Passengers Are Still Discovering the Hard (And Expensive) Way That Ryanair Charges You to Check-In at the Airport

Passengers have long loved to loathe Ryanair, knowing all too well that the bargain basement base fares advertised by the budget carrier often come with a sting in their tail in the form of expensive additional fees and charges that can catch unsuspecting travelers off guard.

Europeans who are accustomed to flying with Ryanair have learned, sometimes the hard way, how to play the game, following the airline’s myriad rules to ensure they aren’t charged a cent more than they had planned.

Officially got screwed by @Ryanair today.

I thought being European + having traveled to 40+ countries meant I’d seen every airline trick in the book.

Apparently 𝐍𝐎𝐓.

𝐆𝐨𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐝 £𝟓𝟓 (𝐈𝐍𝐑 𝟕,𝟏𝟎𝟎) 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭… pic.twitter.com/CUA32Oroyn

— AML (@alysha_lobo) May 31, 2026

Despite Ryanair’s notoriety, however, many passengers are still caught off guard on a daily basis, coughing up money to pay for fees that could have been avoided with a little extra planning and forethought.

This was perfectly illustrated last week by Alysha Lobo, who took to X to say she had been “scewed over” by Ryanair when she was charged an additional £55 (US $74) after arriving at the airport for a short flight to Dublin.

“I thought being European and having traveled to 40+ countries meant I’d seen every airline trick in the book. Apparently not,” Alysha wrote. “Got charged £55 to check in at the airport because I hadn’t checked in ONLINE!!”

Alysha added: “Not extra baggage. Not a seat upgrade. Not lounge access. Just the privilege of a human being printing a boarding pass.”

It didn’t take long for people to comment on her post, declaring that she should have known Ryanair’s rules and that the airport check-in fee was well-advertised on the airline’s website as well as in a pre-departure email.

Alysha initially justified her lack of awareness, saying she didn’t travel on budget airlines very often, although she certainly will know for any future budget airline adventures.

Ryanair has acquired a reputation over the years for its ruthless enforcement of additional fees, but in the airline’s defense, it is incredibly transparent about what charges passengers face… far more so than traditional full-service carriers that have introduced these kinds of charges by stealth.

So transparent, in fact, that anyone can look up every single fee that Ryanair can possibly charge on an easy-to-read chart posted prominently on the airline’s website.

These fees are also posted prominently in the booking flow, alongside pre-flight emails that explain quite clearly what the consequences are for not following Ryanair’s rules.

Ryanair’s justification for its ruthless enforcement of these rules is simple and now well understood by frequent flyers: the rules allow Ryanair to keep costs at a minimum, employing as few airport workers as possible, while operating an incredibly efficient schedule that maximizes every minute of the day.

The airport check-in is controversial, but it’s well-documented. Ryanair expects passengers to check in online from 24 hours before departure up to two hours before departure. If you don’t check in within this time frame, then you’ll have to go to an airport counter and face the financial penalty.

Along with online check-in, Ryanair would also prefer passengers to download its mobile app and use an electronic boarding pass, although a much-publicized push to completely eliminate paper boarding passes has been massively watered down.

Ryanair has decided that passengers should still be allowed to obtain a paper boarding pass at the airport for free, so long as the passenger has checked in online beforehand.

The airline now strongly encourages passengers to obtain a mobile pass, and given that its passengers are all too wary of the risk of facing an additional fee, Ryanair has achieved a compliance rate of 98%.

The other fee that passengers are most likely to get stung with is for their carry-on luggage failing the infamous gate baggage sizer test. But again, this rule actually has a very logical explanation, and it isn’t necessarily so that Ryanair can make more money off passengers.

Ryanair allows everyone to take a small bag that can fit underneath the seat in front of them on board for free. In order to fit, the bag must have maximum dimensions of 40 x 30 x 20cm. If it’s over this size, then it has to be checked into hold, and Ryanair believes passengers should have to pay for this service.

And Ryanair isn’t playing around when it comes to the overhead bins. The airline knows that passengers fighting to find space in the overhead lockers is a sure-fire way to slow down the boarding process, creating delays and slashing Ryanair’s efficiency.

So it sells luggage space in the overhead bins as a premium, limiting the number of passengers who can buy this service.

Bottom Line

Ryanair has remained true to its roots as a low-cost airline and does everything in its power to avoid complexity that would create additional costs. If you follow Ryanair’s rules, then you’ll pay exactly what you planned and not a cent more. Fail to adhere to the rules, and Ryanair will expect you to cover their costs.