About Ryanair
Ryanair was founded in 1985 by Irish businessmen Christopher Ryan, Liam Lonergan and Tony Ryan, operating a tiny Bandeirante turboprop between Waterford and London Gatwick. The airline was loss-making for years until Michael O'Leary — now its long-serving CEO and public face — restructured it in the early 1990s along the lines of Southwest Airlines: one aircraft type, secondary airports, no frills, and the lowest published fare.
The model worked. Ryanair is now Europe's largest airline by passenger numbers, carrying around 180 million people a year — more than the entire Lufthansa Group. It operates as Ryanair DAC (Ireland-based mainline), plus subsidiaries Buzz (Poland), Lauda (Austria) and Malta Air, all pooled under the Ryanair Holdings umbrella.
Ryanair is not part of any alliance and has no meaningful codeshare or interline agreements — you buy tickets direct. It operates Boeing 737-800s and new 737 MAX 8-200s ("Gamechangers" with 197 seats). Its aggressive use of ancillary revenue — priority boarding, reserved seats, cabin bags, payment fees, seat selection — means the headline fare is often only a third of what you'll end up paying.
Routes & UK bases
Ryanair operates from more UK airports than any other low-cost carrier, with London Stansted as its dominant UK base.
| UK base | Role | Typical destinations |
|---|---|---|
| London Stansted | Ryanair's largest base anywhere in the world | Dublin, Rome, Barcelona, Krakow, Budapest, Faro, Malaga, Milan Bergamo, Marrakech |
| Manchester | Major northern English base | Dublin, Alicante, Malaga, Krakow, Faro, Ibiza, Prague |
| Birmingham, East Midlands, Liverpool | Midlands/North-west bases | Dublin, Alicante, Malaga, Palma, Faro, Krakow, Bucharest |
| Edinburgh, Glasgow Prestwick | Scottish bases | Dublin, Alicante, Malaga, Krakow, Palma |
| Bristol, Leeds Bradford, Newcastle | Regional bases | Dublin + Spain/Portugal leisure |
| Belfast International | NI base (seasonal) | Alicante, Malaga, Palma, Faro |
Baggage allowance
Ryanair has the strictest free baggage policy of any major European airline. Only a very small personal bag is free on every fare; everything else is paid.
| Item | Allowance |
|---|---|
| Small personal bag (free) | 40 × 25 × 20 cm · under the seat in front of you |
| 10kg cabin bag (paid) | 55 × 40 × 20 cm · requires Priority Boarding or Plus/Flexi Plus fare |
| 10kg checked bag (paid) | Fee from £12.99 (per segment, pre-booked) |
| 20kg checked bag (paid) | Fee from £22.99 (per segment, pre-booked) |
| Oversized gate bag penalty | £70 per item — pay it or leave the bag behind |
Tip: Ryanair's gate staff actively police bag sizes — the sizer cages are strict. If your under-seat bag is one centimetre over, expect to pay £70 on the spot. See full baggage guide →
Check-in
Ryanair check-in opens 24 hours before departure (48 hours if you've paid for a seat) and closes 2 hours before. Do not miss it. Checking in at the airport costs £55. Print your boarding pass or use the app — if you don't have your boarding pass before you arrive, the check-in desk will charge £20 to re-issue.
- App check-in (recommended): Use the myRyanair app — stores boarding passes offline.
- Online check-in: Via ryanair.com — download boarding pass as PDF.
- Airport check-in: £55 per passenger. Avoid at all costs.
- Bag drop desks: Close 40 minutes before departure across all UK bases.
Fleet
Ryanair operates the largest Boeing 737 fleet in Europe — around 600 aircraft. The fleet is split between the older Boeing 737-800 (189 seats) and the newer 737 MAX 8-200 "Gamechanger" (197 seats, quieter, 16% more fuel-efficient). Lauda (Austrian subsidiary) flies a small Airbus A320 fleet, making Ryanair Group one of very few European low-cost operators running both Boeing and Airbus. Ryanair has large outstanding orders for the 737 MAX 10, which will carry 230 seats when delivered.
Cabin classes
Ryanair does not offer Premium Economy, Business or First. All aircraft are single-class economy with 30-inch pitch and non-reclining seats (deliberately — quicker to clean, fewer broken mechanisms, faster turns).
On-time performance
Ryanair's OTP (arrivals within 15 minutes) typically runs at 80–85% across the network — actually one of the better numbers in Europe. The airline's aggressive 25-minute turnarounds and preference for under-used secondary airports keeps schedules tight. Summer 2024 European ATC strikes dragged numbers below 75% during peak weeks.
Passenger reviews
Typical strengths: unbeatable fares when booked well in advance (£10–25 one-way to Spain is still possible), high OTP, vast route network reaching smaller European cities no other carrier serves, simple fleet means replacement aircraft on disruptions is usually quick.
Typical criticisms: gate-fee horror stories from passengers whose cabin bags were judged oversized; aggressive and non-negotiable tone in customer communications; hard to reach a human for changes; seats non-reclining and slim; late-night or very early departures from secondary airports; overly-frequent on-board sales announcements.
Aggregate score across Trustpilot, Skytrax and AirlineRatings: 6.5 / 10 — low on service and comfort, high on value.
⚖️ Ryanair flight delayed or cancelled?
Ryanair is subject to UK261 for UK-departing flights and EC261 for EU-departing flights. Delays of 3+ hours or cancellations within 14 days of departure can mean up to £520 per passenger. Ryanair has historically been slow to pay — passengers often use third-party claim services to push it through.
Check my claim → Read the rules →Ryanair FAQs
40 × 25 × 20 cm — small enough to fit under the seat in front of you. Roughly a large handbag, small rucksack or laptop case. A standard wheelie case is not included. You'll need to pay for Priority Boarding (about £6–12) or a Plus/Flexi Plus fare to bring a 10kg cabin bag into the overhead locker.
Ryanair charges £20 to reissue a boarding pass at the airport if you haven't checked in online. £55 if you haven't checked in at all. The airline pushes everyone to check in 24 hours ahead via the app. Failing to do so is one of Ryanair's most common complaints and one of its most profitable fees.
Yes — Stansted is Ryanair's largest UK base. Some routes also operate from Luton. Ryanair does not fly from Heathrow, Gatwick or London City. Check your destination airport carefully too — Ryanair's "Paris" is usually Beauvais (75km from central Paris), and "Frankfurt" can be Hahn (120km from Frankfurt).
Buy-on-board snacks, hot drinks, beer, wine and a limited hot food menu. Prices are broadly in line with easyJet. Cabin crew announcements about the trolley service are frequent and sometimes include scratch-card sales, duty-free and charity collections.
Yes. Infants under 2 fly on a parent's lap for about £25. Children 2+ need a full seat. Two items of baby equipment (pram/car seat/travel cot) go free in the hold. Only one of the parents needs Priority — the family can board together via the Priority lane.
Ryanair is legally required to pay UK261/EC261 compensation for qualifying delays and cancellations, but has a reputation for pushing back. Passengers frequently have to escalate to the UK Civil Aviation Authority or use a no-win-no-fee claim service to get paid. Document your delay times, keep boarding passes, and claim within the 6-year UK limit.