Why is ryanair so cheap?

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Pete N

Few things to consider, some already dealt with in other answers, some missed:

1) less legroom = more seats crammed in = greater income per flight
2) earlier you buy the cheaper the tickets are, late comers pay a higher price to subsidise early cheaper purchases
3) quick turnaround of plane between flights = more flights in a day = more profit = lower costs
4) no frills, you pay for extras like food where available = lower cost
5) staff are paid peanuts = monkeys (!) & low cost
6) some flights are 'loss leaders' which means they make a loss to attract people to the airline in general and in the hope you'll not only spread the word (see, you did it via your question!) but also come back to them on a more profitable flight
7) airlines like this don't only make money from the flights, it can also come from advertising in their inflight mags etc...

Thats not the whole story but it covers the basics. :-)

dsoc

The answers already given seem to cover everything except you could equally have asked "Why are other airlines so expensive?"

I flew from Dublin to London return in 1986 and it cost the equivalent of Â£250. Today I can do the same journey for no more than Â£90. The "no frills" airlines have made this possible by breaking the monopolies held by old style national airlines such as Aer Lingus, British Airways etc.

You pays your money and you makes your choice............

ellerose

They make a lot of money by making you pay for the extras - food and drink on the flight, baggage handling etc.

I heard on the radio a while ago that due to falling numbers they were putting on these sort of offers to get people to fly.

I've got tickets to Ireland with Ryanair for Â£10 for two people, I know lots of people who have flown very cheaply on Ryanair and not had a problem.

The cheap tickets are more for publicity, if you look at the tickets a bit closer to the time you go you'll see the price has shot up - thats how they make their money, on people who can't book in advance and have to travel at peak times.

Manabu Fan

Its not a scam. There are various reasons why they are so cheap which include:

No free food or drink.

Not much leg room.

Planes turned round very quickly in the airport (so they spend more time in the air which means more time makin money).

Booking/customer service done mainly through the net to reduce costs.

They fly from a lot of minor airports where slots don't cost as much and they can get a kickback from the airport for flying from there.

There is no flexibility if you miss your flight or want to change when you fly etc.

So it's not a scam but make sure you know exactly where you are flying from as it is probably not the main airport and may be up to 90 minutes away from the city that you are flying to.

lukee

Check out the actual airports - Ryanair flies from small airports and so you might find that you have to travel a long distance to get to the airport or when you arrive. The Paris airport is located 80 km away from the city, at least an hour by bus, the Barcelona airport is in Girona and will take a similar journey time by bus - these are not the standard Paris Charles de gaulle and Barcelona airports located near the cities!

Its worth also checking out the actual flight times - the cheaper fares are all for what I imagine are the unpopular times, eithe rvey early in the morning or late at night, if you're tempted by these make sure that you can get in to or out of the departure and arrival cities at those times of the day otherwise you will find that you are stuck at expensive airport hotels for the night.

Also check out what the fare includes - the 20 euro fare probably doesnt include taxes which could double it. It might not be there for long as Ryanair fares change on a daily basis according to supply and demand. If you tried to get the same journey a day or two before departure you would be looking at fares of 100s of euros.

And lastly remember that Ryan Air make money by selling you drinks and food on the flight etc as you dod not get fed. Their profit margin on a cup of coffee or sandwich must be several hundred percent.

For a more environmentally friendly way of going between the two cities consider going by train - see the French railwyas website http://www.sncf.com (click on British flag, bottom left to get it in English).

On SNCF a 'Prems' fare can work out a very good deal and has less of the hassle of flying - no one hour bus ride to the airport, no need to arrive two hours before departure due to security controls etc.

With a train just turn up 10 minutes before departure with your reservation, catch your train and watch the world go by if travelling in the daytime. Alternatively book a sleeping car to arrive in the centre of Barcelona refreshed and in style!

Penfold

Their staff are not as well paid as the long haul airline staff. Their aircraft spend as little as 40 minutes on the ground between flights so the airline can squeeze more flights into the day (and therefore more customers).They fly to/from cheap airports so their landing fees are low. You are merely paying for a seat - you get nothing else so if you want to take luggage, you pay to take luggage; if you want to eat, you pay for the snack.

They have cut back on service and generally fly to cheaper (out-of-the-way) airports - sometimes 50 miles from the city listed as the 'destination.

they turn around quickly - much to the detriment of cleanliness, (just hope the person previously in 'your' seat wasn't prone to airsickness or an incontinent child)

also, watch your baggage allowance and read this article - it is about baggage charges at easyjet, but equally applies to ryanair
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18700377/

Here's a quote from the artcle for anyone who doesnt like clicking links...... it's about an American, living in London, who booked a cheap flight from London to Paris:

"As a result, I had paid less than $200 for two people to fly on two separate easyJet flights with baggage that was well within the size and weight limits of any U.S. domestic or international carrier. And the bag charges? $1,100.31"

Also, I recall one of the newspapers (a couple of years back?) doing a direct price comparison cost, taking into account EVERYTHING to get from home to destination. It actually worked out cheaper (not to mention quicker and more convenient) to take a more (ticket price) expensive standard flight.

Christine P

they are a no frills airline.I just went to Dublin and back from Manchester for Â£20 inc taxesThey don't serve free food and drinks.If you want anything you have to pay for it and it's expensive.We had a good flight,the crew were pleasant and the captain kept us informed of where we were.The plane was clean with leather seats and plenty legroom and it landed early both ways.

foxy

Ryanair is the lowest fair airline....charges NO fuel tax..fares start from 1penny per flight throughout the year on certain flights and people still moan they have to pay airport tax and fees .....i have been flying every month with Ryanair for 4 years and every flight is the same..no frills ,usually on time within 10 minutes ..often ahead of time..can check in on line..there is adequate leg room (don't know where this idea there isn't came from)..an average fare for me from London Stanstead to Graz Austria is Â£38.00 to Â£52.00 and i book well in advance to get the low fares...there is an awful lot of rubbish told about this company that is unjust and unfair..none of their planes are over 2 years old but i do understand staff are not paid well but this is to remain top dog....as a very frequent flier i can see with my own eyes that the media lie through their teeth about this company ..one thing i can say is..THEY ARE VERY STRICT IN EVERY WAY

Mental Mickey

Because it is not the Barcelona airport that you think it is - they actually fly to Reus (or Girona), both of which are a very long 2 hour taxi ride from Barcelona itself. Make sure that the airport code is correct - many is the person who books a flight to Paris and ends up not in the main Charles de Gualle airport, but in the small muppet airport of Beauvais some 80 miles away. That is why Ryanair are so cheap, because they use minor SECONDARY airports, and not the major ones. Often, the travel costs getting from these dodgy out-of-the-way airports make the whole exercise in saving money pointless.

If you want to fly to Dublin, then Ryanair are great, but some of their contential Europe destinations are really ropey indeed. At one point, the airport used for Copenhagen in Denmark was across the border in Malmo, Sweden, so you REALLY need to be careful and check exactly WHICH airport they fly to - it might not be the one you think it is!

marc.schuster

Not everyone on the plane will be paying EUR 20.

Some seats are sold for EUR 20 to raise awareness, but the later you book it, the more expensive it gets.

So they lose some money on the cheap seats that can be considered as marketing cost.

forgetmenot1908

There is a big price war going on at hte moment - ryanair and a few others have slashed their prices. This is because fewer people were travelling since the air fare tax hike so they decided to reduce prices as an attraction. Grab it while you can as it wont last long!

agonyaunt

Ryanair isn't a scam, just a very cheap airline, I have flown with them, you travel with them for jut that, to get somewhere, do not expect great service, however I thought they provide great cheap travel :)
Take care and good luck

Tony B

This is absolutely legitimate. Ryanair is cheap because of a draconian policy of eliminating ALL unnecessary costs. (One example of this is that staff have to provide their own pencils and biros at work!). Anything beyond a passengers own physical transportation is a "chargeable extra" - and gets charged. There are NO "free" in-flight refreshments etc. The on-line booking system is extremely efficient - but watch for charges for using credit rather than debit cards. It is called a "no frills" airline. ALSO NOTICE THAT AIRPORT TAXES ARE NOT INCLUDED IN THE QUOTED FARES. However as the airline uses regional rather than major airports they could be worse. They can be quite steep but are the same as those for other airlines. Also notice that prices increase the closer one gets to departure.
With Ryanair you get what you pay for. If you want to get to a country quickly at minimum cost, and are willing to use a smaller airport then Ryanair is brilliant - and is extremely popular with travellers in Europe. If you want comfort and the convenience of arriving at a major airport - and are willing to pay more for it - the Ryanair is not for you. Many people use it for holidays, and hire a car at the airport where they arrive, which works well.
Hope that helps. I do stress that it is legitimate - but it is not a luxury service.

JConly

Cause their flight crews work for next to nothing. Hope you feel safe while the pilots up front are worried about how they will pay their bills.

egmc

My friends work as training pilots for them ,they get paid Â£850 a month and they have had to borrow 22k to pay for the privilege,Ryan air also make their money by extras,IE paying for baggage taxes etc

Dilbert

It's not very far. They might come out ahead on it. Or maybe they just want more people to try their airline, so it will become more popular. Why not give it a try?

srracvuee

Ryannair don't wish to fly with them again and i like to feel I'm flying in a plane that has proper maintenance as I've heard this airline keep their planes and staff overworked and underpaid

jacg

It's not a scam but be careful when looking at any prices for cheap flights as the price is often preceeded by the magic word 'From'. This means that they have 2 seats at 20 Euros and the rest are 400 Euros.

Also check how much it costs to fly back. Often they are a couple of quid to get there and then a couple of hundred to get back again. And don't forget to add on any airport taxes.

They do have cheaper flights though. They manage to do this by flying to airports which are actually miles away from the main city as the landing fees at regional airports are cheaper. They also have less ground fees because they encourage people to take less luggage as they don't employ as many baggage handlers as other aircraft. They also have very quick turnaround times at the airports with the cabin crew doing what other airlines pay cleaners to do. Also you have to pay separately for any food or drink on board as it's not included in the price.

It's not a scam but as with all things, you get what you pay for and if you are prepared for that, then there are bargains to be had.

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