When checking in, Ryanair UI makes you click "I don't want a seat" instead of "I don't want TO CHOOSE a seat" when you want to opt out from paying for one.
This should be punishable by law.
Ryanair dark UX patterns summer 2026 refresher
151–160 of 207 posts
Re: Ryanair dark UX patterns summer 2026 refresher
#152About 1/3 of their revenue is ancillary (the dark patterns are there to cause ancillary revenue). I just flew from Bournemouth to Alicante on Ryanair for £50. A similar flight in the US (DC to Miami, for example) would be easily 5x that, possibly 7-8x. The dark patterns took me about 10min to click through. Doing the math, that means my time would have to be worth $1500/hr which is higher than the take-home (not bill…
> A similar flight in the US (DC to Miami, for example) would be easily 5x that, possibly 7-8x
Absolutely not. Not even close. Maybe in peak season, but then you can't fly Ryanair for 50 GBP in peak season either.
Re: Ryanair dark UX patterns summer 2026 refresher
#153I refuse to fly Ryanair. Total bastards from end to end. Easyjet are several hundred percent less clowns. Actually anyone else is.
Re: Ryanair dark UX patterns summer 2026 refresher
#154Earlier quoted context omitted.
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 up…
My story wasn't with Ryanair, but I used to use Skyscanner to find the cheapest ticket, which is usually from a reseller agent instead of the airline (and whatever savings one made was wasted with time reading the 1-star reviews of how shit they are and then convincing oneself "Oh it'll be fine."). One of these sites offered the ticket for dozens of Euros cheaper, and allowed me to go through the booking process unti…
I spent most of my professional life working in various roles in aviation, which included several years in a customer facing position at an airport.
I'd recommend never ever using reseller agents. They frequently mess up tickets, they sell tickets that don't exist at all, and most of them won't forward your contact info to the airline's system, so if there's a problem or delay you'll never receive the notification from the airline. (Including coupons, hotel room offers in case of cancellation and other stuff)
The airlines may be bad but the resellers are worse.
Re: Ryanair dark UX patterns summer 2026 refresher
#155I kind of rate Ryanair because while yes they are dodgy at least they’re honest about it and just own it, no fake niceties like you get from American companies. And I’ve saved thousands of pounds in flights around Europe over the years so can’t really complain
I feel like lots of people hate on Ryanair because of experiences from years ago. For me, both the booking experience and the actual flights are far better than they used to be. Legroom seems the same as other airlines. And I much prefer them being strict with carry on bags, compared with those National carriers that let people onto the plane with way too much baggage, then the flight is delayed while they try and sort out the mess. The loudspeakers are no longer turned up to excruciatingly high volumes. They don’t seem to make any effort to sell you scratch cards. They even seem to have removed their policy of preventing any staff from smiling. They run in time and they’re cheap.
Re: Ryanair dark UX patterns summer 2026 refresher
#156If you book Ryanair, and your concentration slips up for a second, you WILL make a mistake and it WILL cost you money and/or inconvenience you. Then you might complain about that, and be met with smarmy, smug, smarter-than-you people who insist that they fly with Ryanair all the time and never pay too much, people who can't read shouldn't be allowed to book flights, etc. etc. It's worth avoiding Ryanair just to avoid…
There is a somewhat weird Ryanair loyalist contingent.
Re: Ryanair dark UX patterns summer 2026 refresher
#157Earlier quoted context omitted.
That math is completely off. Those incidentals would not increase your fare 5-8 times. So that some passengers fall into the dark patterns cannot possibly make up for the price difference nor can the price difference to US be the base for your cost savings.
Well, I suppose the argument is that Ryanair et al fundamentally changed the European market, and without them the European market would be like the US market, and way more expensive. Which is definitely _plausible_, but kinda counterfactual.
Flying in the US in not more expensive in my experience, on a per mile basis at least.
Re: Ryanair dark UX patterns summer 2026 refresher
#158The whole "digital boarding pass" is a lie. My dad don't have a smartphone so you check in at home and at the airport at the desk they print the boarding pass for you if you checked in. Sorted.
Re: Ryanair dark UX patterns summer 2026 refresher
#159Earlier quoted context omitted.
Well, I suppose the argument is that Ryanair et al fundamentally changed the European market, and without them the European market would be like the US market, and way more expensive. Which is definitely _plausible_, but kinda counterfactual.
Flying in the US in not more expensive in my experience, on a per mile basis at least.
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Re: Ryanair dark UX patterns summer 2026 refresher
#160Earlier quoted context omitted.
I've bought Ryanair tickets twice, but never flown with them. I used _them_ as insurance for possible issues on my preferred connection or for having a minimum viable travel path while I have time to look for a better flight. Because they're the only option for certain airports I expect to actually fly with them at some point. May that day never come though ;)
RyanAir is fine, and has one of the best safety records in the industry. I never quite understand the hate they get, they compartmentalise the various costs into options. I've had <2hr flights before that have had a meal service I didn't need/want, but it's baked into the price and unchangeable...
Ryanair are not fine for people who arent short (me), and for the dark patterns mentioned here. Also, I don't like they have a lot of MCAS aircraft, I prefer Airbus.