Ryanair Tips & Tricks

zeusnero

Whether you're a virgin or veteran Ryanair customer here are some tips that will hopefully make your trip a little less stressful.

Hand Luggage / Cabin Baggage

One of the most common areas of complaint on boards about Ryanair are the restrictive baggage sizes. Given that the fee for having to put hand luggage in the hold at the boarding gate (due to exceeding weight / dimensions) is now €50, it's quite possible that the pre-boarding clerks are paid commission... To avoid hassle and embarassment, ensure that your hand luggage does not weigh more than 10 kilos and its dimensions do not exceed 55cm x 40cm x 20cm

From the Ryanair Website: Strictly one item of cabin baggage per passenger (excluding infants) weighing up to 10kg with maximum dimensions of 55cm x 40cm x 20cm is permitted. (handbag, briefcase, laptop, shop purchases, camera etc.) must be carried in your 1 permitted piece of cabin baggage. Extra/oversized cabin baggage will be refused at the boarding gate, or where available, placed in the hold of the aircraft for a fee of £60/€60. If you are unsure, check at the Bag Drop desk before going through security.

Tip 1: If you do not have access to a weighing scales before arriving at the airport use one of the check-in desks conveyor belts to weigh your cabin baggage.

Tip 2: If the weight exceeds the limit (and the Ryanair staff in the airport are known to weigh hand luggage) then wear an extra piece of clothing / store heavier items about your person. (not to the extent of https://www.rufusroo.com/shop/ hopefully )

Tip 3: Test your cabin baggage's dimensions using the Ryanair 'baskets'. If it doesn't fit and it's a hard body case you can either check it in before going through security and pay €40 or chance your arm and risk having to pay €60 at the boarding gate. If it's a soft body case then refer to Tip 2

flikflak

Depending on which airport you are flying out of then you can take a bag of duty free on too with Ryanair even though it states on the website you cant.

For example at Manchester and Bristol there are big signs in the duty free saying `you can take one bag of duty free in addition to your one piece of hand luggage`

What I do is buy a bottle of water from duty free and bung a few things in the plastic bag. Never been stopped at the gate even though they have been there making me put my suitcase into the frame. Not a word was said about the plastic bag from duty free.

Has worked at Manchester, Bristol, Faro and Girona so far every time.

Moyglish

Flikflak, is Girona one of the airports you can bring a bag of duty free in addition to your hand luggage allowance?

Flying out from there in April, so would be great if we could bring duty free too!

lc180

Milan Bergamo also allows a bag of duty free along with you hand luggage.

bewhiched

Flying to Eninohoven in September for a week husband working in beligum can I bring home duty free also so the dimensions for the hand luggage are 55cmx40cmx20cm is that correct?? Thanks bloody hate flying with these just there cheap got the ticket for €58 run!!

jos28

It seems strange that Ryanair don't apply the same rules to ALL airports. I was boarding a flight from Dublin to Alicante last year and the woman in front of me had her normal hand luggage along with a duty free bag. I was chatting to her and told her that she was supposed to place it inside her hand luggage to which she said 'just watch me !'. When she was tackled by the Ryanair baggage gestapo, she told them that forcing her to hide her duty free purchases was in contravention of customs regulations, which state that purchases must be on display for customs staff to view. She quoted the legislation in detail and said that she refused to break the law and threatened Ryanair with legal action. She was obviously from a legal background and knew her stuff. Amazingly, they let her on ! Never say so many people in queue flaunting their duty free bags as they boarded Would love to know what legislation she quoted from.

bewhiched

Ah that's brilliant I'd have loving to ave seen that now!!! Kick in the arse for them!!!! Love it!

jos28

She deserved a round of applause, she was brilliant. It was the way she did it too, very polite but authoritative. There was no way anyone could have argued against her.:D

bewhiched

Fantastic say your one nearly died!! Love hearing stories like that thanks for sharing ( now we need to know what was said). Haa haa

adamski8

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2013408/Inventor-unveils-outsize-jacket-beat-budget-airline-luggage-charges.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

get one of these bad boys and your sorted

bewhiched

Brilliant!!!! Ha ha

tatli_lokma

Another tip is rather than a trolley suitcase, use a normal sports bag for hand luggage
1) it is malliable so it can be squished into the frame!
2) if you have to carry it you are more aware of how much it weighs
3) if it does weigh a bit, make sure you don't look like you are struggling as you approach the gate! If the bag looks heavy they will weigh it!

If you do want a bag with wheels, stick with a sports bag with wheels - much better than a suitcase for squishing into the overhead lockers also.

Last year I bought this lovely travel bag, its kind of oval shaped, narrower at the top than the bottom on wheels. At check in one of the Ryanair weapons tried it in the frame and it wouldn't go, the look of glee on her face when it didn't slip in and out. I simply turned the bag 90 degrees and it fit. She looked so disappointed!

steve-o

jos28 wrote: »

She quoted the legislation in detail and said that she refused to break the law and threatened Ryanair with legal action. She was obviously from a legal background and knew her stuff.

Except for the slight technicality that whatever was in her bag couldn't possibly be duty free if she was going on a flight from Dublin to Alicante! She was talking complete nonsense, but it clearly confused them enough to work, so maybe she's a lawyer anyway!

Lapin

If someone can offer me a tip on how top avoid always ending up sitting near the obligatoy screming baby, I'll treat them to lunch.

tatli_lokma

or worse, the screaming farting baby!

mrskinner

Buy 2 tickets?

spurious

Always check other airlines too. Granted Ryanair are often cheaper, but not always. For Eastern European destinations, some nice value can be got (and a 23 kg bag) with SAS.

roofi

Hi there,

I've my flight from Dublin to London Gatwick this week.
I have plan to bring 6 laptops from London but I'm not sure if I can bring such number of laptops in a card box properly packed of weight up to 20 kilo.

Would you please share if any of you have brought such size / electronic products from London (Gatwick) to Dublin on Ryanair flight or ?

Re : Size of Checked in baggage
I have a bag (not hard suitcase but wheel are hard at bottom) which has dimension of 58cm x 32cm x 25cm instead of Ryanair checked in baggage size 55cm x 40cm x 20cm. Would that mean I cannot bring this baggage even if its half empty? Please advise if Ryanair are too strict for the size?

Your help in this regard will be highly appreciated.

Best regards.

roofi

Hi there,

I've my flight from Dublin to London Gatwick this week.
I have plan to bring 6 laptops from London but I'm not sure if I can bring such number of laptops in a card box properly packed of weight up to 20 kilo.

Would you please share if any of you have brought such size / electronic products from London (Gatwick) to Dublin on Ryanair flight?

Re : Size of Checked in baggage
I have a bag (not hard suitcase but hard wheel at bottom) which has dimension of 58cm x 32cm x 25cm instead of Ryanair checked in baggage size 55cm x 40cm x 20cm. Would that mean I cannot bring this baggage even if its half empty? Please advise if Ryanair are too strict for the size?

Your help in this regard will be highly appreciated.

Best regards.

Atlantic Dawn

Size should be ok provided the bag crushes down to the cage size they use at the departure gates. There's a weight limit of 10kg for cabin baggage, it's rarely checked though.

You may run in to trouble bringing 6 laptops through airport security, each one will have to go in a seperate bin for scanning. I know too they have issue with bringing additional batteries on flights for laptops, they may deem 6 laptops in one trip to be excessive and a fire risk.

roofi

Hi Atlantic Dawn,

Thanks for your reply.
Sorry to mention that I want to bring 6 + laptops (up to 15 kilo) through checked in baggage but not cabin baggage.
Would this still be o.k to bring this or if I want to bring LCD/LED TV (40 inches) through checked in baggage?

Thanks.
ROOFI

ProudDUB

I wouldn't be putting expensive electrical items into checked baggage. That is just asking for trouble imo. The airlines themselves advise you not to put valuables into your luggage. They won't accept any responsibility if something gets nicked.