All about Ryanair... (And their cringeworthy replacement for the Crazy Frog!)

[Pumbaa]

Service point - it is a trolley tack to store the FC food on, with a hot cupboard above, and a small drinks rack above that. Can be very noisy (rattles consistently) and staff often have trouble getting the stuff out during Primo and Breakfast times. If I'm reserved around a service point, I always move within 30 secs of getting onboard!

Traveller - belongs to the Virgin traveller club. Basically their frequent flyer FC club. Get freebies, really cheap (if not free) FC travel. Those seats are always marked as reserved on any journey until after departing the last pick-up station on the route. Basically (in theory) makes sure anyone belonging to the Traveller club always has a seat.

And no, the drivers seats aren't blue

 

[Broken Viking]

Service point - it is a trolley tack to store the FC food on, with a hot cupboard above, and a small drinks rack above that. Can be very noisy (rattles consistently) and staff often have trouble getting the stuff out during Primo and Breakfast times. If I'm reserved around a service point, I always move within 30 secs of getting onboard!

Traveller - belongs to the Virgin traveller club. Basically their frequent flyer FC club. Get freebies, really cheap (if not free) FC travel. Those seats are always marked as reserved on any journey until after departing the last pick-up station on the route. Basically (in theory) makes sure anyone belonging to the Traveller club always has a seat.

Cheers for answering those questions guys...At least now I know where I can always find a vacant seat on a VT service!
(Note: A lot of the time I tend to "squat" reserved seats to minimise standing time on longer journeys. Such "squatting" is perfectly within the rules/regs of the NRCOC as long as ye vacate the seat(s) in question immediateley if the person holding the reservation turns up! 8))

And no, the drivers seats aren't blue

Well...Looking at This image, I'd say that they're not exactly blue - But they may appear blue under certain lighting conditions! hock:

 

[Beaker]

I'm fine on ryanair too; you get a comfortable enough seat, it takes you from A to B, and it opens up the world (well, Europe) to people who previously could not afford it. And you're likely to get a window than you are on a Pendolino

Assuming Aiport B is several hours/miles away from B itself

 

[Broken Viking]

Assuming Aiport B is several hours/miles away from B itself

To Ryanair's credit, they do at least make sure that there is a usable shuttle bus/coach between Airport(B) and B itself. I pay an extra €8,- per single journey to complete my journey from Lübeck Blankensee (Ryanairs "Hamburg") to the City of Hamburg...And although the charge does catch first-time flyers on the hop, it still works out a lot cheaper than a knocked-down BA flight direct from Heathrow! 8)

Personally I'd say that Ryanair (And other budget carriers) aren't suitable for everyone, and I'd say forget Ryanair out of hand if ye are travelling with babies or younger children. However if - Like me - Ye are a rather versatile traveller and don't have to fly from doorstep to doorstep, Ryanair can prove to be a refreshing breeze in comparison to flag-carriers! hock:

Personally; I find that I get a lot more aggrevated and stressed whenever I fly with BA (Hold up the aircraft by 25 minutes for TWO passengers, anyone? ) and I just know that I'm going to have a pile of laffs on the week when I take my parents (Both 100% loyal, long-standing BA customers) to Hamburg with Ryanair...Even though Ryanair are my favourite airline by a long way, I really want to see just how in shock my parents would be when they see the difference between BA and a budget carrier! hock:

 

[me123]

That's true, Death. I went to Charleroi airport (Brussels South; actually equidistant between Brussels and the French Border, closer to France than Brussels in some directions), but Ryanair offered a €10 bus link (which is reasonable, considering the price of the flights) however the SNCB service is slightly cheaper (and probably more hastle if you have bags). Speaking to local residents, they use the train but the bus was better for the amount of bags I had at the time.

Prestwick (for Glasgow) is the same; the rail station gets 2tph + services to Kilmarnock and Stranraer, and there's good buses to the city of Glasgow (although the train's the best option there). I've heard bad reviews about Beauvais (for Paris) being 50 miles outwith the city and the bus being rather expensive, though.

 

[Broken Viking]

That's true, Death. I went to Charleroi airport (Brussels South; actually equidistant between Brussels and the French Border, closer to France than Brussels in some directions), but Ryanair offered a €10 bus link (which is reasonable, considering the price of the flights) however the SNCB service is slightly cheaper (and probably more hastle if you have bags). Speaking to local residents, they use the train but the bus was better for the amount of bags I had at the time.

Generally speaking, I tend to research my destination airport(s) before flying to try and find the best value for onward connections. In the case of going to Hamburg, the VHH bus from Flughafen Lübeck-Blankensee works out to be the quickest and most cost-effective option - Especially when compared with catching a number 4 bus into Lübeck stadtzentrum, then taking an RB from Lübeck Hbf to Hamburg.

On the other hand; When I went to Finland at the start of the year, I found that - Insted of taking the Ryanair recommended route direct to Helsinki (At a cost of about €55,- return) - It worked out cheaper to catch the local bus into Tampere, and then an IC/IC2 between Tampere and Helsinki. 8)

A lot of the time it can vary - Sometimes the Ryanair route is cheaper, sometimes it's the most expensive - But it's always wise to get online, take a look at the airport's own website before departure, and research the various options for getting from Airport(B) to B.

Prestwick (for Glasgow) is the same; the rail station gets 2tph + services to Kilmarnock and Stranraer, and there's good buses to the city of Glasgow (although the train's the best option there). I've heard bad reviews about Beauvais (for Paris) being 50 miles outwith the city and the bus being rather expensive, though.

I don't know how far away from the centre of Glasgow PIK is (Personally, I wouldn't fly to anywhere within the UK except perhaps Northern Ireland - I try to avoid using air travel for journeys possible over land. ) but Ryanair don't always fly to far flung airfields. When I went to Pisa for a week back in June, I found that Ryanair serve the main airport for the city...And Pisa city centre is only about half an hours walk away or so! 8)

One such example that I am aware of though is Frankfurt (Hahn) - Although I've never flown there myself, apparently the airport is about 180-200Km away from Frankfurt itself. On the other hand though, Oslo (Torp) airfield is a good 150Km south-west of Oslo itself, and I personally didn't find the last 150Km journey by road a problem!

 

[16CSVT2700]

...Throw the CD right out of the aircraft, and replace the "Superfly" song with a decent bit of Death Metal - Preferably a track about aviation accidents, if I could find one! hock:

Just play anything by the band About A Plane Crash!
Blood Spattered Satisfaction is a good one... though the video is f^%ked up..

 

[A60K]

Interestingly, both Lübeck and Torp airports have had rail stations (re)opened to serve them this year.

Lübeck Flughafen (3 mins walk from the terminal) opened in May and has a call by the hourly RE from Lüneberg to the Hbf, taking around 5 mins from the airport. Massively quicker than the local bus, although you have to be lucky and arrive at the right time for the train.

Torp, opened in the winter, has the two-hourly NSB Skien - Oslo S - Lillehammer service, taking 1h45 to Sentral. The station is 4 minutes by free shuttle bus from the terminal, which connects with every train. It's actually little quicker than the bus though, because the line twists and turns northwards to Drammen, at one point even heading pretty much due south!

Both new stations are on the site (roughly) of old local stations closed some years ago, before the airports had significant scheduled flights. Neither are huge constructions, Torp literally being only a surfaced platform, 10 lamp posts and a shelter for 8 people.

 

[Broken Viking]

Interestingly, both Lübeck and Torp airports have had rail stations (re)opened to serve them this year.

Lübeck Flughafen (3 mins walk from the terminal) opened in May and has a call by the hourly RE from Lüneberg to the Hbf, taking around 5 mins from the airport. Massively quicker than the local bus, although you have to be lucky and arrive at the right time for the train.

Yikes...I wasn't aware of that. I knew that there was a single-track line running past the airport (Before the airport had a feeder-road to the Autobahn put in, the Ryanair bus would cross it whilst negotiating the local roads) but I'd always assumed that it was a freight branch! hock:

On the other hand though the train would take at least five minutes to reach Lübeck Hbf from Blankensee, then ye'd be looking at a minimum 45 minute RE journey from Lübeck to Hamburg plus relevant time to change trains. That, and I doubt that a single over that route would be less than the €8,- that VHH/Ryanair charge for the bus that runs direct! 8)

Torp, opened in the winter, has the two-hourly NSB Skien - Oslo S - Lillehammer service, taking 1h45 to Sentral. The station is 4 minutes by free shuttle bus from the terminal, which connects with every train. It's actually little quicker than the bus though, because the line twists and turns northwards to Drammen, at one point even heading pretty much due south!

I wasn't aware of how the line went when I went there earlier this month, but I researched transfer prices before flying away...And the Torpekspressen - At NOK 300,- return - Worked out to be slightly value than the minimum NSB return fare of about NOK 375,- or so. 8)