How Budget Airlines Like Ryanair Make Money

[@laidbakc]

As a frequent flyer - you just learn how Ryanair operates and what are the restrictions on luggage. There is always first time mistakes from which you learn.

[@ryanberry1]

Couldn’t agree more! If you want a seat (just a seat) for an hour or two to the Med, or Eastern Europe then it’s perfect. I’ve done loads of £10/£15 one way flights - never take baggage

[@danielp415]

Exactly - you learn to take it mostly for backpack-only trips

[@aidanmolloy8634]

Exactly, Ryanair is amazing. You quickly learn what you can and cannot do! Been using them forever and will continue to do so. I made all these mistakes starting out🤘🤘

[@Morning404]

​​@@aidanmolloy8634ryanair are a terrible company. Flight delayed, my gyitar luggage destroyed, no compensation or sympathy. Nasty company.

[@suave-rider]

that was a huge bag she expected to carry on. the size limits are well posted when you book a flight, so no excuse for her stupidity

[@skytw123]

Ryanair is there take you from point A to point B with the bare minimum which is backpack. If it wasn’t for Ryanair I wouldn’t have been able to travel as much as I have done in Europe.

[@scottanos9981]

Theoretically your backpack can be pretty large though, almost the size of a small duffel bag!

[@nn.roberts]

Or as the boss of Ryan Air said: An airplane is a bus with wings. It takes you from A to B.

[@ElysiumCreator]

Exactly, you get what you pay for

[@RonDevries-w2v]

Yea there are specially desgined bags wich you can pack as full as a suitcase would highly recommend buying one​@scottanos9981

[@lorenz07]

I've been able to get huge bags on without paying. You can always squeeze it in the control thing

[@내move내groove]

A great thing in Europe that doesn't get mentioned is that low cost airlines offer a lot of routes that no other airlines offer, so in these cases it's not really a matter of choosing the low cost airline because it's cheap, we use it because it's the only one who flies directly to certain destinations.

[@ChichillasGM]

This!!

[@andy-ally]

This is one of the points of low cost business model. You serve small, not very popular cities, increasing tourist attraction in exchange to lower airport taxes. This opens good opportunities to smaller cities and businesses around as well as new destinations to cities that probably would be never visited if there was no low cost flights there.

[@MrMatavelhas]

Ryanair makes litle, or no profit, out of selling tickets.

[@sandrajones8245]

That can be a double edged sword, since yes it's great to fly from some hick city in France to a bumpkin island in Spain, direct for cheap, but that's what these airlines want.

[@PreciousAlpschindler]

European people lucky. They even get to fly to Japan cheaply while JetBlue is like $1000

[@MustangShelby]

It's your responsibility as a passenger to make sure your bags are within the allowed measurements. It's clearly stated when purchasing the ticket, what dimensions are allowed. Yet people are always surprised that their bag are too big - Go figure

[@mattyc1294]

Literally just flew sleazyjet today. Could not believe the arrogance of this old bloke whose bag was… get this… 42cm too big for the overhead… how did he even get through security with that thing?!

[@MustangShelby]

@@mattyc1294 I wondered the same thing many times. Even the ones the somehow gets through and onto the plane, so it won't fit in the overhead lockers and then don't know what to do

[@liuzeyuan]

she seems pretty dumb

[@cagaming-b1b]

Agree

[@autumntriesthings]

If it's a few cm bigger that it's not even noticeable, airlines shouldn't even have to bother with it. What they're doing is micromanaging and just charging customers more.

[@cz.travelmaster]

I always wondered how is it possible that for 10 years I've been flying around Europe for 30€ or less. Now I finally know. It's thanks to people like you 😂 With all the unnecessary fees you paid, you covered the cost of the tickets for like 10 other passengers. Bless you 👍

[@KevinEnjoyer]

This lady made me so mad yet so humored flying with Ryanair. She made me mad because she literally paid four times more than the basic ticket for things that an intelligent traveller that would normally fly Ryanair avoids. But at the same time, it made me pretty amused because now she has paid for like five other customers, including herself.

[@likeasambud9817]

Shes at work. CNBC is covering the cost.

[@KevinEnjoyer]

@@likeasambud9817 Reckless spending of the company's money.

[@RudieObias]

She made it content for the video. It’s fine 😅

[@KevinEnjoyer]

@@RudieObias You are very correct. I'm vexed.

[@JonatanRaven]

@@RudieObias she made it for the video for sure, but it's not representative of your average budget-airline traveler. Nobody with even a sliver of common sense would pay that amount for a Ryan Air flight!

[@kasposblazos864]

I fly between Sweden Gothenburg and Poland Gdansk about 1-2 times a month and I have to say RyanAir is great for this. Its difficult to drive or use any other means of transport given that there is an ocean between. Its 1.5 hours flight. I dont need food, I dont need drinks, I dont need an infotainment system, I dont need a comfortable chair. I like Ryanair, it usually cost between 50-100 usd round trip with a 10kg cabin bag. They board, take off, land and unboard extremely fast. I get to the airport no more then an hour before departure and its more then enough time. Both airports are small but modern and nice and getting through is very fast and easy. I've gotten in a cab less then 15 minutes after plane touches the runway. Usually withing 30 minutes. Very convinent, fast and very good price.

[@clean280]

the fact that you said there is an ocean between gdańsk and gothenburg says a lot about the intelligence of people supporting ryanair

[@johnny4498]

​@@clean280haha wtf man what are your arguments against ryaianir?

[@temper44]

@@clean280 In Swedish, we don't always separate the words for sea and ocean. Do people still use grammar and diction to win points on the internet in 2023?

[@jeffrey2988]

​​@@clean280 The fact that you believe every person in the world requires to know English words as if it was their first language tells me a lot about your intelligence too 😊

[@Morning404]

Ryanair are a terrible company. They destroyed my guitar luggage and didn't help me at all.

[@kelseymcgrath8801]

Clarification point: you didnt have to go to a seperate desk to check in. You did have to go to a seperate desk to get a VISA CHECK, because you are travelling on an American passport which has time restrictions in the EU. Those with unrestricted access for visas can just check in online (i.e. EU citizens with freedom of movement). Slightly unfair to say its check in, or that they wouldnt let you check in, when it is specific to you lol

[@shushoponsho]

That's american journalism 😬

[@christinawentzel9624]

This isn’t accurate. I live in Europe and am a U.S. passport holder. She’s flying from Oslo to Stansted and then Stansted to Milan. If she were flying within the EU there is no need to go to the desk for verification. Just check-in on her phone prior and go through security. That’s also if she’s not taking all that crap with here. The only places I’ve had to verify passports are for U.K and Romania.

[@kelseymcgrath8801]

@christinawentzel9624 exactly: she's flying to Stansted, which is in the UK. Famously not in the EU. Even as a stop over they make you do that (I know, I am also a US passport holder in the UK). Yes if she were flying within schengen zone, or for example in the common travel area (I.e. UK to Ireland), they wouldn't make her do a visa check. But the second you go out, even as a stop over, they double check. It's cost cutting measure: if a passenger who needs a visa lands in the final location and doesn't have the right permission to stay, the AIRLINE is responsible for paying to fly them back. So by checking visas first, they prevent that cost of flying people back.

[@PrathamInCloud]

@@kelseymcgrath8801 Uh, I didn't know this

[@namefaceageirrelevant]

Er this is not quite the full story. Yes, she went for a visa check but having to do it at a desk is 100% a cost-saving thing for Ryanair. Other carriers, including easyJet, do this at online checkin also for US citizens.

[@jardy3597]

The lady did Ryanair wrong. Why choose seats? Why check in luggage? Why not plan the bag to take that would fit? And tons of unspoken secret things she could've done

[@davis907]

You are 100% right

[@jamiejosh96]

Spot on… it’s all her fault and she’s making it seem like Ryan air is in the wrong

[@traceymarshall5886]

Yes all she needed to bring was her phone, charger, 2 socks and 2 kickers

[@The_Red_Squirrel]

Also, why choose the most expensive seat (emergency exit row), especially given that it was a short flight and you aren't what I would describe as excessively tall. It seems to me that CNBC had an agenda to show how high you can pump up the base price even if it is not necessary. The proof that Ryanair has a winning formula is that they are about to become the largest airline in the world on the basis of passenger numbers carried. Not bad for an airline that started less than 40 years ago as an airline focused at that stage on serving Irish customers.

[@aerialbugsmasher]

There's no secret things. It's just ignorance and lack of due diligence on her part.

[@Bruss390]

With Ryanair you have to know the rules of the game or you’re going to pay the price, literally. Ryanair is for short trips where you only need that small carry on bag for all your stuff; the pricing incentivises this.

[@AdrianMcDaid]

I have done 4.5 hour trip with them number of time for Europe thats longish flight

[@marieO07]

Ryanair are Fantasic ! They cover all European Holiday destinations and many cities others don't offer direct flights too, Thanks Ryanair xx

[@mosheridan7016]

Rip off ruinair

[@mattpackwood6737]

They charged me $65 for carry on bag.

[@Dr.Kornelius]

I use Ryanair 90% of my flights around Europe. 90% of the time I pay 20-30 euro for a seat, 15-25 for a luggage if I even need one. I don't pay for a reserved seat, I keep track of the empty seats and often switch to a better one. I know luggage sizes and weight so I never pay extra fees. I pay in local currency as my banks exchange rate is better than Ryanair offer. I love Ryanair!

[@mohamedsordo2355]

One thing that they missed in their comparison of US vs Europe is that in Europe, the average consumer is mostly focused on price, vs. in the US where consumers are attached to a (non low-cost) airline through a loyalty program.

[@jaysmith1408]

Excellent note. Like our family, when we go on vacation, we all fly on different airlines. My parents fly on United, I fly American, one sibling flies Delta, the others depend on where they’re going, though favours Southwest. I’ve been on Breeze, really nice airline, but since I paid more than I did in first class on American, I only flew on them once.

[@kenmore01]

​@@jaysmith1408your last point is something to note as well. By the time you have been nickeled and dimed by the low cost airlines, you may as well choose a higher end airline. While I assume your lower cost first class fare on American was because of your loyalty rewards, I worry about factors like how much airlines can afford to pay maintenance, pilots and baggage handlers. Any one of which screwing up could ruin your whole day. Cheaper isn't always better.

[@zanevsimon]

This isn’t entirely true. In the USA a lot of focus is put on price vs. airline loyalty. People will jump between airlines to save money, there isn’t much loyalty unless someone has an airline credit card or something.

[@kenmore01]

@@zanevsimon I flew regularly (every week) and chose the same one or two airlines, because I found I got treated better by them if I did. After COVID, when people started flying again, they forgot about me. I kept hoping I would be recognized again, but it didn't happen. Loyalty is a two way street.

[@traceymarshall5886]

​@@kenmore01however as an Irish person I refuse to fly any of the USA airlines like Delta, United, American. I find their staff really rough and ready. Thankfully i live in Ireland and can choose to pick Aer Lingus or Ryanair....this means ive gone to all EU airports and 65 countries as im happy to fly with zero luggage and a few pairs of kickers and socks

[@Dunkskins]

Tbh with her suitcase she didn’t measure it properly so that’s hardly Ryan airs fault?

[@jeretso]

She did measure it @11:40 and tried to sneak it in 😁

[@TheGardenMG]

US journalists at their finest.

[@zachbush7923]

It was never gonna fit in the overhead bin so I don't know what her plan was if she got it onto the plane lol

[@thelobb]

Nobody spends $170 on a Ryanair ticket especially in the base it's 45 they did not know what in the hell they were doing

[@Dunkskins]

@@jeretso haha fair point gives me I’m only 1min late for my flight entitled vibes, my suitcase has expensive stuff does it matter I can’t measure properly Karen vibes

[@SuchIsLife24]

I live in the UK and I love Ryanair. I travel around Europe a lot for weekends away & long holidays.

[@Rio.Motel.84]

Ryanair has allowed air travel for the masses in Europe. I use it frequently and visited most of Europe with them.

[@THEDONKDEVIL]

Love Ryanair. Flew multiple times with them and never had an issue.

[@adrienbergerot1250]

BOT

[@evanmcauliffe9580]

Have to agree with most of the comments here. I live in Dublin. Was not a big fan of Ryanair in the early years, but their investment in every aspect of the product over the last few years continues to impress. New aircraft. Great cabin crew. Great range of inflight food offering. Paid I know but much better than most. Check in is very easy. Just know the rules when you book and it is great. If you want efficiency and value fly them.

[@48grainsoffreedom]

The lady is clearly an American not used to fly Ryanair. If you are used to fly with them, you know they have zero tolerance for the carry-on size and the checked-in weight. She demonstrates the total opposite of why people would travel on a budget airline... smh

[@djusbddjvz]

true.. and why not compare the price to full service airline, comparing the total cost

[@spoenk7448]

Yeah, I don't think I've ever spent more than €100 on a retour flight with them. Most people don't check bags with them. Hell, I've traveled with only a small backpack for €10 single flight.

[@traceymarshall5886]

Yes she clearly doesnt know all she needs is a phone, charger, 2 pairs of socks and 2 knickers 😂😂😂😂

[@shamrock141]

I love using budget airlines to travel, recently I paid £27 for a return flight from Birmingham to Dublin, absolute bargains that make traveling worth it

[@gergelysoki1705]

do you work for ryian air?

[@WorldWide_Dom]

I Love them too. Especially since the quality of service on legacy carriers has been doing down and down it just make the value of flying budget go up and up!

[@ncard00]

Budget airlines create demand, they don't just take share from the current market share. Why trains need to do the same much more, nothing is worse than the national state railway operator just having a monopoly on profitable routes, private operators should have easy access to compete on these routes as well, forcing the state operators to improve.

[@ryanberry1]

I doubt it, I’ve done UK to Poland RETURN for £32 before, you can’t get 50 miles on a train for that

[@kozel0147]

The BHX-DUB route is insane. I paid 12 GBP for a return trip (could've been 10 but who wants to wake up at 2:30 am).

[@antoniogrljevic3733]

"How budget airlines make money?" By relying on people like you ignoring baggage size restrictions that are displayed repeatedly during the booking process. That isn't a "hiccup", it's your fault. Thanks for making it possible for the rest of us to fly cheap!

[@ahwhite2022]

It is really annoying when people ignore those carry-on size restrictions on regular airlines, and all of the other passengers have to suffer, especially those who board "too late" and there is no space remaining.

[@jirislavicek9954]

👍👍👍

[@Paul--Nobody_Is_Out_To_Get_You]

"In Europe Check Bags and Check-In are different counters". Wrong, I've never heard of different counters. Also you can usually check in online and have your boarding card on mobile or print-out.

[@jonas90.]

The plane is for travelling. It's just a way to get to a destination. I mean we are talking small flights (less than 3 hours). Get some music or get a book. If you want extras you pay the extras. Low cost is the way. Save money for something for meaningful like holidays itself, etc.

[@ianw.9185]

I think this model makes more sense in Europe, where most of the flights are under 2 hours. As a West Coast US resident, most of my flights are 4-6 hours, so I've found myself much more willing to invest in comfort and an improved experience. Earning miles and using airline credit cards makes this easier and less expensive than just paying out of pocket.

[@willswomble7274]

She could save far a tape measure and luggage balance! Tee-hee.

[@schnitzelsemmel]

The single most important reason for Ryanair's success is that theyre stimulating demand by offering flights no one would want to fly on a regular airfare. They seldomly actually directly compete with the flag carriers, unlike the US where Spirit and American often fly the same route at the same time targeting the same kind of customer.

[@labas8396]

For Ryanair, at least last year, I found that if you choose the Basic ticket and then add a bag in later steps it's cheaper than getting the Regular fair at the beginning.

[@jonasnielsen8990]

That's the case in almost all cases because it's just the luggage without a choosen seat. People are just not aware of it.

[@DavidMorris-yw8jg]

This lady literally did everything to make Ryanair to look bad. That “cabin” bag was massive. Even her personal item was too big. Ryanair are great if you know the rules and stick to them

[@AndiKola]

I don't understand what she is trying to say with "Unlike the US, you have to checkin at a different counter and checkin your bags at a different counter". This is the first time I hear of it, probably is something related to the airport but good for her for labeling it as "Unlike the US"

[@DavidMorris-yw8jg]

@@AndiKola I would assume that it’s because she has a US passport. I went to the US from Heathrow recently and although I had no baggage I wasn’t allowed to check in online as UK to US rules dictate that a passport must be seen by someone and put through the computer. I’d assume that she went to bag drop without a boarding pass and got knocked back and that’s why she goes to the service desk with her bags. If this wasn’t the case then she’d have been charged 65 euros for having her boarding card printed at the airport. She then returns to bag drop as she now has a boarding card. It’s misleading really as this would have happened even if she’d have travelled with British Airways or whoever.

[@renegadeoffunk32]

Speaking as a European living in the US, I can confirm that about 75% of people wouldn't be travelling with a checked bag, carry on bag, nornall those additional services. We'll happily take the cheap fare plus probably a carry on bag to give a fee of less than €100 (outside of holiday season)

[@mauisstepsis5524]

One hidden fact that is forgotten to mention in this video is that Americans tend to be wider and heavier than Europeans so it costs US budget airliners more to ship them around.

[@scottanos9981]

Southwest Airlines is even giving obese passengers an extra seat for free now 😅

[@falafeldurum2095]

LMAO then Europeans should get a discount on their flights!

[@markcartwright6547]

extra fuel cost.

[@tylersanders2388]

I genuinely love budget airlines and almost exclusively take them. I travel pretty light and don’t need to have food and drinks on the plane (it’s crap anyways). A backpack that is the size of a ‘personal item’ with clothes for a few days is all I need on a plane so I fly for $50-100 per person always

[@mimimomo4902]

I live in London for 10 years and Ryanair was the only airline that was able to get me home on a direct route to Bremen- my German hometown. For 10 years it always got me home and bacl to London & it wss on time for 99% of time and it was hassle free for me once I understood their rules. For a short trip home it was perfect. I wish we had better and faster and more direct train connections throughout Europe though.

[@ahwhite2022]

Those carry-on size restrictions aren't unique to budget airlines. Kudos to Ryanair for enforcing them. They aren't exactly a secret.

[@hotmechanic222]

Ryanair clearly give the dimensions of the maximum size bag you can take as hand luggage , its her fault for ignoring this

[@michaelscott7166]

What I would say is though is that nearly all airlines use a standard size for carry on luggage to which many luggage companies make their cases to fit in that spec. Ryanair deliberately make their tolerances a tiny bit shorter than that to catch people out. They've also been accused of using measuring guides in airports that are smaller than the specs they advertise.

[@ABCDEFGHIJK4097]

You clearly have never flown with Ryan Air.

[@Ven100]

I once flew from London to Naples Italy for $17 roundtrip on Ryanair. As long as you read the rules and know what you're getting into, it's fine. Aka don't try to bring a bigger bag than what's allowed and then act shocked.. 😏

[@mattpackwood6737]

Must have had zero baggage

[@andreigireada9525]

Flying low-cost is a matter of mindset. You don't fly low cost because you want to drink cocktails on a 1.5 hour trip, or you want the best seat on the plane, or you want to bring a ton of luggage in the cabin. You plan your trip based on what you with a low fare, because that is exactly the point of such flights - you pack your luggage so that it fits in a small suitcase, you buy 1 check-in luggage for the whole family, you pack a sandwich in your backpack if you have a long flight, you buy a 2 liter bottle of water in the airport for the drinking needs of your family. It's all about expectations - you want to be pampered, you take Lufthansa, United or KLM; you want to get from A to B because driving or train is not an option, you take Ryanair, Wizz or Frontier. And that doesn't make you a cheapskate - it just means you choose to spend your money on what is important to you.

[@mardmard]

This report is an extreme version of what NOT to do. That's not the purpose of low-cost airlines in Europe. I'd argue that most Europeans use these primarily for short trips, like a bus or train ride, for short getaways. There is no need to bring these huge bags if you stay somewhere for a few days. I personally fly a lot of Ryanair, WizzAir, Vueling, etc. and basically with just a single bag, and it works well. The seats are closer together which is about the only thing that can bother sometimes with Ryanair, but other than that I'm a happy customer.

[@BollocksFilmReviews]

I've flown Ryanair hundreds of times and never been asked to check if my bag is the correct size - never seen them ask anyone.

[@johnny4498]

Exactly man, same here.

[@indiekiduk]

Next time watch the fist few people to board, they stop checking once their hit their fee quota

[@samdl1436]

I've been a business traveller based out of Brussels for the past 25 years and I can tell that since about 5 years or so I mainly use Ryanair. I pay all the add on fees yet the total cost is still lower than with a premium airline. The process is super efficient, I get fast track on security, 2 carry on bags, priority boarding, window seat. And most important of all: Ryanair is always on time. Which is essential if you want to plan a tight schedule.

[@jakecortez4795]

aka you've never been on ryan air

[@form76]

Among low cost airlines, and after travelling extensively, i believe RyanAir & Indigo are probably worldclass

[@Tyrim]

Simetimes i have to fly between Paris and Budapest, for a few days trip. All i need is one bag carry-on. For In flight entertainment i use my phone, I don't need purchases on board, seat selection etc. Ryanair is my go-to airline.

[@JetSetTim]

I fly with spirit and frontier in the US with just my personal item (backpack) and I’ve never had any problems.

[@JeffTheBackPackTraveler]

Same here, people want to take a carry on and check a bag, Spirit isn't for that

[@anthonyc8499]

Small backpack, sure. How many people try to pass off a big camping rucksack as their personal item?

[@DavidMorris-yw8jg]

I fly in the US twice a year but I fly in Europe a lot. It always surprises me the size of the US carry ons. They are bigger than what we’d consider “hold luggage” and then they have a personal item that’s the size of a European carry on. That’s probably why it always takes an age to get on and off a US plane.

[@nellienewyork]

How would you have a problem when you're flying with just backpack, that's exactly what they sell!!! Duhhhhhh

[@NicksDynasty]

It's great that low cost airlines exist. We need the option

[@santi.9090]

I just traveled to Europe and used Ryanair for the first time on regional flights. I only carried a backpack, and didn't have to pay any extra fees whatsoever, it was very very cheap.

[@ghostdetective5949]

We flew Ryan Air roundtrip from Dublin to Manchester for a day trip while on our honeymoon in Ireland. We didn’t need to check bags, and only brought a small backpack for what we needed for the day. Will use them again if travel circumstances permit in the future.

[@Ruairi.C]

I'm kinda glad you didn't give ryanair a hard time after the bag incident. It was your mistake that it didn't fit . I use them very regularly and if you follow the rules and are travelling light then it a fantastic service , just like a bus

[@westerling8436]

Educate yourself

[@davidbergerson]

Carry on bags in the EU are one inch smaller than the US (21 inch vs 22.) This is why when you buy luggage, you need to think if you are going to take that bag internationally.

[@grod805]

Are you serious? I just bought an expensive bag thinking I could use it everywhere

[@davidbergerson]

@@grod805 I'd check the airlines you want to go on and see their baggage sizes. We look at all the major airlines worldwide and see what fits for carryons and buy accordingly.

[@534N69]

For the European flights, you should’ve tried to show what a competitive non-budget flight would’ve cost for the same time period

[@ant4686]

If you live in Europe there is really no need to bring suitcases with you. My wife and I just bring our backpacks with us that are included in the price and go somewhere for a weekend. We visited over 25 countries within the last year and paid $50 on average for a round trip.

[@jordanlako3843]

Americans are always in the extras. Them eyes are too big compared to their brains

[@AnnaRuscak]

In Europe, it's uncommon for individuals to travel regularly with such a large number of bags.

[@mm9492]

Look Ryanair has made my life cheaper. I was a med student abroad and needed cheap flights. They got me to my place safe and cheap. Well done

[@Vicstarz26]

For the past few years, Canada started embracing the LCC and ULCC carriers. Flair Airlines, Lynx and Canada Jetlines are growing rapidly in the Canadian aviation sector. Surprisingly more destinations are being added hitting where Air Canada and Westjet flies to. It’s great to see competition.

[@RossoFormula]

Jetlines will go under in 2024. One of the others will probably go under a year later. The Canadian market can't sustain that many airlines.

[@Vicstarz26]

@@RossoFormula I disagree on that, the Canadian aviation market is actually growing at a steady rate. Those carrieres have seen consistent 90% load factors throughout the past couple of years and still going strong. Mergers are happening but this is an interesting time for the LCC & ULCC to see their growth.

[@dmitriikurilov1569]

Lynx is absolutely wonderful! The only time my wife decided to fly with them to Toronto they shifted the flight to the next day (i.e. 24 hours later) which was absolutely unacceptable because she had an important appointment. Linx returned the ticket's price and we had to buy a ticket from Air Canada for 2 times of its regular price (yeah, the next day tickets are pricey as hell in Canada). I.e. we spent C$400 more than we would have if we bought the tickets from Air Canada instead of Lynx, great save, absolutely happy /s So, obviously I am not flying with Lynx unless it does not matter when I reach the destination or return. If you have something important scheduled (a connecting flight, an important appointment or event etc.) then Lynx is your least wanted option for sure.

[@va734]

People who complain about Ryanair just don’t read before booking. I have used them like 10 times through my trips to Europe and have unable to to discover many incredible cities. Of course they are selling you dirt cheap flight, they will try to squeeze most money from you. But if you are smart, it offer an incredible value.

[@JakeH-gr2zz]

Carry-on bag size is standard across the airline industry. If the journalist's bag is bigger than carry-on size which won't fit into overhead bin, then it is the journalist's fault for trying to carry it onto the plane as that's usually not allowed in any carriers.

[@mohamedsordo2355]

That's technically not true. Carry-on bag size in Europe is smaller than the US. But your point is still valid.

[@Bruss390]

Nah Ryanair’s is smaller, easy to tell this when you’re at the airport, but literally just compare the sizes online.

[@jaysmith1408]

Negative. Ryanair and regional carriers have smaller capacities, one because of stinginess, the other because of small cabins. One charges out the French bird because of it, the other just throws it under the cabin and gets on with their day.

[@andremp03]

Ryanair is deliberately smaller, even easyjet allows more.

[@Mitja73]

Imagine U would try in USA this, U would get arested or worse 😂

[@atniem684]

When i was in Europe, Ryan Air allowed me the opportunity to see most of the continent due to their prices. I never had ANY problems with the airline. I read their restrictions and packed accordingly. Ryan Air is awesome IF you “un-Americanize” yourself and actually follow instructions instead of thinking you deserve whatever because of “freedom”

[@wheres_nathan2295]

I have NEVER spent that much on a Ryan air flight! Kinda normal to check dimensions of luggage before you pack. Flexi ticket so you can change the date or time of the flight. Legroom seats. Took every possible extra!

[@fpl_bailey]

Low budget airlines are the best..... Love the a la carte approach & the only people who have issues with them are those who don't read the rules & understand how to play the game.

[@smiskowiak]

I think where US airlines struggle in general is that a lot of European airports are locally owned whereas in the US the government technically owns the airports. While you still have government laws and regulations at the airports, there are a lot more privately owned airports. The other thing the European airlines need to be able to compete with is the amazing railway system. If you're not in a big hurry, you can probably save money by hopping on a train. In the US, you can take the Amtrak, but it might take you a few days to get to your destination depending on where you're going. So it's up to the budget airlines to be more of a convenience rather than a main method of transport in Europe.

[@6z0]

What. There are so many privately owned airports in the US that LCC fly into

[@scottanos9981]

SFO is a private airport I believe

[@Stratii]

That is not completely true. Trains are often more expensive than flights.

[@8505100]

@@scottanos9981County San Francisco and City. It‘s not privat

[@jonathanburkley1138]

Flight attendant here! They are correct, paying extra to bring the bag on doesn’t matter. Bin space is limited.

[@emmanoelscharf9936]

I love Ryanair! Im literally flying every weekend between UK and Dublin and I sometimes I could buy ticked as low as £7.90 !!!

[@dragosi8980]

Me and my wife have visited pretty much all of Europe, plus UAE and Jordan for very very low prices, as low as 10 dollars per flight per person. The trick is to always check in online in advance, never actually buy a seat or luggage and try to stuff everything in your included bag. That way you can travel for very very cheap, even on long(ish) flights. For example Abu Dhabi was a 5 hour flight for which we paid ~40 usd per flight per person

[@ChristopherGrant-e5j]

Here is another thing they missed in their analysis of Europe vs. the U.S. airline consumers: There are way more millionaires in the US than in Europe and they don't fly private - they fly commercial. They fly airlines with credit card loyalty programs and points and miles also is a big factor for legacy airlines.

[@edilee5909]

Makes sense. Also, for the non-millionaire class, savings from uber/taxi and even hotel stays sometimes makes driving more appealing

[@maximegoy5429]

Ryanair makes sense if you're on a short vacation with a bag pack, not carrying a ton of equipment

[@billyponsonby]

Biggest frustration for me is caused from passengers trying to push the rules such as carryon, extra handbags, huge coats and clutter of hand carried belongings. These people seem to expect special treat of business class when they paid only for budget.

[@lorenzo21973]

One parts that was forgotten in this video is that in Europe, cheap airlines, as any other one, need to oblige to EU rules. This restrain the airlines on delay and disruption of your flight (with cheap airlines, the fine that they have to pay to the customer for delayed flight is often more than the cost of the flight itself, so also cheap airlines they still make it in the timeframe of the rule (maximum 2 hour delay): Being often single flights to the destination, this does not affect your vacation or travel. You are kind of sure that you are going to arrive at destination often on time (since they need to be flying in order to get money: delays are losing money). Same you cannot say for the economy companies in USA, where the traveler is on their own and normal carrier give you more a peace of mind.

[@szymonpifczyk]

I'm an European in the US and I really miss low-cost airlines like Ryanair and Wizzair. I know of low-cost carriers in the US but as the chart shows, they're not really *that* low cost as European ones. I think part of it is the fact that Americans just expect more. Even in this video you could see that the journalist has a bag that exceeds the maximum size. That's simply because American carry ons are larger than Europeans, so they fit more stuff, so the plane is heavier, so it uses more fuel etc.

[@zacharyfair6738]

The other big "factor" is EU countries subsidize flights to promote mental health (Scandinavians fly cheap to sunny placed in the winter, etc.). Definitely not a thing in the USA

[@owenernst7768]

​@@zacharyfair6738cherry picking, that only happens in the rich Scandinavian countries

[@adventureaviator9702]

@@zacharyfair6738 Source?

[@adventureaviator9702]

@@owenernst7768 It doesn't happen happen at all, it is misinformation.

[@Dave_Sisson]

@@owenernst7768 Not in Europe, but the wealthy Falkland Islands do that too. Every citizen or permanent resident gets a bit over 1 FIP for every day they live there to be used for international travel. They can spend it any way they like.

[@wayneandrews9298]

Taken 16 flights this year alone with Ryanair & never been dissatisfied with the service or flights & the round of applause on landing always confirms everyone feels the same ..

[@ArnauViaM]

I understand flying with budget airlines comes with many hurdles, but flying across Europe is often 1/4 of the cost of any alternative (including train, bus or private vehicles). If you know the rules, you just get a properly sized luggage, and do online check-in and purchase checked bags in advance (which is cheaper). It is not uncommon to find flights between European capitals for less than 20€ (50€ including a checked bag), so to me it feels like you get what you pay for (if not more)

[@doraemonyoung]

I had really good experiences with AirAsia and was able to take multiple overseas trips this year with them. I wouldn’t mind the add-on fees which encourages me to travel light and to think twice about some of the unnecessary services. Unfortunately AirAsia no longer fly to New Zealand from next year possibly due to higher operating cost. We really need more competition and budget airlines flying to NZ.

[@FrozenDung]

Isn't Vietjet Air going to OZ and NZ now?

[@David-gj1wv]

I can't get refund from them since September for a flight cancelled from their side. Fk AirAsia.

[@javierjp8549]

8:05 Don't be fooled, she paid $100 because corporate was paying for it!

[@MarcoBattaglia-d4j]

I’m from Milan, Italy. It took 140 euros to get to Barcelona and come back, for me and my family, 5 people in total. It took 160 euros for Berlin, 210 for Budapest and 270 for Madrid. No need to buy any extra, this is what it took to buy 5 round tickets to these cities. Budget airlines is simply great if you know how to use it and book in advance!

[@devanman7920]

i just find it dumb she purposely brings a bigger bag knowing its too big and makes out its such an issue. Just follow the rules , the cost is still half what you pay for other airlines.

[@alyzzanicole]

frequent budget traveller here (flew wizz+ryanair+easyjet) ! tip 1 : put only your essentials on the backpack. you can even fit in 10 days worth of clothes in there (just don't overpack). tip 2 : its fcfs on the overhead baggage. esp if you're not priority, try to be first in line. sometimes they'll allow you to put your backpack on the overhead place (was told to put it down only once). tip 3 : paying extra £ for a seat isn't worth it esp if its just 1-2h flight. but if you're willing to splurge then feel free. tip 4 : try bringing your own snacks esp if its an early flight and you think you might get hungry mid-flight. remember that you're flying budget. there are no 'hidden' fees because they clearly state it during booking process. so read carefully and follow the guidelines. happy travels !

[@pewpew65]

Those self deprecating tik toks were awesome

[@yiman7370]

As an European, In Europe I fly a lot with Rynair and wizzair. And in order to avoid extra costs to select a seat, I do the check in online, 24 hours before the flight and let the company give me a rqndom seat. Then, I make sure I don't take any extra luggage, and if I do, I can pay 20£ more for it online while doing the check in rather than 55£ at the gate. Being smart is good. Most people don't know these things 😂so that's how I flew from Manchester to Bucharest for 30£ and then from Bucharest to Dubai for 60£ saving 400£.

[@ihorv44]

Ukrainians here. Before russian invasion to my country I had been visited for about 70% of EU countries. Thanks to budget airlines: Ryanair, WizzAir and SkyUp. Just imagine, your students salary is $500 and you can travel in weekends. $30-50 round trip to Milan, Budapest, Berlin, Barcelona, Brussels, Vienna, plus hostel $9-25 per night. So the life did not look boring when your are poor student. A lot of thanks for the all budget airlines. It was funtastic

[@johnny4498]

Exactly the same experience for me, well said! Going on a trip in January with 5 flights in 8 days, 110€ in total

[@daniel11111]

As a student now, I can just hop on a Ryanair and visit other countries for as low as 30€ both ways. What’s not to like.

[@mattpackwood6737]

Must have had zero bags I was charged $65 by Ryan Air for one carry on !!!

[@greattobeadub]

Canny European travellers who know Ryanair travel with almost no luggage. I have a tiny bag that is Ryanair compliant, check-in online, get a random seat etc. It makes Ryanair incredible value. US travellers tend to bring huge bags, which is a head-scratcher for me.

[@jakecortez4795]

But how do you actually travel in it.. like i cant travel with only a bag for me i need at least a carry on to put all my stuff

[@xygomorphic44]

You're about 5 years late to the party, NBC. Actual, informative youtubers have been covering this topic for a while now.

[@koopo3472]

As a European you just travel with a small bag and maybe add an other bag. It seems that Americans would ideally like to bring their pick up truck with them

[@gplez91]

I think we need to stop calling Southwest a budget airline.

[@mohamedsordo2355]

Someone in the video used hybrid, which is a good definition. It behaves like a low cost carrier but charges the same as, or sometimes more than the regular airlines.

[@jaysmith1408]

I like the hybrid. It takes the efficiencies of a low cost carrier, but the human decency and logic of a normal airline.

[@traceymarshall5886]

Southwest is the reason Ryanair exists. Ryanair in 1990s copied the Southwest "low cost" model

[@ciprianpopa5010]

Glad there are persons like her. She is paying our cheap flights.

[@willswomble7274]

Ms Dumb & dumber videographer who's never heard about a Gopro or small Canon or Sony!

[@Stopthecrazz]

🤢

[@Daniel-OConnell]

When the rules and costs are clearly set out , not in fine print but clearly step by step on the airlines' websites; then it is a bit disingenuous to complain when you breach the rules and have to pay extra.

[@willswomble7274]

Yes she should be disqualified from being a reporter!

[@johnofdebar4071]

for the price you paid ($260) you could've taken a flight with a legacy carrier (e.g. BA) without all the hassle with luggage and without having to land on a secondary airport and pay more money for train or bus to get to the actual city this secondary airport is named after, and also save time which you could've used for e.g. sightseeing.

[@johnh8705]

Southwest hasn't been a "low-cost" carrier since they stopped using brown planes

[@ChristopherGrant-e5j]

The two bags fly free are built into the cost of the Southwest ticket. Many times Delta with a checked bag is cheaper than Southwest.

[@adamc585]

I lived in the uk as a backpacker years ago. Being on a tight budget I used to fly Ryanair allot. I had this trenchcoat type jacket I packed half my clothes in to so I could be under weight with the one then free carry on bag. Used to cram it all back in the bag when boarding😅

[@thegreatest3651]

always taken on two bags, no issues, never been stopped.

[@antiquehealbot6543]

Why does all the Americans not read the description and complain about the extra charges? Airlines never hide those fees. They always states it very clearly. I'm always happy with low cost careers.

[@quilmesdave]

I'm glad Ryanair, Easyjet, Wizzair, Spirit, Allegiant, Frontier and the likes, exist! I've been to Europe and different airports in US, thanks to them. Just flight light and eat, before boarding the plane.

[@Wetzelpetersen]

You are doing it wrong regarding going low budget. We often flew Ryanair for less than 10 euro for a return ticket from Billund, DK to Malta. The amount you paid is insane for a flight within Europe

[@EarlcksHi]

Very high quality content, the author definitely knows his stuff.

[@Arcadiez]

Or why pay 150usd for a 2h flight when you can pay 30usd? do you really need to pay 4-5x more for a dry sandwich?

[@AliceGoss]

I always fly Ryanair around Europe. I just carry a small backpack and I check in online. I usually pay around €100 with extras.

[@jasonbrown9942]

So they told you at the counter your bag was oversized but you tried to take it on anyway?

[@CharlotteCarMoments]

We've taken RyanAir in Ireland and Europe. We also took Vueling and Iberian in Spain. We paid extra for more comfortable seats, seat selection, preferred boarding and a carry on roller bag. We travel with a CPAP and if you do all the upgrades, they basically don't pay that much attention to you. Our roller bags are within limits. The flights were fine, really no complaints. If you were just going with a backpack and have short legs, its a great deal, lol. We've never taken any budget airlines in the US

[@earljackson1164]

Entirely excluded from this is the fact that in Europe, there’s strong competition with high speed rail that doesn’t exist outside of the US Northeast. Also, These same rail companies (DB, SNCF, Eurostar, and others) have started “low cost budget” high speed rail services to compete as well. This alone probably amounts to 40%-50% of the difference in cost on European budget airlines vs those in the US.

[@marieO07]

I couldn't disagree with you more. Who do you know travels from Germany, let's say, Portugal by train,( it would take you days ) most take a cheap Ryanair flight, Would I be right in saying you don't live in Europe?

[@lukem9707]

I used to be able to find great deals in Europe. I once traveled from Milan to Morocco for under $10. You do have to pay attention to luggage etc but I only had a small carry on backpack and went for 3-5 day trips. Now its still possible to find good fares but prices have gone up.

[@seanj3667]

I flew Spirit once. It was such a bad experience, I canceled my flight home, knowing I would get no refund, and just booked a more costly flight on JetBlue.

[@johnh8705]

I used Spirit years ago for a trip for 5 from Atlanta to Seattle. The $29 fare seemed like a deal until I checked in. Seats and bags were an extra $100 pp. I would've been better off paying Delta.

[@zachbush7923]

Why was it bad?

[@timtjtim]

@@johnh8705how did you not know you had to pay for bags when you booked?

[@JDBass36]

@@johnh8705 129 bucks is still very very cheap to fly across country overall, Spirit even with all the extra add ons typically are still cheaper then the Base price of Delta and other airlines

[@seanj3667]

@@zachbush7923 Service was terrible. I'm 5'9" and about 185 and the seats were small for me... and I can sit in the oldest seats in Fenway Park just fine. Total lack of amenities. The plane smelled. The tray table was the size of a motorcycle license plate...

[@razor2k911]

Hey! Let's call it what it is. Main airlines have become low-cost airlines. Even Lufthansa charges for preferential seat selection. Apart from having a Business class, there's not much separating them from low-cost airlines. The gap between the two continues to shrink as low-cost airlines have become increasingly more expensive, and in many instances on par with main airlines.

[@turkrene]

Ryanair is a great value, if you actually don't need to travel with a lot of luggage. Like I'm fine travelling with my backpack for a trip, and so I don't actually have to pay any add-ons on top of base fare. Like the news reporter paid a lot, but she had a ton of luggage.

[@realhawaii5o]

I'm a frequent ryanair/easyJet/WizzAir flyer. In fact, in February I'm taking 2 Wizzair Flights and 2 Ryanair flights (for now - might need more)... You just get used to the way they operate at some point.

[@giovanni4304]

Ryanair is wild, flew them regionally in Italy numerous times and they charge you for literally everything except for using the bathroom (surprising). Water, snacks, juice and then they go up and down the aisles trying to sell jewelry, perfumes, and all kinds of other stuff lol

[@mohamedsordo2355]

They actually tried to charge for the bathroom but the EU told them nope 😂

[@spoenk7448]

How is that wild? It's basically a commercial bus in the sky.

[@giovanni4304]

@@spoenk7448 I guess I'm not used to flight attendants trying to sell me random items throughout my flight?

[@jeretso]

15 Euro flight is Wild.

[@mohamedsordo2355]

My biggest complaint with this is not that they want to sell you random things (like lottery tickets). It's that they never stop talking on the cabin mic, so you can't watch a video in peace 😅

[@TheAngrychipmunk96]

If you can manage travelling without your entire wardrobe, the value in Eurooean LCCs is incredible. I recently took a trip from Berlin to Riga, Riga to Venice, Venice to Tel Aviv and Tel Aviv back to Berlin all for less than €100. Granted I had no plan nor itinerary, but 4 flights criss crossing Europe and the Middle East for less than a pair of shoes is pretty good..

[@DMINATOR]

230$ for Ryanair flight :) that's not how you fly with them !

[@jaysmith1408]

Could have flown business on British for less Which is why I fly on British

[@simondahl5437]

@@jaysmith1408. Except it’s only that expensive when you are doing it wrong. So if you do it right, there wouldn’t be any point flying BA…

[@randyroachjr9974]

Great vlog Malick! I needed your positive energy today I hope you get some rest after that trip and I am glad you had a nice work trip.