It’s that time of the year in Ibiza once again but after a challenging couple of summers it feels different. Anticipation is high but there’s also some slight trepidation hanging in the air after so many false starts.
Winter in Ibiza feels like a cozy club that only a few are invited to mainly because it’s so tough to get here due to a lack of international flights however that dynamic is about to dramatically change by the airline that splits opinion right down the middle.
Back when tour operators ruled the roost, international flights to the White Isle before May were few & far between but now, from late March, Ibiza is connected to Europe with daily flights to airports in England, Italy, Austria, France, Holland, Germany, Scotland, Ireland, Belgium and Denmark….all from the same airline.
Love them or hate them, Ryanair don’t do things by halves and they are single-handedly responsible for extending the early and late Ibiza season, operating a flight schedule with a connectivity that could only be dreamt about a few years ago and what’s more have you seen the early season prices? The island that everybody says is ‘too expensive’ can be accessed by flights for as little as 10 euros return at a time when you need to take out an extra mortgage to fill your car with a tank of petrol.
So why is Ryanair such an emotive issue that everyone has an opinion on? For every lover there’s an equally passionate hater but what you see is what you get, it’s a flying bus. There’s no secrets, it’s all there on their website. Pay for exactly what you need, download your boarding card and away you go. There’s not much TLC as you get herded on to the plane but who needs that anyway.
The problems with Ryanair start if you don’t correctly book what you want or need. If you don’t pay for seats next to each other then you will pay the consequences later when one of you is in 2A and the other is in 42D. Don’t/won’t pay for luggage but can’t fit all your clothes in a carry on or even try to fit everything into a rucksack (which is the only luggage you get for free these days) then expect issue at the check in.
The Ryanair staff aren’t known for their charm and will robotically charge you for any misdemeanour especially extra luggage (which they seem to enjoy) but the booking conditions are very clear and if you do end up paying extra at the check in it will be because you booked the wrong things either by mistake or trying to be clever and trying to be clever with Ryanair is a very dangerous business.
I’m a self confessed Ryanair fanboy, I use them all the time but even I have been caught out on occasion. It happens and when it does I only have myself to blame. My advice for a stress-free Ryanair journey has always been to book everything you need – priority boarding (if that’s your thing), leg room or specific seats, carry on luggage, hold luggage – throw the kitchen sink at it if you have to but don’t try and ask for something you didn’t pay for because it ain’t gonna happen.
Their business model is stack it high and sell it cheap but then charge for every little extra that means by the time you get to the online checkout it wasn’t that cheap after all.
Ryanair are hard to love but need to be appreciated because a tourist island is only as good as it’s connectivity especially during the shoulder months and that’s what Ryanair gives us. Whether you like them or loathe them they have changed the face of travelling to Ibiza and after the previous 2 years we need them more than ever.
"MAN IN SAN AN" by Martin Makepeace 