Manchester Airport 'chaos' as holidaymakers vent frustration at Ryanair check-in
A woman said she decided to fly with Ryanair and easyJet from the same airport to compare the two popular budget airlines - and said she had completely different experiences.
Amy Fenton said she has been on many flights during her life, including posh British Airways business clash and budget airlines like the now-gone Monarch. She travelled to far-away places including Hawaii, Cape Verde and Mexico, as well as shorter trips.
She said she wanted to compare easyJet and Ryanair as they are often put in the same "dreaded budget airline" basket - but said that from her recent experience, they were completely different, despite having some similarities. For example, both airlines no longer allow families to sit together automatically, and picking your seat costs extra money. Passengers now also have to spend more if they want to take a suitcase on holiday with some airlines charging as much as £70 for it.
Amy said passengers were waiting for a long time to check in with Ryanair (LancsLive)To compare the two airlines, LancsLive reporter Amy flew to Rhodes, Greece, with Ryanair and to Mallorca, Spain, with easyJet. On both occasions, her flights departed from Manchester Airport. Overall, she said Ryanair appeared less organised and described the check-in area as "utter chaos" as there was only one employee dealing with all passengers.
She also said her flight on the way back was delayed by two hours and that the toilet in the plane was dirty with what appeared to be vomit. She said she complained to Ryanair when she returned home but claimed that the airline replied: "We are having trouble classifying your support request reason."
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In comparison, Amy said she had a smoother experience with easyJet when she flew to Mallorca for half-term last week. She said check-in desks were well-staffed and that she got through security in less than 15 minutes. Recalling her summer trip with Ryanair, she said: "On both holidays I flew with easyJet and Ryanair and while the budget airlines might share many similarities my experiences couldn't have been more different. At the end of August I flew to Rhodes, from Manchester Airport, with Ryanair.
"I'd opted for the meet and greet parking options which, let me tell you, is AMAZING, before making my way upstairs at Terminal 3 to check in. As I'd also treated myself to a pass to Escape Lounge (another experience I'll always add to a holiday from now on) I had left plenty of time - or so I thought - to drop off my suitcase.
"But as I got off the lift I was met with what can only be described as a scene of utter chaos. Hundreds of holiday-goers found themselves stuck in long, confusing queues, once managed by airline staff, just to weigh their bags and drop them off. There was only one Ryanair employee at the check-in desk.
She said check-in with easyJet was a breeze (LancsLive)"It took me about an hour and a half to get from the terminal entrance to security. Everyone was expressing their annoyance at the delay to what should have been a smooth start to their holiday. The flight to Rhodes went without a hitch and I had a great time there.
"Coming back to the UK, our Ryanair flight was delayed by roughly two hours. This was especially frustrating at midnight when you're faced with paying £10 for a tiny sandwich. After take-off, I went to the toilet and had to avoid washing my hands because of what looked like vomit blocking the sink. When I got home, I complained to Ryanair but gave up after receiving a reply saying: 'We are having trouble classifying your support request reason'."
However, Amy's experience with easyJet was completely different when she flew to Spain for half-term, as she said: "Last week, during half-term, I went on a short break to Mallorca. I had been worried about checking in at Manchester Airport but was pleasantly surprised. EasyJet's check-in desks were well-staffed and I got through to security in less than 15 minutes.
"While we might group easyJet and Ryanair together as 'dreaded budget airlines', my recent experiences with both were vastly different. Sure, both offer limited legroom, even for the shortest passengers, but my experiences couldn't have been more different."
The Mirror has contacted Ryanair for comment.
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can report any errors to [email protected]
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