An attempt at self-flagellation: London Gatwick to Dublin on Ryanair
I'm no longer a Ryanair virgin, after I flew them recently on the London-Dublin route. I had the choice of Aer Lingus and British Airways (about 180 GBP for a one-way flight out of London Heathrow), or even CityJet (145 Pounds, and departure from the much closer London City airport), but I chose Ryanair's flex fare at 110 Pounds. I just had to try them out...after all, business class does get boring (said no one ever!).
LGW-DUB
Since I was going to slum it out on Ryanair, I decided to slum it out all the way.
I took the first ThamesLink from Blackfriars to London Gatwick (which isn't so bad, particularly early in the morning when the crowds are light).
London Gatwick has two terminals - North and South. Ryanair uses the South terminal.
There was a decent crowd at the airport, though some airline counters were choc-a-block while others were relatively empty.
Even though I was booked on a flex fare, there was no separate line for check-in. However, there were only about 5 or 6 passengers before me, so it wasn't much of a wait.
Ryanair allows one cabin baggage (standard cabin baggage dimensions) free of charge. In addition - and this is where I think they are actually a bit more liberal than other low-cost / low-fare carriers I've seen or heard of - they allow another small bag (35 cm x 20 cm x 20 cm) as well, without charge. There was a measuring device for both such bags, though I didn't see a single passenger being asked to check if their cabin baggage fit.
Time for my check-in. My fare included one checked in bag of up to 20 kgs. I knew I'd packed and weighed my luggage before leaving for the airport, but I've had some rough experience in the past with airport weighing scales.
I carried a few pounds cash in my wallet, and also some sweet-talk phrases in my mind. Luckily for me, I didn't need to use either! My checked-in bag weighed a comfortable 17 kgs on Ryanair's scales (it was actually closer to 19 kgs when I weighed it earlier...go figure!). So no worries there. Off to departures.
Security checks were organised and pretty quick, and I was through in no time.
After security, one has to take the escalator to one level below, and walk through the entire duty free and shopping concourse, before getting to the boarding gates.
I had originally planned to reach my boarding gate early, but I spent time aimlessly ambling around the shopping area, that it was about time for boarding to start. So I rushed to gate 11, from where my flight was to board, and found it rather packed.
Luckily, my flex fare came with priority boarding, so I was able to skip the queues...
... and was seated along with some other passengers who had priority boarding as well.
By now it was 9.25 am (our scheduled departure time was 9.40 am), and finally, they called us to board the plane. The aerobridge wasn't used (Ryanair would have had to pay for that!), so we had to take the stairs to the apron level.
Right there on the tarmac stood my vehicle for the day.
I managed to be one of the first to board, so I could get some half-decent pictures before the crowds started.
At 9.40 am, folks were still waiting to board.
But we pushed back soon enough.
Our take off was again delayed a little bit, due to several incoming aircraft, as well as three more aircraft departing before us. But we were soon airborne.
Soon, the cabin crew handed out magazines (which is a rather posh term for their in-flight food and shopping catalogue). Given how short this flight was going to be, I wasn't in the mood to buy anything at their rogue prices!
Time to take a closer look at the seats. The leg-room itself wasn't particularly bad. I've actually had some domestic flights in India with lesser leg-room.
However, the missing seat pocket was an interesting feature...
... though they at least had the tray table.
Soon, we were at the arrival gates.
Upon deplaning, I noticed another interesting feature of Ryanair. In order to avoid costs of equipment at airports (such as the passenger ladder), they've modified the aircraft itself to incorporate a ladder mechanism just under the front door! I'm serious! Take a look.
And so, it was time for Dublin.
I note that there was absolute chaos at the baggage carousels.
But my bag was one of the first to arrive, and I headed outside to the fresh, crisp air of Ireland!
Next stop, the Holiday Inn Express, that runs an airport shuttle every 30 minutes.
Would I fly them again? To be perfectly honest, I see no reason why not.
Index of posts
- Introduction
- Chennai International Airport lounge
- Chennai to Abu Dhabi, Jet Airways B737-800, business class
- Etihad First Class Lounge, Abu Dhabi
- Abu Dhabi to London, Etihad A380, business suites
- London to Dublin on Ryanair
- Hotel review: Holiday Inn Express Dublin Airport
- Etihad First & Business Class Lounge, Dublin
- Dublin to Abu Dhabi, Etihad A332, business class
- Etihad Business Class Lounge, Abu Dhabi
Flight review
LGW-DUB
FR113 | 1h 20m | 280 miles | The only class they have
Since I was going to slum it out on Ryanair, I decided to slum it out all the way.
I took the first ThamesLink from Blackfriars to London Gatwick (which isn't so bad, particularly early in the morning when the crowds are light).
London Gatwick has two terminals - North and South. Ryanair uses the South terminal.
There was a decent crowd at the airport, though some airline counters were choc-a-block while others were relatively empty.
Even though I was booked on a flex fare, there was no separate line for check-in. However, there were only about 5 or 6 passengers before me, so it wasn't much of a wait.
Ryanair allows one cabin baggage (standard cabin baggage dimensions) free of charge. In addition - and this is where I think they are actually a bit more liberal than other low-cost / low-fare carriers I've seen or heard of - they allow another small bag (35 cm x 20 cm x 20 cm) as well, without charge. There was a measuring device for both such bags, though I didn't see a single passenger being asked to check if their cabin baggage fit.
Time for my check-in. My fare included one checked in bag of up to 20 kgs. I knew I'd packed and weighed my luggage before leaving for the airport, but I've had some rough experience in the past with airport weighing scales.
I carried a few pounds cash in my wallet, and also some sweet-talk phrases in my mind. Luckily for me, I didn't need to use either! My checked-in bag weighed a comfortable 17 kgs on Ryanair's scales (it was actually closer to 19 kgs when I weighed it earlier...go figure!). So no worries there. Off to departures.
Security checks were organised and pretty quick, and I was through in no time.
After security, one has to take the escalator to one level below, and walk through the entire duty free and shopping concourse, before getting to the boarding gates.
I had originally planned to reach my boarding gate early, but I spent time aimlessly ambling around the shopping area, that it was about time for boarding to start. So I rushed to gate 11, from where my flight was to board, and found it rather packed.
Luckily, my flex fare came with priority boarding, so I was able to skip the queues...
... and was seated along with some other passengers who had priority boarding as well.
By now it was 9.25 am (our scheduled departure time was 9.40 am), and finally, they called us to board the plane. The aerobridge wasn't used (Ryanair would have had to pay for that!), so we had to take the stairs to the apron level.
Right there on the tarmac stood my vehicle for the day.
I managed to be one of the first to board, so I could get some half-decent pictures before the crowds started.
Window seat 5A was going to be mine for the next 90 minutes or so.
At 9.40 am, folks were still waiting to board.
But we pushed back soon enough.
Our take off was again delayed a little bit, due to several incoming aircraft, as well as three more aircraft departing before us. But we were soon airborne.
Soon, the cabin crew handed out magazines (which is a rather posh term for their in-flight food and shopping catalogue). Given how short this flight was going to be, I wasn't in the mood to buy anything at their rogue prices!
Time to take a closer look at the seats. The leg-room itself wasn't particularly bad. I've actually had some domestic flights in India with lesser leg-room.
However, the missing seat pocket was an interesting feature...
... though they at least had the tray table.
I slept rather soundly on the flight, and was woken up by the announcement over the PA, that we had commenced descent.
Upon deplaning, I noticed another interesting feature of Ryanair. In order to avoid costs of equipment at airports (such as the passenger ladder), they've modified the aircraft itself to incorporate a ladder mechanism just under the front door! I'm serious! Take a look.
And so, it was time for Dublin.
I note that there was absolute chaos at the baggage carousels.
But my bag was one of the first to arrive, and I headed outside to the fresh, crisp air of Ireland!
Next stop, the Holiday Inn Express, that runs an airport shuttle every 30 minutes.
Conclusion
Call it beginner's luck, but my worst fears about flying Ryanair weren't realised. There was no fuss about cabin baggage size, I didn't see anyone at any of the counters arguing about their checked in baggage, the boarding was pretty smooth, seats were fine, and overall the flight was fine. Sure, it wasn't business class on Etihad or Emirates, but Ryanair promised to get me and my bags, from LGW to DUB for 110 Pounds, and that's exactly what they did!Would I fly them again? To be perfectly honest, I see no reason why not.
Comments
Post a Comment