A traveler who avoided Ryanair for a decade has shared his surprisingly positive experience after returning to the budget airline.
Charles Brumfield, who runs the YouTube channel Charles on Travels, decided to give the carrier another chance after previously experiencing poor customer service.
Rather than opting for the bare minimum fare, he chose to splash out on all available extras to create what he called a "premium first class" experience.
His experiment aimed to see if paying for additional services could transform the budget airline journey into something more comfortable.
The decision came after years of deliberately booking with other carriers.
Despite adding numerous extras, Brumfield's total fare remained remarkably affordable at just £53.
He upgraded his basic fare of £12.50 to a regular ticket which included priority boarding, two cabin bags and a standard reserved seat. He then paid additional charges to select a front row seat and for fast track security.
In total, it still only cost him a "ridiculously cheap" €63.99 (approx £53).
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The traveler was particularly pleased with seat 1A which came with what he described as "a true luxury on a Ryanair flight - a seat pocket." The front row position also provided welcome extra leg room.
One feature that particularly impressed Brumfield was Ryanair's new app service allowing passengers to pre-order food and drink.
He ordered a 200ml bottle of Prosecco before take-off.
"Pretty much as soon as we were up in the air, the cabin crew leapt into action to bring me my Prosecco. I was really impressed by how quickly they brought this out," he said.
Though they brought him rosé instead of standard Prosecco, he was too pleased with the swift service to complain.
"I was halfway through that drink before they even took the seatbelt signs off," he added.
The flight arrived in Newcastle on time, with his front row seat enabling a quick exit.
Despite noting some downsides like the "rubbish" seat and "cheap flimsy plastic cup," Brumfield concluded his overall experience was satisfactory.
"I have avoided Ryanair for quite a long time but I do think going forward I will be a lot more willing to give them a chance," he reflected, "The base fare is so low that it really does open the opportunity to travel a lot more."
Even with added extras for comfort, he noted it would "still going to be a lot cheaper than flying with the likes of BA."
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Charles Brumfield, who runs the YouTube channel Charles on Travels, decided to give the carrier another chance after previously experiencing poor customer service.
Rather than opting for the bare minimum fare, he chose to splash out on all available extras to create what he called a "premium first class" experience.
His experiment aimed to see if paying for additional services could transform the budget airline journey into something more comfortable.
The decision came after years of deliberately booking with other carriers.
Despite adding numerous extras, Brumfield's total fare remained remarkably affordable at just £53.
He upgraded his basic fare of £12.50 to a regular ticket which included priority boarding, two cabin bags and a standard reserved seat. He then paid additional charges to select a front row seat and for fast track security.
In total, it still only cost him a "ridiculously cheap" €63.99 (approx £53).
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The traveler was particularly pleased with seat 1A which came with what he described as "a true luxury on a Ryanair flight - a seat pocket." The front row position also provided welcome extra leg room.
One feature that particularly impressed Brumfield was Ryanair's new app service allowing passengers to pre-order food and drink.
He ordered a 200ml bottle of Prosecco before take-off.
"Pretty much as soon as we were up in the air, the cabin crew leapt into action to bring me my Prosecco. I was really impressed by how quickly they brought this out," he said.
Though they brought him rosé instead of standard Prosecco, he was too pleased with the swift service to complain.
"I was halfway through that drink before they even took the seatbelt signs off," he added.
The flight arrived in Newcastle on time, with his front row seat enabling a quick exit.
Despite noting some downsides like the "rubbish" seat and "cheap flimsy plastic cup," Brumfield concluded his overall experience was satisfactory.
"I have avoided Ryanair for quite a long time but I do think going forward I will be a lot more willing to give them a chance," he reflected, "The base fare is so low that it really does open the opportunity to travel a lot more."
Even with added extras for comfort, he noted it would "still going to be a lot cheaper than flying with the likes of BA."
Find Out More...