r/Ryanair

TLDR: Moral of the story is that even though most people get their UK ETA in seconds, consequences are BAD if you don’t get it in time by your arrival. And if it’s pending, either don’t board the flight or wait at arrivals until it’s confirmed and then go to border control. And approval delays are 100% possible, so would recommend applying with multiple business days to spare.

And I’m also looking for some advice from any compensation experts for whether there’s something i could apply for here.

Story:

I was flying from Vienna to London Stansted (US Citizen) and realized during checkin the day before that the UK now has an ETA requirement so I applied. I have visited the UK many times before so I didn’t think that this time entry requirements might be different, which is on me. I used the official website because the app kept crashing the day i was applying. Unfortunately, i didn’t get any immediate approval email which was mildly concerning given that online it seemed like most people get it quickly. On the Ryanair app it said they’ll manually check my ETA at the counter. So next morning in Vienna airport i asked at checkin whether my ETA was valid if i hadn’t received confirmation yet. They took my passport number and ETA application confirmation number and put it in some system idk what, and told me i was good to fly. I double checked with them whether it would be fine for me to show up at the UK border without the confirmation email and again they said we’ve confirmed on our end and you should be good. So i assumed that meant my ETA was good in the system and they just hadn’t gotten around to sending me the approval email yet (i had noticed some people have that story online)

Flew to London and reached the immigration counter and they said my passport required further assistance at the egate. When i got to a human, they told me that i was currently in the UK illegally and they started taking my dietary preferences and medical conditions and proceeded to put me in a windowless detention room for 7 hours with basically no device access except a few calls and messages every few hours. To pass time, i mostly folded origami and tried to write random lists of various places I’ve been lol. They did give me some lunch and because they’re British, brought me tea multiple times which was at least something. During this whole process my ETA was actually approved (i saw it during one of the few phone breaks) which meant i had around a 24 hour turnaround for the application, not a few minutes as is the common experience online. I think the reason mine was flagged and slower is that i used to work in London long ago and so they always seem to get confused every subsequent time i come in as a tourist.

Anyway i told the border agents my ETA had been approved but according to them, because i originally arrived without an ETA, my arrival was still illegal and i needed to fly back to Vienna. I’m not sure i fully understood this since i thought the area before border control still counts as international land so it seems like an arrival into country never successfully happened? Anyway i even tried asking if i could fly somewhere closer in EU, but they would only let me go back to Vienna and booked the next flight out without letting me check the price or anything. I had to be escorted by 2 border agents to the gate and they put my passport in an envelope and gave it to the pilot on the flight back to Vienna so i could only get my passport back after landing in Vienna.

Anyway now i guess i need to book a hotel in Vienna for the night and fly back to the UK tmrw, it’s all gonna rack up be a pretty hefty bill at this point. I get that the UK Gov website does say to apply 1-3 business days in advance but im annoyed by the fact that mine just randomly happened to take so much longer while my mom applied next to me and got it in 1 minute. And then this insane rule abt needing to have it before landing when i know for a fact from many Reddit stories that many people apply for their UK ETA after landing so it’s not exactly a logical or consistent rule. The border agents told me Im in an unlucky situation due to the ETA rules only now starting to be enforced like this without the airlines catching up.

Anyone see any opportunity for any type compensation anywhere? Maybe with Ryanair although not really sure since they could probably claim the responsibility falls on me. Otherwise yeah it’s like $1000 down the drain and like 1.5 days lost for me which sucks… and just a very intense experience all around. Interestingly, the border agents told me that the UK government is fining airlines 8k pounds right now for any passenger that comes to the UK without a valid eta so that’s too bad for Ryanair i guess. Lmk if anyone has any advice that isn’t scolding me for not realizing abt the ETA sooner.

My parents (both in their 60s) and brother-in-law are currently stranded in Barcelona after my wedding, after their Ryanair flight home yesterday was originally due to leave at 3pm. We’ve been able to fly back to Ireland (Belfast) and other flights to Ireland have left. We’ve no idea what’s wrong with their flight.

It was repeatedly delayed, then at around 11pm they were told the flight was cancelled and that they basically needed to find their own hotel. A lot of flights were cancelled at the same time, so hotels were booking up quickly and it was a stressful scramble.

This morning they’ve had multiple conflicting updates — first told the flight would be at 4pm, then 7pm, and now they’re being told 1am tonight.
There doesn’t seem to be anyone at Barcelona airport who can actually help them, and they’re struggling to get clear information from Ryanair.

What we’re trying to establish:
What are Ryanair legally required to provide after cancelling the flight?
Can they ask to be rerouted on another flight/airline rather than waiting until 1am?
If they book an alternative flight themselves, could that affect their right to compensation/reimbursement?
Who can they actually contact at Ryanair to get a definitive answer?
Can they claim back last night’s hotel/food/transport costs?
Any advice from anyone who’s dealt with something similar would be massively appreciated. They just want to get home and don’t want to accidentally do something that affects their rights.

I'm not flying with ryan air. I'm flying with avianca, but i'd like to hear people's experiences. Basically, i'm flying from Madrid to Bogota. My 10kg carry on bag, exceeds the weight by 500g. Will it get checked? I've travelled before but always with big back packs.

What are your tricks and strategies to have the best price ?

TLDR: Impossible to get money for double baggage charge back, at a loss

I swear Ryanair are scamming me at this point. At the end of June I went to Oporto from Manchester, I booked a cabin bag but took a bag too big thinking it was a hold bag, no worries, my fault and I paid the extra £36, but the ticket for my bag never printed. I went to the desk and the only only option they said was to pay again and I would refund online, of course. Since then, I don't know how many times I have been around the houses with them.

1. A lady told me she has applied for a refund for me over the chat when I am quite sure she was lying as various chat agents have told me since they cannot do this.
2. After a while I looked into it again. And, after many many tries I find out after I make a case apparently I need to select "need more help" when the automated message asking to use the chat comes through. So I do that.
3. After providing all the information the agent said I needed, they send me a message today saying that I need to reply to their email (this is in the support case) with Passport photo and the Bank name, SWIFT/BIC and IBAN on a bank statement (not sure any UK bank statements have all these) within 10 days or it will be assumed resolved. The email explicitly says DO NOT REPLY, and conveniently the support case cannot be responded to. THE SAME DAY (not after 10 days), they close the support case and assume it resolved.
4. I go to a chat agent and explain and she says it's normal, provide the details requested in a new case. Reluctantly I provide the new information. They respond saying contact our support workers, I say I need more help and reopen the case. Now they have just told me they reassure me to go to the agents, and they have closed the case.

P.s. I can no longer access the booking as they have closed it due to an "outstanding payment" that needs resolving before I can.

The whole thing is just a wild goose chase and a complete scam. Does anyone have experience with this? Should I file with the aviation authority or bank? At a loss with the whole thing. Yes £36 is not life changing but it's the principle that they feel like they can do this I have to get that money back.

https://preview.redd.it/iv2whzf59pth1.png?width=1670&format=png&auto=webp&s=40da3d940f9fa3373478d10f70ed72f992e77b94

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I got a pack of Lambert & Butler (pack of 10) and Amber Leaf (50g) when in Spain.
I brought them back in checked luggage to UK
They're not for me, a family member asked me to get them. I'm visiting my family back in Ireland and will only have cabin luggage. Is this permitted? Do I need to do anything?

We are trying to get the kids (4 & 7) on their first holiday to the Italian lakes, camping, on high recommendation from friends. Accommodation booked a while back and the kids are so excited!

Have noticed some flights for our dates in late June have come up but they're really crap. One flight a week at 7pm getting us in to Italy after midnight (not ideal for small kids obviously). What are the chances of any more flights being released for Summer 2027 on this route? I don't know if we should wait or jump to book, even though the times suck as well as being stupid expensive (£1500+)

Anyone any tips for booking for summer? We have never been away on holiday before and the prices are overwhelming to say the least!

Hi everyone!
I’m flying Ryanair for 5 hours with my 9-month-old baby and I’m deciding between 2E/2F and regular seats.
For anyone who has sat in 2E/2F:
Are these seats noticeably narrower than regular seats?
Does the fixed armrest/tray table make them significantly less comfortable?
Would you choose 2E/2F for a 5-hour flight with a baby, or regular seats?
Any other disadvantages to row 2?
Thanks!