but jus a note 2 ppl out there. budget air may appear 2 b great, and it can be, but always-i repeat ALWAYS- read e small print. terms n conditions, faqs, reviews etc etc etc. to share my bad experience with all so ppl out there will not fall into a similar trap or get stuck in a bad situation, i have listed a few points about ryanair (which probably applies to any number of budget airlines):
1) make sure u qualify for online check-in, ie. you're an EU or EEA national with valid id. i stupidly ticked online check-in without finding out, only 2 realise later that i couldn't (thanks 2 my friend michelle). this was e cause of e whole trouble.
2) make sure u noe wat e contact numbers are. ryanair lists some numbers on its website, but listen up: ryanair has NO email address listed 4 ppl to email/contact. and the numbers to call are charged at premium rates. no joke. i was put on hold for like 3-4minutes and my pay-as-u-go phone credit dropped to 0GBP from 6GBP... *ouch* if you really need to contact ryanair urgently, i suggest calling the HQ number, which is the ireland number: 0818303030. it puts u on hold 4 awhile, but it is probably the most promising.
3) you're not alone, as i found out, about problems and complications relating to ryanair. plenty of ppl have had negative experiences, and there's a website: http://www.ryanaircampaign.org/ that lists some useful information on contacting ryanair, on some things ppl r trying 2 do 2. it helped me alot...
4) u should noe that there's always alot of hidden charges in budget flights. take note of that, n see if it's really worth it. in the case of ryanair, i can't qualify for online check-in, SO i have to pay 3GBP for airport check-in. u can pack light n have a hand carry, but if u're checking in luggage it costs an additional 6GBP (if u pay 4 it online), or 12GBP (if u pay at e airport). there's of course the processing fee 4 every online transaction u make, apart from the taxes n e flight fare itself. that's y, read the FAQ section, and terms n conditions section ultra carefully...
5) make sure u r familiar with e issues of refunds/compensations in case something goes wrong, eg. ur luggage ends up in france instead of spain where u r. make sure u noe ur rights, who 2 contact when such things happen. don't b led by ur nose from wat some of e working staff say; they might end up making u pay more 4 wat u dun have 2. or if they do, make sure it's refundable, or that there will b some form of compensation.
6) i haven't had e worst of experiences. go 2 almost any travel forum n u can read sob stories hundreds of times worse than mine. go, enjoy, n learn from these people's valuable experiences :P http://www.airlinequality.com/Forum/ryan.htm
hope all goes well 4 me n my trip now :D
Labels: travels, words from the (not-so) wise
