So about a month ago, I was looking to take a holiday and booked really cheap tickets from Lübeck, germany to London Stansted. The total cost, return, was 108 euros for two people. The alternative option was booking with Easyjet airlines, which would have been 374 euros, return, for two people. Being your average couple, money-earning wise, I was looking to save money and so booked our flight with Ryan air. It seemed the obvious option at the time. Please bear in mind that the airport Ryan Air uses in germany is a 2 hour drive from home, as opposed to the 1 hour drive to Hamburg international airport, had we taken the Easyjet option. So that in itself was an extra cost. Plus we had to pay for parking at that remote airport for at least 3 days. We wouldnt have to park in Hamburg since we could have someone drive us. There is always somebody going to Hamburg, but Lübeck is (as the german's say) 'am arsch der welt'. Yes, in retrospect, we all have 20/20 vision. Also the flights with Ryan air are almost always at the wee hours of the morning, so take into account that the underground in london does not operate during those times (again, a lesson learnt after the mistake was made). Easyjet of course had its flights at more reasonable times. So hail a taxi we must. That in itself costs a pocket full of pennies and a bit. Plus with Ryan air, boarding gates close 40 minutes prior to departure, a little footnote that we missed out on when we printed out our tickets. EasyJet closes 10 mintues before boarding and doesnt leave without you once you have checked in. Ryan air can and will leave without you regardless of your checking in. From the point of arriving at the airport to the point of the gate closing, we were waiting in queues for 1 hour and 30 mintues. We missed our return flight by 5 minutes exactly and they were not going to open that gate for us. We had to book another flight. The only available flight was the next day since Ryan Air flew to Lübeck only once daily. Oh, and the fair was, this time round, 200 euros. For two people. One way. We also decided to stay at a hotel at the airport since we weren't very keen on getting up too early, again, and missing another flight (also at 6am) and being delayed yet another day. Of course the reason we had missed our flight the first time round was not only because of the long queues that Ryan Air bestowed upon us, it was also because the express train from london to stansted was delayed by a mere 10 mintues, but those 10 mintues were crucial when you miss your flight by 5 minutes. Another thing about Ryan air. You are guaranteed a place in a line somewhere. And these lines move really slowly. The security lines were far longer but it was a mere 5 minute wait for security clearance. Ryan air is the only airline i noted had queues at that airport. Of course many would ask 'why not fly with a different airline, then you wouldn't have to book into a hotel and lose an extra day'. We couldnt book with another airline because our darn car was parked at Lübeck 'airport' which Ryan air had so conveniently created as it's own and from which no other airlines travelled to and from. Oh by the way, at check-in for our second return flight, after waiting in the check-in Queue for 30 mintues, we were told that we should stand at another queue to check in our bags, since they were not going to do it there for some or other reason. We decided to forego that option and take the bag with us (luckily, it was small enought to carry on). Of course we had liquids inside which we had to dispose of but the cost of buying all that again was considerably less than what we paid staying an extra day.
We ended up paying 500 pounds more for that extra day. Which leads me to conclude that no, Ryan air is definitely not the cheaper option. Even if we had not missed our flight that day, the total cost we would have saved if we had paid a little more and flown with Easyjet (or any other airline for that matter) would have been around 200 euros. No more Ryan air for us.
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