Flying: Ryanair B737-800 Manchester to Dublin 2015

Thanks to Uber, our journey to the airport costed £25, which worked out to be slightly more than £6 per person. Although slightly more expensive than the £4.20 train fare departing from Manchester Piccadily, it was well worth it since we do not have to drag our luggage all the way to the train station.

We pulled up in front of terminal 3, where our flight was departing from. This time round we learned our lesson and printed the boarding passes beforehand.

Ryanair 555
Manchester (MAN) – Dublin (DUB)
Tuesday, Feb 10 2015
Depart: 1:00PM
Arrive: 2:00PM
Flight time: 1hrmin
Aircraft: Boeing 738-800
Seat: 21F

Clearing security has always been a hassle, and particularly so in winter.The situation was only exacerbated by the security officer stopping us halfway and instructing us to go back to the Ryanair counter to get a visa stamp.

After all the unloading and loading at the security checks, I just realised I had forgotten to claim my VAT refunds! While I didn't really shop a lot in the UK, considering the exorbitant VAT rate of 20%, I still lost about £6 in forfeited VAT refunds. 

The boarding gate was made known at 12:15PM, and the gate was scheduled to close at 12:30PM leaving us with only 15 minutes to make a dash for the gate. Thankfully, gate 51 was not that far from the lounge.

While waiting to board the aircraft, a gate agent approached me demanding my bag to be gate checked, presumably because they foresee a shortage of space in the overhead baggage compartments. Now, I understand that gate checking can be a common practice and a potential shortage of space in the overhead baggage compartments is a real concern. However, as far as my encounters with airlines go, gate checking is usually an offer, not a demand (unless it's a last resort). 

Furthermore, I made it clear to the agent that I have fragile items in the bag (cookies, which will definitely be crushed by the handling and heavier bags on top of it), and requested that she at least tag it with a "Fragile" label, which she shrugged apathetically, saying that's not possible and suggested I remove those items.

Thankfully, my friend offered to check in her bag of clothes instead, saving me the heartbreaking moment to see all my cookies crushed upon arrival.

Boarding was again conducted in open air, without aerobridge as expected. When I am not dragged down by a lot of carry on bags, I actually prefer to board from the ramp since it allows me to take pictures of aircraft without the reflection from the glass wall of terminal buildings.

Flybe E175 parked beside us

The doors closed at 12:49PM and we pushed off from the gate at 12:56PM. Following a short taxi, we took off on time at 1:02PM.

This time round, the flight was fairly smooth, with minimal turbulence. Despite the short flight time of less than an hour, I was probably asleep for at least 20 minutes.

We landed at 1:37PM, well ahead of schedule (which also goes to show how much airline schedules are padded) and had a short taxi to the terminal, stopping at the gate at 1:42PM.

Clearing Irish immigration took a while, and by the time we get to the baggage carousel my friend's bag was the lone one still lying on it.

Conclusion
Generally, this flight had significantly improved my impression of Ryanair, albeit with some qualifying disclaimers.

The boarding gate could have been made known earlier. Given the relatively small size of Manchester airport and we are four young adults, it had not been a problem to us. However, it could have a major challenge for elder folks or those carrying children. Furthermore, considering that budget airlines rely heavily on fast turnaround time to increase aircraft utilisation, it would be in Ryanair's interest to inform passengers of the gate as early as possible, so that passengers can reach the gate with ample time to board.

The gate checking, however, was a real PITA. For the record, while it was a fairly full load, there were sufficient space in the overhead baggage compartments. Probably because I am so used to the standards of service in Asia, I was taken aback by the agent's apathy. 

Understandably she was just doing her job, but a reasonable person would have tried asking if other passengers could gate check their bags instead, or if that was not possible, at least offer to inform the handlers to handle it with care. Instead, the message delivered was "No, there is nothing I can do, but you must check in the luggage, and I don't give a damn if anything breaks. Go take it out if you want, but that's your business."

I really hope it was an one-off experience, and the gate agent's attitude is a personal issue instead of a corporate culture.