Dublin Debacle

So Europe is known for their low-fare airlines that travel to and from every city imaginable (albeit far from the city center, usually over an hour.) Well I’ve had my fair share of troubles with them
-Missing my flight in Spain and paying a small fortune to just to get back to Utrecht, or waiting 2 days.
-Sleeping at London Stansted (hour outside) to catch a flight to Århus in the wee hours of the morning. Arrival in Århus: yet another hour bus ride to the center
-Flying from Prague to London Luton (Yes, another hour outside the city, with a bus I paid for through the airline that was late, I was crammed in the middle seat of the front row with the driver touching me every time he shifted gears, and who didn’t speak English.)
-Flying from London to Copenhagen, where they would give extraordinary long directions in Danish, and then breeze over the English version of the safety instructions, as though we didn’t need to be prepared for an emergency!)

When I say ‘low-far,’ I really mean LOW fare! The first time I looked for flights from Billund (1.5 hours outside Århus) to Dublin, they were only 39 DKK! Meaning, around 6 dolla dolla bills.

In THEORY these airlines are a good idea. In practice, they rid you of any semblance of confidence you had in your self, your life savings, and trust in mankind in general.

They trick you into thinking you are getting such a good deal, when what you really get is a series of hidden charges and bureaucratic messes. First, baggage. Max you can have for a carry on is 10 kg, (close to 20lbs, I think) including EVERYTHING-purse, jacket, laptop, camera-whatever. I overheard a man saying he had to pay an extra 3 euro just for his jacket, though they said if he was WEARING it, he wouldn’t have to pay. If you want to check a bag (not recommended) you pay another fee, another $25 or so, for only 15 kg (33lbs)!! After that, you can only buy extra baggage weight for 2 kg for 6 euro.

Then, online check-in. Considerably less expensive than checking in at the counter, yet last time I checked in at the counter and all was well. This time, I tried to do self check-in, was marked “inadmissible” (goodbye, confidence..) and had to wait in a separate line to pay ANOTHER 20 euro to check in at the airport. What? Apparently it’s RyanAir law.

Add sporting equipment, baby stroller, first to board the plane, and insurance, and you’re basically broke. Using a VISA card is another $5.

For me, what went from being less than $50 quickly added up to around $130, including bus to the airport. FML.