabin baggage can include parachutes, wingsuits or paragliders, although not if fitted with smoke canisters, pyrotechnics or petrol engines. Drones receive an entry of their own (ok, it seems), as do Avalanche Rescue Kits containing oxygen cylinders, BUT NOT diving equipment.

 

Pets are not allowed, nor are Christmas crackers or party poppers; but you will be ok with a (deflated) rugby or football. Musical instruments are not accepted, although (fully deflated) bagpipes in a carrying case cause no particular problems.

 

The thing which amuses me, is that someone clearly thought it worthwhile to list all this. It’s a very different world from the scheduled flights I’m accustomed to..

 

From inside the industry, Human remains i.e. coffins are difficult in terms of paperwork and getting all the cargo (as that's what they are) protocols in place before shipment, as well as dealing with family members whom are normally travelling on the flight. The airline may not be insured for cargo services, as they don't carry cargo of any kind as a service. You only have to think of the complications caused by a diversion leading to a significant delay to get an idea of the problems that can arise with Human remains. If they have a dedicated route specified it may be that this is chosen as having the best facilities to accommodate the requirements. easyJet for example never carry human remains.

 

Items which are safe and compact can go as cabin baggage, the reason for airlines having to put musical instruments in the hold is not long after Lo-Co's started we used to get all sorts of stupidity with people turning up with large instruments, expecting them to go in the cabin, and complaining about having to buy a seat for them if there was one available. Why a seat? Safety. The last thing you need in an emergency is a couple of guitar cases or similar blocking exit doors or the aisles, and clearly they are just as effective blocking normal operations for the cabin crew without an emergency. Crackers, party poppers etc, all potentially flammable, and there's always the hen'stag party who's happy to let them off as a joke again with no thought of safety issues or simply fellow passengers discomfort. The airline might allow limited carriage, but some airport security will remove them entirely. Same with footballs etc, they'd get thrown around the cabin.

 

Petrol engines smoke cannisters paints etc are all hazardous cargo as are oxygen cylinders, see the Valujet everglades accident for the chain of events for not looking after an oxygen cylinder correctly.

 

Some restrictions do seem a bit weird, but they are there for safety primarily. Unfortunately some of them which may sometimes seem unfair are there because somewhere, sometime in the past, an idiot has bought a ticket and been stupid. One, can literally spoil it, for all. 

[Georgeconna]

lets hope your ticker keeps going or else you could find your self stranded as god forbid you dont want to end up in knock!

 

have a nice trip!

[Enterprisingwestern]

Ryanair may not carry human remains, but having seen the state of some Costa Blanca/Del Sol's returning holidaymakers, they most definitely carry the remains of humans, something I shall probably experience tomorrow.

 

Mike.

[ejstubbs]

printing boarding passes well in advance because the airport staff are utterly useless.

 

Isn't the primary reason for printing boarding passes in advance because they charge you and arm and several legs for printing them at the airport?

 

(I usually take one printed copy and one copy of the PDF on my phone.  Most security & boarding gates will happily read the bar code off a phone screen.)

[rockershovel]

Well, indeed. Most of the items described fairly generic stuff in terms of air travel. In an earlier, simpler time I once carried a petrol chainsaw on board a local flight (granted, this was in Oregon, where they seem to be given as christening presents) and no one batted an eyelid... but those times are long gone.

 

What did amuse me was someone thought it worthwhile to itemise such a list, which I suppose indicates a business model based upon the carriage of impecunious drunks and revellers to the nearer corners of the Earth (I once saw a RyanAir flight boarding at Stansted, on the day of a 6N match... some of the passengers would have made Aeroflot think twice, although given Dublin prices they were probably just thinking ahead).

[rockershovel]

Isn't the primary reason for printing boarding passes in advance because they charge you and arm and several legs for printing them at the airport?

 

(I usually take one printed copy and one copy of the PDF on my phone.  Most security & boarding gates will happily read the bar code off a phone screen.)

I’ve heard a range of dire stories regarding RyanAir boarding. Most of them seem to revolve around either (a) people who appear to lack any grasp of detail, let alone preparation (b) the rapacious RyanAir business model. No 2 Son, who uses them a good deal, offered the following advice

 

1) make sure you book “Priority, Two Bags”

2) print your boarding card well in advance (apparently problems involving references and/or account details for tickets booked through third parties are common, and WILL cost money to resolve)

3) arrive in good time

4) travel “hand luggage only”

5) have a neatly packed, new-looking cabin bag

6) don’t go ANYWHERE NEAR the terminal desk

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

 I'll offer additionally:

7). Prior to boarding maintain a constant state of alert attention to all announcements to ensure being near the head of the boarding queue.

8) Once on the flying bus watch out for bags being thrown overhead to 'reserve' seats. Really.

... some of the passengers would have made Aeroflot think twice...

... people who appear to lack any grasp of detail, let alone preparation

'Hell is other people'. Sartre we can now understand was writing for the future of low cost air travel rahter thanany afterlife. Fortunately, there is an exit in this scenario

[rockershovel]

I'll offer additionally:

7). Prior to boarding maintain a constant state of alert attention to all announcements to ensure being near the head of the boarding queue.

8) Once on the flying bus watch out for bags being thrown overhead to 'reserve' seats. Really.

 

 

'Hell is other people'. Sartre we can now understand was writing for the future of low cost air travel rahter thanany afterlife. Fortunately, there is an exit in this scenario

... ironically (which the Dutch probably think means “to do with iron”, being a humourless bunch) the KLM frequent flyer scheme used to be called “Flying Dutchman”

 

 

I’ve occasionally seen a “reality show”, the sort of thing which appears in the dog days of midweek daytime tv, involving people didplaying tardiness and lack of basic preparation, resulting in an inability to board their flights. Why this was thought to be amusing, or why these people were thought to be entitled to any sort of sympathy, I never really understood.

[rockershovel]

I once saw this attempted on an Aeroflot flight. Russians tend to display a robust attitude to life’s minor outrages, especially when they involve someone else altogether, and it didn’t end well. The miscreant was escorted from the plane, and I don’t care to speculate on what befell him.

[Edwin_m]

Isn't the primary reason for printing boarding passes in advance because they charge you and arm and several legs for printing them at the airport?

 

(I usually take one printed copy and one copy of the PDF on my phone.  Most security & boarding gates will happily read the bar code off a phone screen.)

Not only do they charge an arm and several legs, they will then charge you again for a wheelchair to the gate...

 

Up until now on short business trips I've always got away (admittedly mostly Easyjet and Wizz rather than Ryanair) with taking a backpack that holds a laptop and the minimum necessary for two overnights.  This is smaller than the "maximum sized" bag that usually gets taken away from you unless you pay extra for priority boarding, so I've always managed a quick getaway without waiting for bags and never had to pay more just to sit in the cramped plane seat for longer.  However as far as I can tell their new policy from November means I'll have to buy a new smaller bag for the laptop (which I can't check in), then pay for priority or to check a separate bag and endure the wait for it to appear (or not) at the other end. 

Edited September 20, 2018 by Edwin_m

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

... ironically (which the Dutch probably think means “to do with iron”, being a humourless bunch) the KLM frequent flyer scheme used to be called “Flying Dutchman”...

 

Then again they made me laugh with their first low cost competitor attempt branded 'Nether Lines'.

[Enterprisingwestern]

 I'll offer additionally:

7). Prior to boarding maintain a constant state of alert attention to all announcements to ensure being near the head of the boarding queue.

8) Once on the flying bus watch out for bags being thrown overhead to 'reserve' seats. Really.

'Hell is other people'. Sartre we can now understand was writing for the future of low cost air travel rahter thanany afterlife. Fortunately, there is an exit in this scenario

 

Re #7.

I always attempt to board last, (I say attempt because there are others with my mindset, but I don't mind being the antipenultimate), purely because it saves the unholy fighting/squabbling/bag slinging/elbowing that you will be subjected to with an early entrance, and anyway, the plane is going nowhere until everyone is on and settled, so what's the point?

Also, as I am a Yorkshireman, I take a random seat, a 2 to 1 on shot for an aisle or window, but tomorrow I've got a B seat, hopefully it won't be like the last time when I was wedged/shoehorned suffocatingly in between two female barrels of lard, one of whom went on to have 2 breakfasts, which was definitely the last thing she needed.

 

Mike.

[rob D2]

You have to list everything because you’d be amazed what carp people try and get on airplanes.

 

I once had to have an entire cargo hold cleared out as someone had a case full of monkey meat that had leaked

[Nick C]

I don't understand why people still fly RyanAir - surely if everyone stopped then they'd have to drop the awful business practices? I know their fares are cheap, but by the time you've added in the extra costs they add on for almost everything, and the cost of getting to and from the out-of-the-way airports they use, it often works out dearer than using a better airline in the first place!

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

I don't understand why people still fly RyanAir - surely if everyone stopped then they'd have to drop the awful business practices? I know their fares are cheap, but by the time you've added in the extra costs they add on for almost everything, and the cost of getting to and from the out-of-the-way airports they use, it often works out dearer than using a better airline in the first place!

 More airtime for Fascinating Aida's 'Flights for 50p' required?

 

(For those who have never heard this, I am sure it is on Utube. Just don't have a mouthful of any drink while listening.)

[4630]

I think everyone should use Ryanair at least once so they can experience what's probably best described in business as 'the lowest common denominator'.

 

Anyone who books with Ryanair and expects the level of service more akin to say Singapore Airlines or Quatar Airways, for example, is likely to be disappointed.  Provided that you're an 'informed traveller' and know what to expect from their business model and 'in-flight' service then you'll be fine.

 

I've just this week used Ryanair on my visit to Berlin.  It's not my first experience of using them and I would completely endorse the advice given by your No. 1 son, as that was my modus operandi too.  They were chosen for two major reasons;

 

cost (as I'm paying for the flights), even with the on-costs of booking priority, etc.

flight departures times - both outward from Manchester and return from Berlin Schönefeld (SXF) - fitted my needs.

 

The use by Ryanair of a secondary airport hasn't been an issue for me.  SXF is just as accessible using Berlin's excellent public transport as the main airport Berlin Tegel, but I appreciate there are probably fewer options if things don't go according to plan with flights.  I've been fortunate - so far!

 

It does look as though the competition authorities in Europe are taking an interest in the changes (and hand baggage charges) that Ryanair are introducing from November, if this BBC piece is accurate and to be believed.

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-45595149

Edited September 21, 2018 by 4630

[ejstubbs]

"From November, passengers will still be able to take a small personal bag into the cabin, as long as it fits under the seat in front."

 

As a six-footer with longer than average legs I hate this ridiculous idea that the space for your feet is where you should put your hand luggage.  Handbags and smaller items like that maybe, but some airlines ask to see your hand luggage when you check in/bag drop, and put a "goes under the seat in front" label on anything that's not a wheely case of the maximum allowed size.  Those labels don't last long on my bags.  A 25l or 30l rucksack is easily within the size limits but absolutely will not fit sensibly under the seat in front alongside my size 10s.  And no, I'm not prepared to risk DVT by sitting with my feet tucked under and my knees pressing in to the small of the back of the person in front of me for the whole flight.

[Killybegs]

I don't understand why people still fly RyanAir - surely if everyone stopped then they'd have to drop the awful business practices? I know their fares are cheap, but by the time you've added in the extra costs they add on for almost everything, and the cost of getting to and from the out-of-the-way airports they use, it often works out dearer than using a better airline in the first place!

 

Because it's still a VERY cheap way of travelling. If I didn't have a bus pass, my bus fare to Dublin airport would be more than the cost of the flight. Ryanair have made it possible for me to travel between Ireland and the UK on a regular basis without having to worry about the cost of flights. You get what you pay for and I think it's good value for your money. Many people who knock Ryanair have never even flown with them.

Edited September 21, 2018 by Killybegs

[Nick C]

Because it's still a VERY cheap way of travelling. If I didn't have a bus pass, my bus fare to Dublin airport would be more than the cost of the flight. Ryanair have made it possible for me to travel between Ireland and the UK on a regular basis without having to worry about the cost of flights. You get what you pay for and I think it's good value for your money. Many people who knock Ryanair have never even flown with them.

 

So I just picked a comparison to test my assertion, using a route I know - London to Krakow for a long weekend in November, hand luggage only.

 

The cheapest option is Ryanair, at £90 - but for a flight landing at Stanstead at 23:10, so you'd have to add a hotel as you'd have no way of getting home by public transport at that time of night.

 

For a sensibly timed flight, Ryanair is £176 - compared with BA's £192. Add £12 for Ryanair's priority boarding to avoid the cabin bag fee (which would be £16) makes it £188, plus £50 for the train to Stanstead gives £238. BA fly from Heathrow, the RailAir ticket is £44, so a total of £236 - so BA is slightly cheaper, an has an hour less travelling.

 

Easyjet, for the same journey, is £154 + £31 train to Gatwick, so they're even cheaper - but their one-cabin-bag policy is rather restrictive.

 

Of course I'm south of London, for someone in a different area the train fares would work out differently - but even so Ryanair's fare is effectively only £4 less than BA...

Edited September 21, 2018 by Nick C

[rockershovel]

.... what he said. I’ve just been going through the itinerary and I see that the RyanAir flight actually produces a total journey cost which is higher than the alternative, although not by much, because the company has to figure in the cost of me arriving after the last rail connection, so hire car. There WAS a RyanAir option for the second leg of the trip (three days to Aberdeen and Gdansk) but it left me with several unproductive hours in Aberdeen airport (and anyone who knows the crowded confines of Dyce, knows that all time spent there is unproductive) followed by arriving at some unearthly hour allowing 4 hours sleep. No thanks.

 

RyanAir are strong practitioners of the airline game of forcing competitors out of the market. I don’t doubt that for some passengers, they are cheap but that’s far from the case at all times.

Edited September 21, 2018 by rockershovel