Earlier quoted context omitted.
But it's usually better to buy the train ticket at the station rather than from Ryanair.
Better, yes. More convenient, no . That's why Bookingcom offers to load you with a rental car, train ticket and god knows what else, why Ryanair offers train tickets and why hotels do the same - massively reduced friction.
Ryanair dark UX patterns summer 2026 refresher
201–207 of 207 posts
Re: Ryanair dark UX patterns summer 2026 refresher
#202Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Now quit bachelor partying in Spain before they throw objects at you. While a fair number of us do a lot to earn our collective reputation, some of us nip to Spain for other reasons and carry ourselves with a bit of care and comportment so your assumption there might be a bit too knee-jerk. Anecdata: I spent a week in a small seaside town in Costa Brava in mid May. Took part in their local annual running festival,…
If you attended a running festival, you are clearly not the type to fall off a yacht while being drunk. We were also there in May a few years ago. An English drunk individual took off his indispensables at the hotel's pool so that the lifeguard, a middle aged woman, had to caution him to put them back on, accompanied by the laughter of his drinking companions. It at Occidental Puerto Banús, so not at a cheap hotel.
Our big drinkers are a problem at home as well as aboard. Unfortunately our other stereotype comes into play in that for every loud idiot, there are many of us quietly tutting at them and hoping they'll get bored and bugger off if we don't interact with them… One of the reasons I drink a lot less these days is that I grew tired of apologising for other people's behaviour when someone in or associated with our group had "one too many" and couldn't regulate himself¹ after that, or making excuses to leave early before that happened. In the generation after mine (and the next so far, but many in that cohort are not yet old enough to, so more time is needed to see if the pattern holds) are drinking a lot less, both in the sense of having a healthier attitude to drinking when they do and in many cases simply not taking alcohol at all, in part as a reaction against all this too.
--------
[1] Not all unpleasant drunks are male of course, but in my experience a higher proportion of us that drink much have an unhealthy relationship with it, and this is exacerbated by a lower proportion of women drinking a lot. I'm not sure how other types fit into this, certainly none of the out trans people I know are that sort of problem but this is probably too small a sample to be making generalisations from.
Re: Ryanair dark UX patterns summer 2026 refresher
#203That “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.
I have no sympathy, and even less respect, for people who choose to fly with Ryanair and then complain about these patterns. After 32 years of Ryanair in its current incarnation nobody can claim naivety. Dance with the devil and he pipes the tune.
Look, we hate Ryanair, everybody does. The seats are cramped. They keep piping stupid announcements. Dark patterns. Etc. But if we want to see family, it’s Ryanair or another airline. With a family of 3, it’s either 400€ or 900€, so we put up with it.
You’re being unfair.
Re: Ryanair dark UX patterns summer 2026 refresher
#204I consider myself kind of sensitive to being forced to do stuff, but Ryanair just doesn't seem that bad. Of course, you get a million offers for things you probably don't need, but I genuinely don't feel like they're trying to scam me. It's like ad-supported Spotify or something. Annoying, but not actively trying to vacuum up my credit card.
“Ad” supported? It’s other people holding the bag for falling for these.
Re: Ryanair dark UX patterns summer 2026 refresher
#205Earlier quoted context omitted.
> That “Don’t Insure Me” option hidden in the middle of a country list is pure evil. I think they may actually have gotten in trouble for that one; they've stopped doing it (as noted in the article it was from eight years ago).
They still did it pretty recently
Re: Ryanair dark UX patterns summer 2026 refresher
#206Re: Ryanair dark UX patterns summer 2026 refresher
#207Earlier quoted context omitted.
“Ad” supported? It’s other people holding the bag for falling for these.
Do we have any numbers for this? Are those people “falling” for it or are they just choosing to buy the upgrades? I’ve paid for good (window!) seats on Ryanair flights, I’ve paid for luggage, I’ve bought a snack from the trolley. It would make sense to me that other people might be paying for other services.