Can you elaborate on how 'hilarious' the low-budgetry is? I have flown with RyanAir many a time, and found it to be rather charming despite the low-budget nature.
I don't find RyanAir charming. I was turned away from my flight for trying to collect a boarding pass 35 minutes before departure at Hahn Airport. Their policy is show up 40 minutes before or no boarding pass. Security wasn't an issue, seats were available etc.
Or... my favorite... I remember when they stranded me in Bratislava due to fog at Hahn with no way to get home. That was really charming too. I got lucky and booked a flight on another carrier to another city a few hours from my car. sigh
Of course they were so cheap I put up with it. But I don't have any love for them at all.
They have the 40 minutes rule for reasons of efficiency, the policy is clearly stated so I don't see why you were upset - you should arrive earlier. As for the fog, not much Ryanair can do about that I'm afraid.
I'll agree with you on the fog, a little. In the US, if a flight gets delayed for Weather, the airline still gets you home somehow. Ryan Air offered to refund my airfare only.
As for leaving earlier, I read this statement as "it was your fault you were late, you should have left earlier, and you deserve what you got."
I've flown Ryan Air many many times and I knew the airport well. I also knew when to leave to get there on time. Unfortunately the parking lot was torn up from construction, making the nearby spaces filled, and it took me a long time to find the poorly labeled alternate lot.
At the time I was annoyed because I felt I had done what I was supposed to do and there was nothing stopping them from providing the service. i.e. the security line was non-existent and I was there 35 minutes before take off.
The policy is what it is, but I think what really got to me the most then (and thanks to you reminding me) is the presumption that I did something wrong by not anticipating the construction and that I deserved to be punished by strict adherence to the policy.
In the US, we consider this very poor customer service.
They have newish planes that are already horribly shabby (torn seats, worn carpets). They don't clean the plane between flights. There is very little legroom. They provide zero food/beverages on even 5+ hour flights without a large cost. They overbook. They charge for every piece of luggage. No video screens or audio system in the plane. Very little carry-on space.
I have heard great things about RyanAir, they just tack on the charges after you take off for every service.
A friend of mine recently got a #1 offer from Ryanair, which turned out to be #80 once taxes and fees where added on, and that's before even paying #5 for a sandwich on-board. It would have been cheaper to fly BA, and much more pleasant.
With the exception of not cleaning the plane, that sounds exactly like RyanAir.
When I said RyanAir is 'charming', I meant for leisurely travel around Europe. There is no way I'd put up with them if I had to absolutely be somewhere at a pre-planned time and feel like doing business when I landed.
