Ryanair - discount air carrier

Several weeks ago Anya and I flew to Barcelona, Spain. Our mission was to visit a friend from Ramallah who brought the video and audio equipment that was used in the Romeo & Juliet student film production. Our friend was generous to bring the equipment out of Tel Aviv, as it can be a difficult process of questioning by the security at the airport. Thankfully the equipment was not inspected and it arrived in Spain with our friend as we had hoped.

Anya and I flew on Ryanair, one of Europe's discount air carriers. Our flight left Bratislava, so we were able to take the public transport to the airport! We also flew into a smaller airport north of Barcelona, so we needed to pay transport to get to the Barcelona bus station. Our Ryanair tickets totaled €78 (about $110). Here are a few differences that I noticed flying with the discount carrier:

• no air sick bag
• no seat pocket
• seats didn't recline
• advertising banners for their airline on overhead bins
• safety instructions laminated onto the seat in front of you - eye level (I didn't enjoy looking at it the entire flight)
• no reserved seating
• flight magazines passed out and collected at the end (I kept mine to sell on ebay)
• no complimentary beverages/snacks
• pre-recorded advertising messages for Ryanair during flight
• flight attendants sold scratch off tickets for prizes - proceeds went to charity

We did have a pilot, co-pilot and an adequate flight crew. That must be regulated. Bright yellow and royal blue was the color scheme. It was a bit loud for my taste, but fun at the same time. The plane was nice and clean and seemed new. Luggage is an additional fee (we paid for one checked bag) and the weight limit is 15kg. Carry-on bags are carefully checked for size. Overall, a great experience! I would fly with them again provided I did not have much luggage.