Ryanair's revamped ticket site has come in for criticism. Is it as slow or confusing as some people say? And how do other airline sites compare? Mark Roddeninvestigates
RYANAIR'S WEBSITE has come in for a lot of criticism since its revamp last month, with claims that it isn't user-friendly, that it is slow and that its prices still do not include all taxes and charges.
This week we put the site to the test by using it to book a return flight to Paris, then doing the same on the sites of Aer Lingus and Air France. (We chose flights leaving on Thursday, July 10th, and returning on Tuesday, July 15th.)
We found that although it wasn't the most user-friendly site, taking us through eight stages to book our tickets, Air France's was the most transparent in terms of price. It does not charge for checking in baggage, has no handling fee for online bookings and does not offer travel insurance. This meant that once we had selected our flights our bill remained the same for the rest of the booking process.
In contrast, the cost of the Aer Lingus flights rose by €24 when add-ons - in this case one checked-in bag and a handling fee for booking with a credit card - were included. In the case of Ryanair the same extras saw the original quoted price increase by €34.
With both Aer Lingus and Ryanair you have to opt out of the carrier's €10.50 travel- insurance scheme. Both charge €60 extra for sports equipment. It is also still necessary to opt out of Ryanair's €8 priority-boarding charge.
With Ryanair, the full price of a flight, including taxes and charges, is not given until you have selected the flights you want. But its booking process is the only one to offer a link to a full breakdown of those taxes and charges, which in this case were insurance, a wheelchair levy; an Irish passenger service fee; a French government tax and French service charges.
The Ryanair website has been criticised for not giving the lowest fares available. If you search for flights using the home page and click on the Book Cheap Flights option, the next page offers flights only on the departure and return dates you have selected. You can then check the previous day and the following day's prices.
If, however, you choose the Book Now option in the top-left-hand corner of Ryanair's home page, you can select the dates you want to travel on, then tick a box to indicate that you can be flexible. The site will give details of prices for flights on each of three days before and after the date you intend to travel.
Ryanair
At first glance not much seems to have changed on Ryanair's website. It is still clear and reasonably user-friendly, and you go through four steps to buy a ticket. But you have to know where to look to find the lowest fares if your travel dates are flexible.
Stage one: Whichever way you choose to book, the site does not display the full price of a flight, including taxes, until it has been selected.
Stage two: This gives a summary of the flights. Ours cost €75.24, excluding baggage and handling fees, but it also gives a link to a handy breakdown of taxes and charges in both directions. We are charged €5.79 for aviation insurance and the wheelchair levy on both flights; the other charges are a €16.95 Irish passenger-service fee, €13.60 in French government tax and €3.13 in a French service charge.
Stage three: This asks for passenger information and baggage details. You have to deselect the priority-boarding charge of €8 and the travel-insurance fee of €10.50. The latter is quite unclear, as the site asks you to confirm your country of residence to purchase travel insurance, and it is only within that drop-down menu that the "no travel insurance required" option is located. It is only through consulting another of these drop-down menus that I discover that if you check in online, without bags, you'll receive free priority boarding. I choose to check in at the airport with one bag, which will cost €26, or €13 for each flight. Before continuing to the next stage a pop-up reminds me that if I am sure I don't need travel insurance I should click "OK".
Stage four: The final screen before purchase reviews my itinerary, with the baggage fee included, bringing my total to €101.24. When I enter my credit-card details, however, the price jumps by €8 - €4 per flight - to €109.24.
Air France
Booking a flight with Air France is easily the most laborious process, with eight stages. On the plus side, the first price I am quoted, €193.76, remains the figure I have to pay.
Stage one: Asks you to choose a departure date.
Stage two: Asks you to choose a return date.
Stage three: Asks you to choose a departure flight from a number of options on that day.
Stage four: Asks you to choose a return date from a number of options on that day.
Stage five: Offers a review of my itinerary, informing me that the flights will cost €140 plus €53.76 in taxes. This is a total of €193.76.
Stage six: This requests passenger information and contact details.
Stage seven: This informs me that my ticket will be an electronic one and asks if I have read the terms and conditions, which state that no name or date changes, cancellations or refunds are allowed.
Stage eight: This requests credit-card details before I confirm my purchase. There have been no added charges, so I contact Air France's website support, which tells me that the carrier doesn't offer travel insurance and charges no handling fee if you book online. I am also told it doesn't charge for checked-in baggage of up to 20kg. So the price remains €193.76.
Aer Lingus
I find the Aer Lingus site to be the clearest and most user-friendly of the three. You go through six stages to book a flight.
Stage one: After you start a search you are given 15 flight options around the date you ask for, which is useful if your travel dates are flexible. Prices include taxes, and a prominent sign proclaims that Aer Lingus "includes total price taxes and charges". But a link on the same page informs me that a €6 handling charge for booking with a credit card will later be added to the total cost. The flights cost €140 plus €64.22 in taxes, giving a total of €204.22.
Stage two: You are asked to confirm the flight you want from a number available on the day.
Stage three: The handling fee is added, bringing the total price to €210.22.
Stage four: The next screen asks for passenger information, including name, contact numbers and e-mail.
Stage five: I am asked for baggage and payment details. It assumes you have no bags to check in, but I opt to check in one bag, paying a €9-each-way charge, to add another €18 to the total cost. This is a discount on the €12 each way I would have to pay were I to check in bags at the airport. At this stage you can also add sports equipment, costing €60 per item. Travel insurance of €10.50 is automatically included; you have to opt out by deselecting it.
Stage six: The final page before you confirm your purchase lets you review your itinerary and options. It gives a final price, broken down with baggage fees included, to give a grand total of €228.22.
" Although it wasn't the most user-friendly site, Air France's was the most transparent in terms of price. It does not charge for checking in baggage, has no handling fee and does not offer travel insurance