Posts Tagged ‘priority boarding’

Other than Irish hotel bookings, every one of our customers that makes their hotel booking through CityHotels.ie has gone down the DIY route of booking flights and accommodation separately. Gone are the days of being restricted by package holiday operators to certain dates and a select few hotels.  No doubt everybody welcomes and relishes  the opportunity to fly to say Madrid or London for €50 return. However, the dirt cheap airfares on offer from low cost airlines such as Ryanair has spurred on their management to seek revenue from other ancillary sources. We know only too well about hearing horror baggage charge stories from friends and colleagues.

So…to save you some of your hard earned cash, we have come up with a few tips on how to avoid and save yourself from these unneccesary charges.

1. Online Check-In Charges: Try to book your return flight from Ireland in one booking rather than two separate bookings. For example, if you book a return flight to London flying out of Dublin, you will face mandatory online check in charge of €5.00 per journey (€10.00). If you book these journeys separately, Ryanair for instance charge you €5.00 check in for your outward journey and £5.00 (€6.43). This extra £GBP sterling differential adds up especially when you are booking for a group of people!
You might get lucky if Ryanair are doing promotional fares on a suitable flight such as free online check-in and no taxes. If so happy days!

2. Baggage Charges: Many people choose to opt for carry-on luggage only which has a maximum of 10kgs per person. Ryanair staff are extremely strict on imposing their restrictions for both the weight and dimensions of carry-on luggage. Apparently their staff earn a commission on extra charges for passengers caught with overweight luggage. You could face the prospect of paying  a €20.00 baggage check-in charge even if your bag is marginally overweight. S be sure to weigh your bags after they have just been packed!

If you plan to check-in luggage, be very wary of which luggage weight option you choose on their website. €15 for 15kg or €25 for 20kg per flight. Note if you are purchasing a return flight the Ryaniar website gives you no option but to opt in for the same weight for the return leg of the journey. This is where passengers are caught out and Ryanair earn more revenue as your luggage weight is more likely to be heavier….be it presents, clothes even a damp towel!

Although their excess baggage fees are not disclosed on their website, a good guideline is that AerLingus charges a fee €9.00  per kilo overweight. Maybe you should have opted for the 20kg option? One last thing, please note Ryanair baggage charges go up during July and August “peak season” from €15 to €20 for 15kg and from €25 to €30 for 20kg.

3. Print your Boarding Pass at Home: Be sure you have checked in online the night before and that you have printed your boarding pass. If you lose or forget to bring your boarding pass to the airport, Ryanair can  re-issue you with a new boarding pass up to 40 mins prior to the schedule flight departure but at a hefty cost of €40.00 per boarding pass. Yikes!

4. Priority Boarding Fee: Personally I don’t get why people pay £4 or €4 for the “luxury” of standing in a separate priority seating queue when it is less stressful to sit and wait until the majority of passengers have boarded? Is it to get a good seat? Is it to guarantee to sit beside your partner or friend? What are those “reserved” front row seats for? Surely not to reward those people who wait to board last minute    By the way for those that still choose avail of this service note if you book a return flight you must opt in to this service for both journeys. Thats €8/£8 or €16/£16 if travelling with somebody.

5. Avoid Card Handling Charges: Both Ryanair and AerLingus charge hefty administration handling charges of €5.oo per journey or (€10.00 return). The only free payment method on Ryanair is via the Prepaid MasterCard. This card can be purchased in Ireland through a limited few operators but is well worth the savings even if you only travel abroad a year.

6. SMS Confirmation: Why would you pay €1.00 for this service? This is not a valid ticket and a service that is guaranteed by Ryanair. And what purpose does it serve other than to tell you what you already know or what has already been emailed to you.

7. Airport Parking: This is a no-brainer. To save money on airport parking you should book online in advance for the best rates possible.

Check out CityHotels.ie for further savings on 80,000 cheap hotel accommodation in Ireland and worldwide!

Happy saving!

The CityHotels.ie Team