A Couple of Interesting Ryanair Rumors

I've come across a couple of very interesting Ryanair rumors recently - one of which could be very good for travelers to Spain, and one which could be quite a problem.

The good news first. It is being said that Ryanair could finally start to fly to Barcelona, according to this article on avui.cat (site is in Catalan, but you can read a Google Translate version here). Ryanair have confused their customers for years by claiming they fly to Barcelona when they don't - hopefully this will now change. I questioned the airline on their misleading practice of describing Reus and Girona airports as 'Barcelona' airports - you can read their response here: Ryanair Flights to Barcelona.

The second rumor I've come across is less positive. It is being reported that Ryanair is going to raise their airport check-in fee, sorry "boarding card reprint fee", from 40€ to 100€: €100 fine for not printing Ryanair boarding cards.

Ryanair is unique in the airline industry in forcing a web check-in fee on its passengers and then charging if they forget or are unable to print off their boarding passes. This has had the effect in the past that even those who have won flights through Ryanair scratchcards have ended up paying more to fly than those who had paid for their flights in full.

Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary is quoted as saying "If you don't [check in online] the fine is €40 and if that doesn't get rid of them all within a very short order, we double that fine to €100". We must not be surprised by Mr O'Leary's poor maths - he's been telling us his flights cost 1c for years when everyone knows they cost a lot more than that.

Ryanair have some of the lowest air fares in Europe if you remember to tick all the correct boxes and jump through all the right hoops. To avoid paying through the nose for your Ryanair flight, it is worth checking out these pages before you book:

• Myths About Ryanair How both Ryanair's supporters and their detractors have got the airline wrong.
• Why Hate Ryanair? What the BBC documentary forgot to tell you.
• Ryanair Fees Ten of Ryanair's most common extra charges and how to avoid them.