I hit the Ryanair jackpot. Booking a Ryanair flight is always a bit of a lottery. When everything goes to plan, the Irish carrier offers flights that are remarkably inexpensive to 230 destinations across 36 countries, linking the globe in ways earlier generations could scarcely have imagined possible.
At its most challenging, the Ryanair journey can strip away much of what was once glamorous and thrilling about air travel during aviation's golden era, substituting it with notoriously uncomfortable seating, lengthy delays and scratch cards. We all knowingly take our chances on the Ryanair roulette when we step aboard Michael O'Leary's budget operation, but it's rare that you strike it really lucky.
On a recent journey to Athens, I hit the jackpot. And then, on the way back, fortune smiled again, reports the Mirror. As budget airline enthusiasts are aware, selecting a particular seat comes at a cost. If you wish to sit beside a companion, or prefer a window or aisle position, you'll need to pay extra.
There was no need to pay for a good seat
With Ryanair, the charge ranges from £4.50 to more than £30. No trivial sum, considering one-way tickets frequently cost less. If you don't book a seat in advance, you'll be placed alongside strangers and, it would appear, allocated a less desirable spot. I've lost track of how many occasions I've ended up squeezed between two hefty passengers, having been reluctant to give Ryanair a single penny beyond what's strictly essential.
Not on this occasion. This time, I tested out a method both my wife and an online community of thrifty travellers vouch for, and it delivered results. The strategy is straightforward – simply hold off checking in until the final possible moment. For Ryanair flights, online check-in must be completed no later than 2 hours prior to the scheduled departure time.
The nearer you leave it to departure, the superior the seat you're likely to receive. The thinking behind this is that Ryanair's allocation system assigns the least desirable seats to early check-in passengers, hoping they'll have second thoughts and upgrade to a premium seat. Those premium seats stay unassigned until the eleventh hour, with the airline banking on passengers paying extra for them.
When nobody does, they're handed to those daring or delayed travellers who postpone check-in until the dying moments. It could have been pure chance, or perhaps there's genuine merit to the approach. On the outbound journey, I secured the highly sought-after seat one row behind the emergency exit, which has no seat immediately ahead. This allowed me to stretch my legs completely throughout the entire flight.
On the return leg, I was given a window seat, which I managed to exchange for an emergency exit position by being the last to board the aircraft. A flight attendant confirmed that none of these had been pre-allocated, lending credibility to the theory.
Potential downside to this Ryanair seating gamble
Naturally, there's a potential downside to this Ryanair seating gamble. "You may have a better chance of a decent seat by checking in later. But for the love of God, don't miss the two-hour deadline," cautions one Reddit user. Ryanair charges passengers for late check-in, with fees reaching up to £55. Misjudge the gamble, and your journey will become considerably more costly.
"I've been caught before where I left checking in until the last minute and then, of course, my app played up. It's not worth the stress. It's usually a two-hour max flight, and like you said, most times you can just move to stretch out," one disgruntled traveller cautioned.
