Ryanair to abolish check-in desks

In message , at 14:37:03 on Sun,
1 Mar 2009, Neil Williams remarked:
On Sat, 28 Feb 2009 07:52:33 +0000, Roland Perry
wrote:

Even if every passenger was hand-baggage only, he still needs to check
some of them in.

I suppose if it was only a few that role could be combined with the
ticket, sorry surcharge, desk.

It's much more likely to be the bag-drop desk (which is now the check-in
desk). That's because one of the current categories is one of the most
problematic: people travelling with infants. They *always* have "too
many" items, and regularly fail to believe that a pushchair is an
"item".

(Useful note: if you're buying a ticket/changing one at the same time,
easyJet's ticket desks, or at least the one at Schiphol, can (could as
of a couple of years ago) print your boarding pass as well, though it
took a firm "I don't want to wait in that (point at massive queue) as
I might miss the flight and I've only got hand luggage anyway" to get
them to actually do it).

The BMIBaby ticket desk at EMA can print boarding passes (which isn't
quite the same as checking-in) as I discovered when my home-printed one
couldn't be read by the security people.
--
Roland Perry

In message , at 14:44:41 on Sun,
1 Mar 2009, Neil Williams remarked:
So in two weeks time, T2 will be the Ryanair/Flybe terminal.

Damn. What's T1 like? Never been in there.

Much bigger (but refitted recently), and traditionally with a
troublesome security queue. Although the last two times it's been OK,
but I was travelling late at night when there were few remaining
flights.

Why would the FR pax not want to go through security until the last
minute, anyway? There's just about naff all landside in T2 except

.... somewhere to smoke, it was alleged.
--
Roland Perry

On Sun, 01 Mar 2009 14:40:02 GMT, Neil Williams wrote:
On Sat, 28 Feb 2009 12:08:31 -0000, "Brian Watson"
wrote:

Turning them all into pay to use toilets, I heard...

This thing about the bogs shows how much of a master of PR and the
press O'Leary is. I strongly suspect he will never charge for the
bogs (it's just not that practical), but on the principle that any
publicity is good publicity, he's just gone and got his low-fares
principle splashed all over the national press and groups like this
for free.

Whatever you might think of his operation, he is an extremely shrewd
(and unusually honest in a lot of ways, except the intention of this
one) businessman. And unlike Gerald Ratner, people keep coming back
for more.

There's a critical difference between M O'L and Ratner. Ratner criticised
his company's products. That was his downfall. MOL stands by his products.
People disklike him (and the company) because he's unapologetic about
not giving things away, free.

In article ,
Pentaxman wrote:

erilar wrote:

I'm on BA Long haul tomorrow for a three week trip and I had to check the
luggage allowance, as no way am I doing that long away on Hand luggage
only.
(You do - 2 bags!)

I don't check anything. If it won't fit in my carry-on, I must not need
it because I don't want to have to lug any more than that around. And
I've done it for FOUR weeks 8-)

is that the official carry on size on European flights? Mine is to the
size limit and takes my camera + a handkerchief!

It's the official size on international flights and I've taken it on
some purely European ones, too.

--
Mary Loomer Oliver (aka Erilar)

You can't reason with someone whose first line of argument is
that reason doesn't count. --Isaac Asimov

Erilar's Cave Annex: http://www.chibardun.net/~erilarlo

In article ,
Pentaxman wrote:

erilar wrote:

So you'd like the old and infirm to stay out of your way when you fly...

????

Well, I'm old and carry less with me than I did when I was younger 8-)
But no way would I ever fly with Ryanair.

I'm oldish but I want to take a suitcase.

Mine is actually a backpack that can be carried like a suitcase. When
I'm traveling alone, that backpack works a lot better traveling via
public transport.

--
Mary Loomer Oliver (aka Erilar)

You can't reason with someone whose first line of argument is
that reason doesn't count. --Isaac Asimov

Erilar's Cave Annex: http://www.chibardun.net/~erilarlo

"Pentaxman" skrev i meddelandet
...
erilar wrote:

I'm on BA Long haul tomorrow for a three week trip and I had to check
the
luggage allowance, as no way am I doing that long away on Hand luggage
only.
(You do - 2 bags!)

I don't check anything. If it won't fit in my carry-on, I must not need
it because I don't want to have to lug any more than that around. And
I've done it for FOUR weeks 8-)

is that the official carry on size on European flights? Mine is to the
size limit and takes my camera + a handkerchief!
--
As for Ryanair it's 10kg and size must not exceed 55cmx40cmx20cm and the bag
must fit either under the seat or in the overheadbin.

"Lennart Petersen" wrote in message
...


"Pentaxman" skrev i meddelandet
...
erilar wrote:

I'm on BA Long haul tomorrow for a three week trip and I had to check
the
luggage allowance, as no way am I doing that long away on Hand luggage
only.
(You do - 2 bags!)

I don't check anything. If it won't fit in my carry-on, I must not need
it because I don't want to have to lug any more than that around. And
I've done it for FOUR weeks 8-)

is that the official carry on size on European flights? Mine is to the
size limit and takes my camera + a handkerchief!
--
As for Ryanair it's 10kg and size must not exceed 55cmx40cmx20cm and the
bag must fit either under the seat or in the overheadbin.

That's the international standard for all carry-on luggage.

The weight varies a bit but the size is constant.

--
William Black

I've seen things you people wouldn't believe.
Barbeques on fire by the chalets past the castle headland
I watched the gift shops glitter in the darkness off the Newborough gate
All these moments will be lost in time, like icecream on the beach
Time for tea.

"Pentaxman" wrote in message
news
"Lennart Petersen" wrote:

is that the official carry on size on European flights? Mine is to the
size limit and takes my camera + a handkerchief!
--
As for Ryanair it's 10kg and size must not exceed 55cmx40cmx20cm and the
bag
must fit either under the seat or in the overheadbin.

my full on camera bag is bigger and heavier than that on its own. I
have lightweight lenses now for overseas trips :-(
I often see people at airports with carry on bags a fair bit bigger
than that size, dont know if they get on.

It depends on how twitchy the local security people are.

As a general rule nobody cares much about the weight, but some places weigh
your carry-on, and some places, usually places where someone has made a
determined attempt to blow them up at some point in the not too distant
past, are horribly strict about size.

--
William Black

I've seen things you people wouldn't believe.
Barbeques on fire by the chalets past the castle headland
I watched the gift shops glitter in the darkness off the Newborough gate
All these moments will be lost in time, like icecream on the beach
Time for tea.

"Pentaxman" wrote in message
...
"William Black" wrote:

The weight varies a bit but the size is constant.

but dont you see people with pulling bags that would not fit in those
test boxes?

At Dubai, yes, at Heathrow, no, at Bombay, it depends...

The system is not consistent.

--
William Black

I've seen things you people wouldn't believe.
Barbeques on fire by the chalets past the castle headland
I watched the gift shops glitter in the darkness off the Newborough gate
All these moments will be lost in time, like icecream on the beach
Time for tea.

"Pentaxman" wrote in message
...
"William Black" wrote:

As a general rule nobody cares much about the weight, but some places
weigh
your carry-on,

I cant chance it, what would I do, throw away a couple of thousand
pounds worth of camera?

If they weigh it and it's over weight it goes in the hold.

The solution is to buy the appropriate cases and either ship it by courier
or put it in the hold.

How do you think professional photographers manage?

We ship stuff by FedEx to the Far East these days when we fly for long term
trips.

It's cheap, reliable and stuff doesn't get stolen.

Or you can do what a friend of mine does and wear a Barbour jacket and stuff
the lenses in the pockets until you're past the check-in, 'Security'
doesn't weigh carry-on bags...

--
William Black

I've seen things you people wouldn't believe.
Barbeques on fire by the chalets past the castle headland
I watched the gift shops glitter in the darkness off the Newborough gate
All these moments will be lost in time, like icecream on the beach
Time for tea.