I've always had a love/hate relationship with Ryanair, the Irish low-cost airline.
When Ryanair started out, back in 1980, I always preferred its main competitor easyJet, run by the charismatic and charming Greek Stelios Haji-Ioannou (Athens, 1967) as compared to the abrasive and aggressive Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary (Dublin, 1961).
My Ryanair History
For several years we flew easyJet out of Manchester, but then we switched to Liverpool John Lennon airport, a Ryanair hub, because the flights were cheaper and the routes and timings more convenient. We had bought an apartment in Ronda (Malaga) in 2001 and also a house there two years later. For years we flew to Granada, until Ryanair pulled out over a row about landing fees, so we resumed flying to Malaga airport, usually with Ryanair, for the reasons mentioned.
I hated the experience. These were the days of the undignified sprint to board the plane as no seats were allocated back then. Only to discover that the cabin crew, all sassy scouse lasses, were rude and unfriendly, made our flights far from pleasant experiences.
But, hey, the flights only lasted around 2 and a bit hours and were ridiculously cheap (sometimes as little as 5€) that I put up with it.
In addition O'Leary's quest to extract as much as possible from passengers with extra charges and expensive onboard drinks and snacks, and penny-pinching when it came to refunds or compensation, was incredibly frustrating.
Makeover/Charm Offensive
Then it all began to change when Ryanair pioneered seat allocation, at an extra cost, of course, if you wished to choose your seat - aisle, front, middle, back, extra legroom. Charges for your luggage were next. Nowadays a checked-in 15kg case can cost more than the flight!
As a result when I fly Ryanair to the UK to visit family, I squeeze a minimum of clothing into my free hand luggage, on the grounds I can always wash and dry socks and underwear as I invariably stay with one of my kids or my brother.
The airline must also have invested in staff training because cabin crew suddenly became friendly and pleasant, or maybe it's because they weren't from Liverpool!
Just to be clear and fair, I worked on Merseyside for 25 years and I just loved the people, for their cheeky humour.
From Liverpool (one of my favourite cities for its vibe, its pubs, its two cathedrals, the Everyman Theatre, the Cavern Club and its refurbished docks), to Bootle, Formby, Southport and Maghull.
I must not forget St Helens and Newton-le Willows, where I also worked for six and nine years respectively, before clocking up a decade in the borough of Sefton.
Endword
Despite all the above, I've grown to "love" the Irish airline, as it serves its purpose, ie cheap, "no frills" air travel to almost anywhere in Europe.
By the way, my German (second) wife won't hear a bad word said about Ryanair.
© The Curmudgeon
Links:
20+ Things To Do In Granada - Not Just The Alhambra (2025)!
Fear of flying? - Olive Press News Spain
My first post-Covid flight - Secret Serrania de Ronda
My Special Places in Spain
My Top 10 places in Ronda - Secret Serrania de Ronda
Ryanair one of four airlines fined for illegal charges for passengers
Photos:
MerseysidePrepared, MerseyTravel, Ryanair Help Centre, Trip Advisor, Wikipedia
Acknowledgements:
Olive Press News, Paul Whitelock, Ryanair, Sophie Pearce, ThirdEyeTraveller, Wikipedia
Tags:
Athens, Bootle, Cavern Club, Curmudgeon, Dublin, easyJet, Everyman Theatre, Formby, German, Granada, Irish airline, Liverpool, Liverpool John Lennon Airport, low-cost airline, Maghull, Malaga, Manchester, Merseyside, MerseysidePrepared, MerseyTravel, Michael O'Leary, Newton-le Willows, Olive Press News, Paul Whitelock, Ronda, Ryanair, Ryanair Help Centre, St Helens, Sefton, Sophie Pearce, Southport, Stansted airport, Stelios Haji-Ioannou, ThirdEyeTraveller, Trip Advisor, Wikipedia