Comments on: Don’t let Ryanair’s “visa check” prevent you from flying

By: Haruka

Haruka — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 14:24:17 +0000

So, I just booked my flight and wished I had ran into this before i pressed confirm…. But now that i already confirmed it, I have a question. The Visa Check Desk is at the airport, correct? So I should arrive at the airport about 2hours earlier than my flight and go to this Visa Check Desk (is it noticeable?) and then go through security, etc? It would help a lot if any one could answer these questions. Thanks!

By: Michael

Michael — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 23:25:39 +0000

I have never flown with Ryan Air before and after learning earlier today of this visa check, I will NEVER fly with them again. In fact, were I not visiting a close friend in Italy, I would sooner not fly at all and lose the price of my ticket then be treated like a 3rd class citizen. This is completely unacceptable and beyond reproach. I am a Canadian citizen who has been living in Holland for 12 years. I could have opted for the Dutch passport but didn’t want it…this whole thing stinks of discrimination.

BTW, smartannam, this has nothing to do with having chosen a cheap flight. I have to pay to get to Düsseldorf from Amsterdam so am not really saving anything. The only convenience offered is that they fly directly to the small village I plan to visit so I don’t have to rely on Trenalia when I get there!!!

By: Mustafa Topaloglu

Mustafa Topaloglu — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 11:15:59 +0000

I will NEVER choose Ryan Air anymore. It was my first and last fly. They make the visa check at one airport at an additional desk after check-in and before security check, at another airport during check-in. I had to pay 300 euro more because of their stupid rules. Besides that I don’t want to see sales promotions every 5 Minutes during the flight.

By: smartannam

smartannam — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 11:18:53 +0000

Frankly speaking, it is easy to speak about how dare people travel with Ryanair because the customer service and in general people are treated not in a good way. I can comment as a person who needs visa check, Ryanair is an alternative to national airlines that are extremely high in terms of price and the service you get on board sometimes is the same as in Ryanair. Well, even if i had to pay extra it can’t be compared with the price at Austrian or other airlines. Moreover, when u buy something cheap you do not have to expect luxury. The principle is simple get what you paid for. I travelled with Ryanair and did not have any serious problems: the fact is that i had to pay in the airport for the extra luggage as i didn’t plan in when i booked the tickets. I had to pay more because of my drawbacks. My impression do not expect business class somewhere really cheap. For me, plane is a tool to reach those places where i’d love to go. It is like a public transport – do not care what is happening around and it is important to get to the planned destination. Visa check is a smart move to segement those who are non-EU members. Sad but true.

By: Ling

Ling — Sat, 01 May 2010 21:17:57 +0000

Too late to read your blog. Me and my husband just got denied to board onto the Ryanair flight going to Barcelona for the long weekend. We’ve been travelling a lot in the last 8 years and never thought we needed to read the boarding pass to look for such ‘important’ policies, especially there is no gate or seat information on the boarding pass. The staff at the gate asked us to wait when we actually could try to run back to the check-in desk to get it done. There are 3 others had the same problems and we were all shocked. We asked the staff to check all our travel documents but they refused to do so. We will NEVER fly with Ryanair again. We heard enough bad news about Ryanair after we bought our ticket but never expected it to be this bad. I suspect they just want to rip another 100 pounds off from passenger. Now my questions is if the travel insurance would cover my loss? If anybody has done a claim before in this case?

By: Bryan

Bryan — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 06:30:14 +0000

I do wish people would stop whinging about Ryanair. If you don’t like them, use another carrier. Quite simple. I have flown with them dozens of times all over Europe and I have never, ever had a problem. What’s more, I don’t know anyone else who has either. There are just these incessant grumblers who don’t pay attention to the rules and then moan when they’re applied. Michael O’Leary does a great job, and so do Ryanair. I am Irish and I am proud to fly the flag. Long may they continue!

By: Karla

Karla — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 14:12:16 +0000

I’d like to know what they mean by “non eu/eea passenger”. I’m an EU resident (American expat with UK ILR), but not a citizen.

Anyway, I only just found out about this because an eagle eyed person in our party noticed it in the T&Cs.

I’m sorry but the pathetic argument about checking T&Cs or buyer beware just doesn’t wash. If the company’s policy is so vastly different from the norm (woe betide anyone trying to travel LyingAir if you have a rip in your passport!), then it should be made very clear at every stage of check-in. They know you’re not an EU resident when you buy the tickets (you have to say), so they should tell you then.

Now, let me be perfectly clear: we’re only flying with them because our other airline has gone bust and we can’t get refunds on the rest of the holiday (booked separately) so RyanAir were the only option available. We very nearly did cancel as the thought of giving that thieving scumbag a penny of my money really sticks in my throat. If I’d known about their visa policy, I would have cancelled, end of story.

I hate RyanAir and will never, ever fly with them again.

By: Mark Ashley

Mark Ashley — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 21:37:11 +0000

@Elle, yes, at the airport.

By: Elle

Elle — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 20:57:34 +0000

Is this visa check desk is in the airport?

By: Martin

Martin — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 10:34:48 +0000

As a non EU/EA resident I have always gone to the visa check desk (a less than 30 second job) then happily past security. As someone who always makes use of these dirt cheap fares I am willing to trade off with the visa check requirement.
The alternative is for Ryan air to charge a one off fee to store your visa /permit on their booking system