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Ryanair dark UX patterns summer 2026 refresher

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Re: Ryanair dark UX patterns summer 2026 refresher

#81

Post by rsynnott »

matt-p wrote: post #50
bojangleslover wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Those incidentals would not increase your fare 5-8 times Oh I see what you're saying. What I'm saying is, what's the alternative? Another more expensive airline whose online check-in takes 5min instead of 10min? I'm contending that even with the dark patterns, my downside is only 1.5x cost, which is still far, far below a non-budget airline. >nor can the price difference to US be the base for your cost savings Yeah…

I think that sometimes we think just in terms of the raw price of the incidentals rather than the effect of reducing demand for incidentals. The main reason Ryanair is so cheap is that they have the fastest turn around time in the industry. This means the utilisation rate is far higher. Part of the reason they're able to turn around so quickly is that they take less hold luggage (so unloading/loading is not holding t…

Ryanair haven't had unallocated seating for years (I don't think it's generally allowed anymore); if you don't choose a seat you just get one allocated for you.

Re: Ryanair dark UX patterns summer 2026 refresher

#82

Post by rithdmc »

rsynnott wrote: post #76
rithdmc wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't find Ryanair much cheaper than Aer Lingus. In my experience there's up to a 20% premium, and I just cross checked the Alicante route for next week with the same results. Compared to the high likelihood of delays or cancelled flights with Ryanair, I think it's worth it for peace of mind.

Aer Lingus is a slightly weird case; they have essentially become a budget airline (at least for their European business) to compete with Ryanair, but they haven't yet gotten around to adopting most of the dark patterns.

I don't think it's a weird case to compare two budget airlines to demonstrate why I think one is better than the other.

Re: Ryanair dark UX patterns summer 2026 refresher

#83

Post by mapkkk »

Let us not forget that, low cost carriers and full service carriers alike _all_ have artificially lower prices, prices below what it would actually cost to render their services, as the entire commercial aviation industry is subsidized in the form of fuel, tax and other subsidies. At least in the EU.

They wouldn't be able to turn a profit even if they squeezed you hard enough.

Re: Ryanair dark UX patterns summer 2026 refresher

#84

Post by rsynnott »

sceptic123 wrote: post #56
matt-p wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think that sometimes we think just in terms of the raw price of the incidentals rather than the effect of reducing demand for incidentals. The main reason Ryanair is so cheap is that they have the fastest turn around time in the industry. This means the utilisation rate is far higher. Part of the reason they're able to turn around so quickly is that they take less hold luggage (so unloading/loading is not holding t…

Or to look at it another way, they're perfectly happy to let you stand in a queue, outside, on the runway, in the cold/heat, waiting for them to unload/load the plane that has just landed and is often already late.

My personal favourite is Ryanair in Brussels airport. Ryanair generally use airstairs, and, as you say, often queueing outside. Brussels airport doesn't allow the use of airstairs. So Ryanair found a solution to be appropriately annoying; you get on the plane via a jet bridge... from an isolated building which has to be reached by bus, and which has no inside waiting space so you still have the opportunity to queue in the rain!

(In fairness, they don't _always_ do this at Brussels airport, sometimes using a normal jet bridge).

Re: Ryanair dark UX patterns summer 2026 refresher

#85

Post by Grombobulous »

debarshri wrote: post #67

Ryanair is genuinely a good product. You get what you pay for. The website reflects their corporate attitude, which i think is okay.

Maybe I am conditioned but I totally agree. I think what makes this kind of stuff not feel like a dark pattern to me is that they are very up-front about this setup being their business model.

They are offering a cheap seat which may even be below their cost if you avoid all the add-ons.

The consumer who skips all these add-ons feels smart. They feel like someone else is subsidizing their flight.

Perhaps we can even call this booking process a game where the customer comes out at the end feeling like they beat the level.

If any of you have seen Ryanair’s social media marketing you’ll know exactly what I mean. They make jokes about how cheap they are, like this one:

https://www.instagram.com/p/DRWGfNvDryu/

Re: Ryanair dark UX patterns summer 2026 refresher

#86

Post by brnt »

Grombobulous wrote: post #77

I want to remind everyone just how bad of a deal travel insurance is. Yes, there are instances where travel insurance makes sense or may be practically a requirement. Health and/or evacuation insurance for foreign travel and/or cruising may be practically a necessity. You don’t want to be paying tens of thousands of dollars when you need a helicopter to take you off your cruise ship to a hospital. But if your primary…

> Rental cars

That's a whole new can of worms though. Their scams can be a lot more expensive, and are usually after the fact (although they'll try them at the pickup counter too).

It's one of those things I will specifically always arrange through a third party that covers insurance as well, which is really an insurance against the rental companies scams.

Re: Ryanair dark UX patterns summer 2026 refresher

#87

Post by noosphr »

wongarsu wrote: post #47
thimabi wrote: post #29

That “Don’t Insure Me” option hidden in the middle of a country list is pure evil. I’m used to seeing dark patterns everywhere but that’s a first for me. From where I stand, it’s not fair to charge the hell out of people who fall for these tricks while giving steep discounts to the ones who don’t. Maybe there’s a “fool me once” aspect to Ryanair’s shenanigans, so at least their impact might be limited somehow.

To be fair, that is described as an 8 year old example. Their current UX is much more clear. Their current pattern is more about playing into the fear of what happens without insurance, without selecting your seat, when you don't pay for early check in and forget to do it online on the day before the flight, or what happens if you show up with more or larger luggage than what you booked. Fears they themselves create…

Did we read the same article?

Re: Ryanair dark UX patterns summer 2026 refresher

#88

Post by som »

wongarsu wrote: post #47
thimabi wrote: post #29

That “Don’t Insure Me” option hidden in the middle of a country list is pure evil. I’m used to seeing dark patterns everywhere but that’s a first for me. From where I stand, it’s not fair to charge the hell out of people who fall for these tricks while giving steep discounts to the ones who don’t. Maybe there’s a “fool me once” aspect to Ryanair’s shenanigans, so at least their impact might be limited somehow.

To be fair, that is described as an 8 year old example. Their current UX is much more clear. Their current pattern is more about playing into the fear of what happens without insurance, without selecting your seat, when you don't pay for early check in and forget to do it online on the day before the flight, or what happens if you show up with more or larger luggage than what you booked. Fears they themselves create…

It's funny, I booked a flight with Ryanair only about an hour ago - out of pure desperation - first time in 15 years.

I remember them being crafty, but I have to admit I was surprised by the level of tactics ... that is to say, what they are still allowed to get away with given European / UK consumer law.

Not to mention that a 20kg bag and hand luggage cost me significantly more than the fare itself. They even had upfront "package deals" that would have actually worked out more expensive - bundles of nonsense benefits.

In Australia most of this kind of borderline deceptive selling has been stepped on, to the point that you hardly see it any more.

Re: Ryanair dark UX patterns summer 2026 refresher

#89

Post by rsynnott »

gib444 wrote: post #19

I am shocked that Ryanair stoop to such levels, because the Irish always come across as actually morally superior to many other people, and I thought that would extend to just implementing good and honest business practices at the expense of profit. I am also similarly shocked about past GDP shenanigans, aiding in tax evasion by large multinationals, and the Irish privacy regulator being so weak on GDPR violations. I…

> because the Irish always come across as actually morally superior to many other people, and I thought that would extend to just implementing good and honest business practices at the expense of profit

Ahahahahahah.

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Haughey

(Things aren't as bad nowadays, but largely because the EU forced consumer protection and anti-corruption law upon us, certainly not because of any innate tendency to fairness.)

Re: Ryanair dark UX patterns summer 2026 refresher

#90

Post by rsynnott »

rithdmc wrote: post #82
rsynnott wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Aer Lingus is a slightly weird case; they have essentially become a budget airline (at least for their European business) to compete with Ryanair, but they haven't yet gotten around to adopting most of the dark patterns.

I don't think it's a weird case to compare two budget airlines to demonstrate why I think one is better than the other.

Well, the thing is they historically weren't a budget airline. They've taken on some budget airline attributes, but mostly not the dark patterns. Yet. They'll get there.
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