Ryanair - Priority boarding with kids

A snowHead

Thought I'd pass on my experience flying with ryanair a few weeks ago from Stansted to Salzburg. This was our first flight with our child aged 10 months at the time. As usual we had a small argument at checkin about ski boot bag - they seem to want to charge extra for this even though we paid for sports equipment - stand your ground and they always concede that a boot bag is part of ski equipment.

We get to boarding gate in good time (40mins before take off) to find people already queuing up ready for the normal ryanair bun fight to get bums on seats. We waited until the first call forward and queued in the priority queue. As we try and board a very grumpy female employee of ryanair informs us we need a priority boarding pass costing £2 per person. I contested that we have a baby and I understood normal protocol was parents and babies get priority boarding. She was having none of it and referred me to the terms and conditions o the website. We weren't the only family in the situation, we all put up a robust stand and eventually got let on in front of the fellow baying passengers.

So on the flight back from Salzburg I decided to pay up the £2 / 3euros charge for priority boarding. Had to fight our way through the crowds at boarding gate (not much space in salzburg departure area) when priorities called forward. We get through boarding and on to a bus. There were about 15 people with priority passes. What do you think happens next? Well everyone else is then invited on to the same bus.

I'm now pinned well back from the bus doors, so when we arrive at the plane I’m more or less last off the bus. Oh joy that was worth paying priority for. On boarding the plane I immediately raise my experience with the crew, standard stuff from then "write a letter to Dublin (and we're bin it)” , no doubt. Needless to say both flights were delayed by an hour each way. We did have to pay £7 each way for our son - for that we he has to sit on our seat with a totally useless "baby belt" He could undo himself and move quite freely - would do nothing in event of an incident. Get zero baggage allowance for baby.

I never wrote a letter to dublin, could be bothered as I doubt I would get a refund, compensation, apology, response, etc. Clearly children don't fit the ryanair business model of quick turn arounds. I'll certainly be prepared to pay more for alternate airlines in the future in order to avoid ryanair. If you travel with kids or fancy paying for the priority boarding pass take note.

A snowHead

thanks that certainly worth knowing. maybe worth sending a snotty email, not as much bother as writing?

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

We found this out boarding a plane to Ireland with 3 kids (all < 6), first day they started it, fortunately passengers are still human and absolutely disagreed with the policy so let us through, looks like that won't help any more as they have trained the guards (I mean check in staff) on the gates.

At the end of the day they are a cheap nasty airline, I wouldn't mind so much if they just charged a single price and told you their service is duff and they don't care about you, at least then you would have paid a single price that you can moan about and compare to the competition

As for your exp with a baby, they should apologise, at least once they are two they can get their own seat, what happens then when you can not be seated together, delays as cabin staff move passengers around, did they also charge a priority board fee for the little one?

BTW they also have a cheek with baggage check in, granny was flying over for a grandson's bday, and had only hand luggage and had no reason to board first, guess what Ryanair would not allow it , either check a bag or pay the priority boarding.

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Why should you get priority with kids? Do you get priority on a train? Its not like theyre going to strap the baby to someone else and you sit 10 rows back is it?

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How is that airline still going. With customer service like that, is it really worth the cheaper prices??
Never flown with them, and hopefully never will

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Nadenoodlee,
Of course if you have no problem waiting as a parent organises a two year old into a lap belt (after cabin crew have arranged suitable seating) because everyone else believes they will get there quicker if they get on first and then miss the take off slot due to impatience, so be it, push your way to the front, hey knock over the little old lady on the left, she may just get the last taxi outside arrivals.

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brian

Nadenoodlee, do you want to have to sit next to my kids because we couldn't get seats together ?

Actually, I'm warming to your suggestion .... Twisted Evil

We use Ryanair a lot as it is the only direct flight from Glasgow to Milan (better than waiting 3 hours in Heathrow or Amsterdam, resulting in a whole day travelling).

The return journey is always an absolute nightmare. They board everybody at once onto one bus then, instead of that bus going to the plane first, they board the 2nd bus, then let both buses go to the plane at the same time resulting in a mad scrum to board the plane - I absolutely hate this part of it.

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brian, by the way it is actually against the law ( guidance policy? ) to seperate a child under 16 from their parent/ guardian on a flight ( or this was the case when I worked in travel)
David_S, Its your child, you deal with it, dont expect the world to move around you!

My mother used to fly with 3 children to Spain 4 times a year on her own, she managed and never whinged- its RYANAIR -why are you even suprised? Incidently Ive seen the BA witches be far less helpful than easyjet/ ryanair staff to people travelling with children.

brian, If your kids are well behaved I have no problem, if theyre badly behaved little sods I will tell them and you so.

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We went Ryanair to Bergamo a couple of weeks ago as three with our 18 year-old daughter and noticed Ryanair are very different to Easyjet and definitely not family friendly. We weren't looking for or expecting any special treatment, but the flight was noticeably low on young children.

We also went by Easyjet last week to Geneva. Past experience with EJ is that the flights are often full of youngsters who enjoy priority boarding together with their parents and sometimes grandparents. We don't have a problem with children sitting next to a parent because it is easy to understand that a young child would be better off sitting next to a parent.

There are a couple of problems though. One is that any system is open to abuse and we have regularly seen older children being used as an excuse for an entire family getting priority boarding. This causes bad feeling amongst those left behind. There should be a clear rule as to the age at which children are entitled to priority boarding (such as the age for unaccompanied minors). This would be easy to check because all passports have the owner's date of birth. Also it would be better if extended families did not benefit from priority boarding, but, say, one adult per child.

We have also seen the problems when priority boarders miss out because a bus is used between the terminal and the aircraft. Last week this happened both ways, so there would have been no benefit for those passengers who paid for priority boarding. I have always resisted paying the extra and, at last, my wife accepts there is little or no benefit.

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I *think* I read in the small point on Ryanair and/or Easyjet that priority boarding doesn't actually get you onto the plane earlier, just onto the bus first, which as you said ends up still being in the bunfight for seats!!

To be honest, I think Ryanair are trying to discourage people with young kids flying with them. If that's what they want to do, fair enough but they should make it clear on their websites and adverts.
I must say I've always found that they do deliver a service as long as you don't expect that service to be top class. Expect the worst and you won't be disappointed. Their continuing growth and profits would suggest that people will grin and bear it (for the time being anyhow).

You must remember that they started out relatively recently as an alternative service for the thousands of Irish emmigrants and the huge amount of Brits with Irish relatives or background who wished to fly between Ireland and UK but were getting absolutely ripped of by BA and Aer Lingus.

As a result of this they started picking up extra custom from young tourists/stags/hens who wanted a cheap weekend in Dublin, London etc as well as quite a few price-aware business travellers. They have since expanded this business model to other destinations but will always appeal to young singles or groups with little baggage rather than a couple with two kids, three suitcases, a buggy and a cot not to mention the multiple bits of hand luggage.

It also explains their recent disgraceful but totally business orientated attempt to charge extra to wheelchair users.

You know it makes sense.

kitenski, Well now Easyjet has introduced the same system it will be interesting to see if it lasts - a group on the bus with us in Dec included some who had paid for the 'speedy boarding' and so got on the bus first...and some who hadn't - who then teased their friends at length while we waited for the bus to get as full as poss then leave for the plane! I was at that point glad that my stubbornness on this one not to be handing over more money had paid off.
But I think the whole bus saw how daft this scheme is when you don't board the plane direct from the gate.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

waynos, & other parents

I have no problems with giving priority to parents with kids, little old ladies etc who need more time to get settled before take off. After all the plane will not take off untill we are all aboard.

However can you explian why when the plane lands the situation is not reversed and you wait untill the other passengers disembarke? before you and your kids.

A snowHead

A snowHead

stewart woodward, agree with you on this, we sit back and wait to get off last, generally still waiting with everyone else for the bags.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

i went to my local chippy once and complained they didnt have any foie gras and that the wine list was rather limited

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I've never had any problems with Ryanair or EasyJet - no kids, one bag within weight limit, arrive early for check-in etc etc etc. I certainly want people with children to be seated first then I can sit as far away from them as possible Twisted Evil

Coming back from Tremablant on Zoom was a nightmare - a couple with a very young baby (few weeks?) were separated - Zoom do allocate seats but those that check in last do run the risk of not being seated together. Another person with elderly mother and 2 children also wanted to move, I was not seated next to MrHL so we all agreed to swap around. Unfortunately for me I lost out - still not next to MrHL AND ended up next to crying baby - for 7.5 hrs!

I think that people should regard EJ and RA like a bus - get on, sit down and when the doors open (and not before) get up and make your way to the exit in an orderly fashion.

anyway - while I can almost certainly (apart from said Zoom incident) avoid babies it's the bag faffers that wind me up. Is it so hard to put everything you will need on the flight into a small carrier bag in your hand luggage, remove it just before you board then put the main bag in the overhead locker- any one will do - you aren't going to need it again till you get off so does it really matter that you have to use the locker behind your seat or across the aisle. Just sit down puh-lease rolling eyes

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I drive to avoid inflicting my brood on anyone

Reserved seating and plenty of leg room!

Plus if I break down, no big deal, simply pull over. Something not possible at 30,000ft........

Ok I don't like flying either

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I travelled as part of a school group with BA last week. They were even worse than I've ever experienced with Ryanair/Easyjet. They appeared to allocate all the 10-12 yrs olds the centre seat on each row. Very few of them were sat with another meber of the group. At least with ryanair/easyjet they'd have stood a chance of being next to a mate. I'm sure the random people that they were sat next to would have preferred otherwise too.

After all it is free

holidayloverxx, there's a special place in hell for bag faffers and people who enter ski lifts and then wait in the way for the rest of their party to turn up Evil or Very Mad

Hoppo,

Oh goodie Twisted Evil

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holidayloverxx, Hoppo, I am a bag faffer, loo faffer, and just general want to walk about faffer. If I can, I ask for an aisle seat. If it is Easy or Ryan I sit in an aisle seat and stand up for anyone else boarding later. I explain that I am a constant get up/sit down person so I want the aisle seat or on their own head be it. They can sit and snooze and I get up and down without disturbing anyone. Hell is other people! (Jean Paul Satre).

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maggi,

works just the same for me except I deliberately pick a window seat cos I don't get up, unless it's a v long flight and I usually put my bag under the seat in front.

actually, once we take off it doesn't bother me much, its the not being able to board and get seated quickly because people are blocking the aisles sorting bags out.

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It was soooooo much easier when people couldn't bring any hand luggage on board wink

On and sit.
No problem Laughing

But.....I only brought one bag through security.....and I have to have my duty free......and senior cabin crew, you must find somewhere to put my mountain of stuff.......please no....NOT THE HOLD Shocked

You know it makes sense.

Michelle, I'm on and sit! But as soon as the seatbelt light goes off, Im off and stand rolling eyes

.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

[cough] I told a gentleman today, that his rucksack must be placed into the overhead locker for take off and landing as he was sat in an emergency exit row (it looked as if it had a couple of breeze blocks in it, so I didn't offer to lift it myself). I later found out from another member of the crew that he'd said to her what I'd told him... then asked where he'd find an overhead locker...

Help!!

Ryanair - Priority boarding with kids

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