I didn’t select a seat on Ryanair and you’ll never guess where I ended up!

Irish airline Ryanair is Europe’s largest carrier by far. I almost never fly with them, but recently they had both the best price and the flight time I needed, so I bit the bullet and purchased a ticket.

Regular readers will know that I don’t select a seat on Ryanair flights. While I have paid for seats in the past, I can think of better things to spend my money on.

I Didn’t Select A Seat

The airline’s system doesn’t like it when you don’t select a seat. Should you skip the step, it mentions the middle seat, less availability the closer to the flight and that the best price is now. If you pass that step, it then says you can only check in 24 hours prior to travel, you may be seated anywhere and you may get a middle seat. Okay, computer, calm down!

I booked 10 days before my flight, and in that time I received five e-mails relating to my booking. One offered a sale on private transfers, while the next was inevitably about seat selection (“BUY A SEAT TODAY. LIMITED AVAILABILITY.”). After that it was an attempt to sell Priority Boarding and two cabin bags, followed by one to pre-book your on board food and drink. Lucky last was the one reminding me to check-in online.

Does FR Stand For Fly Ryanair, or…

When I checked in online, I was allocated a middle seat, which is completely what I expected. As I was flying on a 1 hour flight, I was not bothered by this in the slightest. Happily, I timed the airport experience impeccably, arriving at the gate when boarding was already in progress. Since I only had a small bag over my shoulder, I waited to be among the last on board.

FR5151 – Dublin to Glasgow (DUB-GLA)
27 July 2024
Boeing 737-800 – EI-EBK
Seat: Economy 16B
Departure: 12:10 Arrival: 13:10

Up the stairs I went and the familiar navy blue and bright yellow interior greeted me (yes, familiar… while I hardly fly Ryanair, this was my 42nd flight with them!). I traipsed down the aisle until I arrived at row 16.

Turns out I’d been assigned the “dreaded” middle seat… but in the emergency exit row. These bad boys would have set me back €15 had I selected when booking, so I straight up saved that cash on this flight. I did have people either side of me, who also took my armrests (in contravention of flying etiquette) but it didn’t matter. Too much.

Overall Thoughts

So I didn’t select a seat and ended up lucking out on my choice. In actual fact, I didn’t pay Ryanair another cent after the original ticket was booked, as they certainly don’t need the money. Happily the flight arrived on time and we had the usual Ryanair trumpet fanfare, but getting from the plane to the terminal took an age as it always does when Irish flights arrive in Glasgow (that ridiculous bus!).

I’ve always found paying for seat selection to be on the nose. It’s one reason I’ve always kept my status with British Airways, because seat selection is free and I’ve saved thousands over the years thanks to that.

What do you do when flying Ryanair? Do you pay for seats or avoid it? Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.

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Featured image by Bene Riobó via Wikimedia Commons.