Airport worker’s tip to avoid £55 Ryanair fee this summer | Travel News | Travel

Millions of people will be making their way through airports in the UK this summer. But, for those who don’t travel regularly, the airport process can be manic and confusing, which may lead to you paying out additional fees before your holiday even begins.

Ryanair is a popular budget airline, with the company estimating that around 3,600 take place every day. From the UK, Ryanair flights can take travellers to places across Europe like Cyprus, Denmark, France, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and more.

TikTok user Mesha shared her top tips for anyone who has a summer holiday booked with Ryanair. She told people watching her video that she works for the airline out of London Stansted Airport and wanted people to be aware of some tips that will make flying with the company a smooth experience.

In her video, Mesha made people flying this summer for a getaway aware of some little-known rules and perks. One being free baby items, as Mesha explains, families get “two free baby items per child” such as pushchairs, car seats and cots included with their luggage for free. Charges apply if you need to bring more than two.

She also claimed that some Ryanair staff will stop you from boarding the plane if you’re carrying a hot drink. She said: “Ryanair does not permit hot drinks on board. You can purchase drinks on board, but you cannot take a hot drink from outside onto the aircraft for safety reasons. You think we’re just trying to make you buy more on board but we’re really not!”

Customers will also need to remain extra vigilant in airports, as the airline does not make final calls for passengers. She said: “Look at your boarding pass, it tells you what time the gate closes. Make sure you are at the gate no later than a few minutes before that closing time.”

Her top tip for any Ryanair traveller this summer is to complete your checking-in process online, as Mesha said: “It is the easiest thing to do. It opens 24 hours before your flight departs and closes two hours before.

“If you do not check in online, you will be charged £55 when you get to the airport. You cannot check in, get your boarding card – nothing – without paying that £55 online.”

Over the top of her video, she wrote that people who book their holiday using a third party need to be very aware of this. She added: “You need to get the booking details so that you can check yourself in because most of the time, they do not check you in and you’ll still be charged.”

The Ryanair website lists that customers who take advantage of this online service do not have to pay the fee (which is charged per passenger) at all. The £55 charge only applies if you arrive at the airport without having checked in digitally.

Online, a Ryanair spokesperson said: “If you do not check in online up to 2 hours before your scheduled departure time, you may check in at the airport up to 40 minutes before departure, but you will be charged an airport check-in fee. We urge all passengers to check in online before arriving at the airport so these fees can be avoided.”

On the topic of checking in, Mesha warned that anyone cutting it fine at the airport risk being booted off their flight if it ends up be overbooked. She said: “How they decide who is offloaded is based on the last people to check in.”

You can look up a full list of additional fees that may or may not apply to your trip when flying with Ryanair on its website here. Some are unavoidable, but can be cheaper if purchased at the time you book a flight instead of afterwards, or at the airport.