If you are studying in Europe, you definitely have the desire to travel around and utilise your Schengen visa. Many beautiful tourist destinations can be visited, such as in Italy, Spain, Germany, and Portugal. But there is one problem usually experienced by someone who wants to travel: the flights can be so pricey, especially for students who do not have that budget.
Overcoming this problem, you can still travel by relying on cheap flights. All you need to do is understand the procedures provided by this flight, like Ryanair. I travelled from Milan to Frankfurt for only around 20s Euros by Ryanair. Although this airline is often complained about because it is considered to hide some costs.
Hidden costs can be anticipated by understanding how the airline works. Behind the low price, of course, there is a low production cost, so it is necessary to know why the services provided by this airline are very minimal.
1. Airfare does not include food
Be prepared not to eat and drink anything during the trip unless you want to incur additional costs. You need to pay more to buy food that can usually be ordered before departure via the Ryanair app. Consuming food and drinks is usually not too urgent on a short-haul flight that only takes two or three hours. You can also still bring your own food onto the plane while still paying attention to the provisions on the types of items that can be brought on board.
2. Passengers must do the check-in themselves online
On several review websites or blogs that I read, some people complained that they had to pay 55 Euros for services to check in at the airport. This is considered a cost that was deliberately hidden by the airline. Moreover, this fee is more expensive than the ticket price itself, so some passengers feel deceived.
Actually, suppose the passenger reads the provisions carefully. In that case, each passenger must do their own check-in online through the website or application. This means the airline does not provide check-in services.
It should also be noted that labour costs in Europe are high compared to globally. One way to reduce the price of airline tickets is to not provide services so that airlines do not have to pay employee wages to serve in the matter.
Not only check-in, but the airline also provides its own baggage drop service, which must be done at least 40 minutes before departure. Some machines can be used to print luggage tags. The airline baggage clerk at the airport usually only serves as an information provider or assists passengers but is not in the capacity to fully function.
3. Ticket price does not include baggage
The items that passengers can carry onboard are strictly limited to a small bag that can be tucked under the aircraft seat. The rest, such as if a passenger wants to bring a suitcase on board with a maximum capacity of 10 kg or intends to bring checked-in baggage, he must pay the price for it. There are some experiences of passengers paying up to 69 euros for carrying more than one bag when passing through boarding. So pay close attention to the airline’s policy regarding the provisions of bringing baggage on board.
As long as the passenger performs the above steps correctly, there is nothing to worry about hidden fees. Apart from paying attention to this, there are other things you can do to make your trip with Ryan Air easier.
1. Use the Ryanair app
The Ryanair app could be used as a platform to buy airline tickets and organize the trip. It can also remind the time and what needs to be done to safely get to the plane. This application even reminds passengers to arrive early at the airport so that meetings anticipate delays due to long queues at airport security checks. The application also informs passengers on travel provisions based on government regulations in departure and destination countries. Passengers can also upload the required documents into this application to make it easier to access when needed. The Covid-19 pandemic creates many travel restrictions, so more documents are required to travel. Preparations need to be made before starting a trip by plane.
2. Know the exact airport of departure
If you are in a foreign country, sometimes you do not know the exact locations that lead to the wrong departure airport. Some cities may have two airports with similar names. For instance: Milan Bergamo and Milan Malpensa or Frankfurt Hahn and Frankfurt Flufhagen.
The distance between Milan Bergamo airport and Milan Malpensa airport is about one hour by bus. The distance between Frankfurt Hahn and Frankfurt Flufhagen is about two hours by bus. Passengers could come to the wrong airport, so there is a possibility of missing the plane.
Some foreign experiences confirm this unluckiness. Coming to the wrong airport becomes a problem when the distance from the wrong airport to the right airport is far away. Public transportation is available, but the departure schedule is not suitable. Taking a taxi can be very expensive for students’ pockets. It can even exceed the price of a plane ticket.
3. Make a flight reservation in advance, when it is still cheap
Generally, booking tickets far in advance is a must to get a cheap price. Flight tickets can be ordered through the Ryanair website or application. One of the advantages of ordering on the Ryanair app is that customers can change their bookings. For example, suppose there is a human error on the day of departure or a mistake in booking the arrival airport. In that case, you can change your booking at no additional cost, if the new ticket price is the same or cheaper than the previous ticket price.
If you book a plane ticket a day or two in advance, I’m sure you will get a quite expensive ticket. This is due to the availability of fewer seats than consumer demand. The law of supply and demand applies.
4. Learn about the connection of transportation
To reach the departure airport, you may need public transportation such as buses, trains, trams, etc. Also, when you arrive at the airport, you may need public transportation to leave the airport and go to your destination.
In this case, you need to learn transport connections. Sometimes, you need to order all of these connections in advance to get a lower price.
5. Packing goods efficiently
If you only buy the cheapest ticket, you can only bring one small bag (40cm x 20cm x 25cm). Therefore, you need to pack your things in your bag wisely. This bag can be used to carry a laptop and some clothes. Large clothes such as jackets can be worn.
So, that’s some information you might need to make sure your trip with Ryanair is cheap for your pocket.
Additional information
Ryanair is a low-fees airline from Ireland. The aim is to set the low price of flights by ensuring the safety of passengers or not quality.
The head office is located at Dublin Airport, Ireland, with bases of operations at London Stansted Airport and Dublin. Ryanair has also become a regional player that will later compete with the EasyJet of the United Kingdom, Norwegian Air Shuttle, and Transavia.
Not only serving international flights, domestic flights based in Portugal, Spain, and Italy also use Ryanair’s services. It started its operations on July 8, 1985, soon after its establishment on November 28, 1984. Its operational centers are in many areas, such as Pisa, Porto, Seville, Barcelona, to Liverpool.
Ryanair has subsidiaries that include Ryanair UK, Malta Air, Lauda Europe, and Buzz (Ryanair). Its fleet is 485, including those with subsidiaries. Operations are for more than 300 Boeing 737-800 aircraft.
Due to deregulation and the European aviation industry, its quality airlines can be seen from its relatively fast expansion. The drive took off in 1997 with the success of its low-cost business model, which won a lot of trusts.
Ryanair History
Since the airline company was founded in 1984, Ryanair has launched from a small airline to a big one. Why has Ryanair been able to develop from time to time? Ryanair is now well known across Europe, which began its short-haul flight from Waterford to London.
In the past, not many were employed, but now the employees reached 8,500 people in 2012, which included 1,200 pilots.
The airline snowballed until 1997. The money raised helped expand the airline. That is why its development is becoming more rapid.
Ryanair’s income has also increased from 1998 to 2003, including net income, which has helped develop its operations. So, how was the condition in the early years before it could become like now?
Ryanair was founded in 1985 by Christopher Ryan and Liam Lonergan as the Irish Agen Group Travel owners. Irish businessman Tony Ryan also intervened at the time of its establishment. Moreover, his name is the founder of the Guinness Peat Aviation.
Development
The airline’s starting point is the Embraer Bandeirante Turboprop which has 14 seats and flies between Waterford and Gatwick Airport. His real aim was to break the duopoly on the London-Ireland flight at the time.
Aer Lingus and British Airways are the parties that provide the service. Not until the first flight did the company also continue the second flight to Dublin and Luton International Airport.
The flight is running for direct competition with duopoly British Airways and Aer Lingus for the first time. Through the partial deregulation of the European Union, airlines can resume new international flight routes.
The flight between countries helps fulfill Intra-EU services with at least one or both governments. The Irish government has rejected this agreement. The aim is, of course, to protect Aer Lingus. Still, on the other hand, Britain also approves a conservative government that supports its services.
Still having two flight routes, airlines still relatively new managed to carry 82,000 passengers in one year. The number did continue to increase, but the journey was generally still experiencing losses, thus requiring restructuring in 1991.
The assignment to become a profitable airline cannot be separated from the role of Michael O’Leary. He emphasized that the key could be the application of fast turnaround for no-frills aircraft for more affordable fares.
There is no more extended business class, and only aircraft operations are carried out for one model. In 1989, Short Sandringham was operated by the sponsor of Ryanair. However, the income earned is not enough for airlines.
O’Leary’s role in advancing Ryanair
Still relying on O’Leary, he arrived from his visit to Southwest Airlines and was convinced that Ryanair could be the precursor to success. The proof is that Ryanair competes with the big no-frills airlines.
The Ryanair flight continued to provide flights for regional airports, which offered more affordable landing and handling fees. O’Leary, a high-ranking official at the time, was taking part in the publicity stunt.
O’Leary was instrumental in managing baggage for Ryanair flights at Dublin Airport. After successfully running it with low capital, he managed to celebrate Ryanair’s tenth anniversary. It carried as many as 2.25 million passengers.
Ryanair in the 2020s
In 2020, Ryanair was hampered by the pandemic and threatened to leave Ireland. Despite the original plan, the company reduced the number of flights in the November-March period.
Ryanair’s profile became well-known throughout the country. Because of that, the destination is also expanding. Its most extensive base is at London-Stansted Airport, with 44 aircraft at its headquarters in Dubin.
Some non-base airports also serve flights with destinations rather than airports that are only based in certain regions. The flight is carried out with an upgraded model from one point to another. Because of this, the sheer number of flights made was added directly to its portfolio, and there with the new transfer link Roma-Fiumicino Airport.
Ryanair Destinations
The convenience of using Ryanair is still felt to this day. O’Leary himself has always tried to support friendly flights after the company tried to rebrand its image.
He believes that being kind to customers will undoubtedly be better for his business. The website available from the company also makes ordering easier. People who travel with Ryanair also prefer to check in online.
That is why now Ryanair is the choice of passengers because of its affordable price. The operator is also the largest with the Boeing 737-800. The airlines are among the minimal in managing fleet variations.
The proof is that of the 450 fleets that use lively Ryanair, 449 are Boeing 737-800, and the rest are 737-700. The total number of passengers now amounts to more than 105.3 million.
With a number that is not small, Ryanair can show it as an achievement and become the airline in Europe that carries the most passengers. His achievements can make the airline world more motivated to develop its services.
Ryanair’s profile is now increasingly popular through its long history and development. It has succeeded in gaining appreciation from the public. Like O’Leary, don’t give up on running business to be successful.