Ryanair is one of Europe’s largest Ultra Low Cost Carriers (ULCC). Ryanair has rapidly expanded to numerous destinations across Europe. To meet the increased demand, Ryanair ordered a special variant of the Boeing 737 MAX 8 called the MAX 8-200. Over 210 of these special aircraft are on order from Boeing, cramming 197 seats aboard. These aircraft can be found on many different Ryanair Routes including subsidiaries Malta Air and BUZZ. Ryanair’s newest aircraft was reviewed on November 2022 from Brussels South Charleroi Airport (CRL) to Stockholm Arlanda (ARN).
Ground experience
Ryanair operates out of many secondary airports in smaller cities. In Brussels Belgium Ryanair uses both Brussels main airport , Brussels Zaventem (BRU) and Brussels Charleroi (CRL). Brussels Charleroi is 60km / 37 miles from city center. After being dropped off at the bus station, there was a large herd of people lining up to enter the airport. The ticketing area for Ryanair had lines spanning the entire length of the curbside area in the terminal. Check in staff did their best to ensure the line was kept moving. Staff working the check in desk were brisk and efficient verifying passport information and tagging bags. The bag checked in was 20kg incurring a £50 charge. Lines for security were just as long with the expected time to clear security reaching over an hour. Fast Track was purchased for £10 avoiding the long lines. This made clearing security much easier and less time consuming. Ryanair shares gate space next to other airlines, there was no available seating at the gate area. Passport checks were done again at the gate and boarding commenced right on time.
First impressions
Stepping aboard the aircraft there are some noticeable changes compared to many other mainline aircraft. Onboard the 737 Max 8-200s are seats right next to the door as opposed to a bulkhead wall, increasing seating capacity. Flight attendants greeted passengers and were in the isle assisting with stowing overhead bin luggage. Seats are configured in a black and yellow color scheme with the safety card being fixed to the seatback. As expected with a low cost airline, the seats did not recline and offer 28″ of pitch and 17″ of width. Another unique feature is the placement of life vests which are stowed in the overhead panel creating more space under the seat for stowing luggage. Boarding completed on time and the flight was soon underway for Stockholm.
Inflight experience
Shortly after takeoff the crew started the buy on board services with duty free, followed by snacks and beverages for purchace. Magazines containing the snack and duty free items were available upon request. A QR code can be scanned on the seatback loading up the catalog. Snacks can be purchased a la carte or in bundles with drinks. Pricing ranged from a few euros to £10 depending on the item. A crumble chocolate cake slice and soda were ordered. A crewmember charged the card right at the seat area with a mobile terminal. Ryanair is one of the few airlines that offer scratch off tickets inflight, crewmembers made sales pitches for the tickets inflight. Seats aboard the Ryanair 737 Max 8-200 do not recline. As expected with an ultra low cost airline the seats lacked padding and do not feature plug outlets or WIFI connectivity. Before long the flight came to an end with a smooth descent and arrival into Stockholm Arlanda in Sweden.
Final Approach
Flying Ryanair was a bare bones yet simplistic experience. It is expected that the airline will not have as luxurious of a product as some of the flag carriers. Flying out of the secondary Ryanair Airports may require additional time to reach the airport. In the case of Brussels Charleroi additional time is needed as there were bottlenecks in every line in the airport including the drop off area. While staff assisted the best they could, the airport was at maximum capacity. While Ryanair has a barebones product offering with many addons, the website was upfront about addon costs and made for an affordable flight connecting point A to Point B without difficulty.
