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April 8, 2005
Ryanair: Don't go to Hahn at night, and other tips
Ryanair has revolutionized the European market for shorthaul and mid-range flights. Just like a number of budget-airlines, they offer flights starting from around 20 EUR (one-way, incl taxes) to European destinations. Avoiding the big airports and going to places that are an hour away from the real hotspots, they save on landing fees. Ryanair offers 'no-frills' service: no free scotch, no newspapers, and seats that sometimes don't recline.
I really like not having to pay for my neighbor's love of Scotch and Bloody Marys. Ryanair seems to be cheap. But what's the actual cost of taking Ryanair? Here's a bit of anecdotal evidence and a few tips for European travellers.
What we need to keep in mind: for the passenger, it's the door-to-door journey that counts. Getting to a lonesome airport on the country-side won't help me. I went to a couple of places recently with Ryanair. Here's what I learned.
Ryanair Flight Edinburgh to Dublin, February '05:
- B737, looks old and flies accordingly. Wow, what a hard landing!
- Brrr, nice cold and rainy. "Great Gangway", I smile at the flight attendant after I climb up the back steps, getting soaked.
- Apart from the usual and annoying security briefing and their even more stupid I shall be dimming the cabin lights, they bother me with no less than three announcements about duty free shopping, pay-snacks and lottery tickets. I hate it!
Ergo: unpleasant flight, but cheap enough.
For my next flight, I get good and super-expensive noise-cancelling earphones for my iPod, so I don't have to listen to the flight attendants any more. (Yeah! Don Quixote wins again!)
Another bumpy Ryanair Flight to "Frankfurt" Hahn, March '05:
- Looks like it won't cost me more time than going 'British Airways': they operate a direct flight that I can afford, and BA's stopover in Heathrow would cost more time - even considered those 2 hours I waste getting to Glasgow Prestwick extra-early.
- Prestwick airport parking is dead expensive. I spend 16 UK pounds (about 25 dollars) for an extended weekend. Plus the gas to get there!
- After a pleasant flight on a new aircraft with friendly staff and no interruptions (thanks to my near ear-phones), arrival at Hahn (which is about as close to Frankfurt as it is to Cologne) at 11.30pm local time. Ryanair artificially extends its flight times, so they can factor in delays without having to admit that they're late. Well, I guess a lot of airlines do that. So I arrive early, but have to wait till 12.30 for my bus to leave. The 10.50 EUR journey will take another 70 minutes.
- Too bad. Some other (Ryanair) flight from Pisa is late, so the bus company decides to make us wait another 45 minutes. It'll be 2.45am until I'll find some sleep.
- The next day, my family whom I am visiting tells me that this happens all the time at Hahn when you take the last bus for the day. If there is any flight that's late, they'll wait. And because there are several flights at that time, the probability is high...!
Conclusion: Forget about Frankfurt Hahn. Don't go there. It's not really Frankfurt, and more importantly, you will not get decent sleep if you take the last bus!!
For my German friends: Fliegt nicht zum Flughafen Hahn, zumindest nicht spät nachts! Der Bus wartet auf verspätete Maschinen und bringt Euch erst um drei nach Hause.
March 05, Edinburgh to Barcelona (Girona) and back.
- Nice new Boeing, and I even manage to get the extra-legroom emergency exit seat!
- We're not really going to Barcelona, Spain, but to Girona on the Costa Brava. There's a bus service (about 10 EUR, one way) to Barcelona that takes 70 minutes.
- The way back is unpleasant. The bus drops you off an hour early (two hours before departure!), so for my 1:30pm flight, I have to catch the bus at 10.30am. That's early when you're on holidays!
- Girona is the nicest airport ever, though - and that for one reason. They have a terrace that lets you sit outside in the sun. No flowers, no trees, but blue Spanish sky and sunshine. Wonderful!
Posted by dr at April 8, 2005 11:49 PM
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Comments
Points well taken for HHN, BUT when the fares out of FRA can literally be 5x more expensive, that's the choice you have to make. Factor in all the other items like the coach fare or parking fees, and make the call. Saying HHN is a part of the Frankfurt area is a bit misleading, so I suggest staying at one of the hotels right by the airport the night before those early flts, or the night you return from a late night arrival. It makes life easier if you have the extra time, and the rooms were clean and reasonably priced at the 2 hotels I stayed in.
Your post is 2 years old, but your comments still apply, except that I understand the airport is 'better', now.
Posted by: Alan at May 21, 2007 2:30 AM
Yes, things have improved a bit at Hahn. It seems like there are more buses now, even though the bus ride is still expensive, both compared to the flight and compared to the price of my train ticket to Prestwick, all the way across Scotland!
Every time I'm going into Hahn I need to remember to bring some Euro notes beforehand, because otherwise their bloody ATMs (over)charge me for making a withdrawal. (Most others in Germany are free.)
Yes, I'm petty. But it's these little things that can make the difference between pissing customers off and getting them to come again.
Posted by: David Reitter at May 21, 2007 7:10 AM