Like all other budget airlines, Ryanair operates a so called ticketless system. The idea is that, once you have booked online, you print out your boarding pass and take it to the airport. At the check in desk at the airport you then present your boarding pass and check in any hold luggage.
If, for whatever reason, you fail to print out your boarding pass, Ryanair will charge you 40 Euros to do so at check in. They are the only budget airline to charge in this way.
That has now been challenged by the Commercial Court No 1 in Barcelona where Judge Barbara Maria Cordoba ruled that the company operates under general international law that requires companies to issue tickets to passengers. This proviso is covered by Article 3 of the Montreal Convention of 1999, Regulation 261/2004 of the European Parliament and the Council of 11 February 2004 which lay down common rules on compensation and assistance to passengers in the event of denied boarding, and the Spanish Air Navigation Act 1960.
The decision in Barcelona is not final and does not force Ryanair from applying the clause that allows them to charge anyone who arrives at the airport without a boarding pass. The company has already said that they will appeal against the decision to the High Court of Justice of the European Union (TSJUE) or the European Court of Human Rights. Ryanair go on to say that, if they are prohibited from charging, then they will stop issuing tickets at check in and thus force passengers to print out their own ticket at home. They claim that this is one of the measures they have to take to keep costs low.
That is debatable. In my experience, Ryanair are no cheaper than any other budget carrier, they have a lower limit for hold luggage and do not offer an allocated seat. Pam and I prefer to use either Monarch or Jet2.com where you do get an allocated seat and your hold luggage allowance is either 20 or 22kg as opposed to Ryanair’s stingy 15kgs.
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