Ryanair

Flights; transfers; trains; ferries; routes; getting to and from the PO; lifts offered or wanted; motoring and biking matters.

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Nigel and Karen
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Post by Nigel and Karen »

Is it just me, or are there no flights for jan yet?

I have usually booked by now!!
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Eamon Avis
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Post by Eamon Avis »

There are no flights to and from Stansted and Luton from Girona from 1 November due to a dispute between Ryanair and the Catalan government. This seems to be the latest on the matter:

http://costabravanews.com/costa-brava-l ... overnment/

Depends where you want to go but there are Ryanair flights from Stansted to Barcelona (El Prat) and a couple of flights a week from Luton to Beziers.

Easyjet flies to Barcelona from Luton and BA flies to Barcelona from London Heathrow.
Last edited by Eamon Avis on Thu 13 Oct 2011 20:07, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by kathyw »

you can fly Girona to Manchester
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Post by joe »

you can fly with monarch as well gatwick to barcelona - 2 flights a day. with no card charges
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Post by tubs »

We've got a flight Birmingham-Girona on 12th December but returning by train which
we are using more and more now. OH, a generally laid back and tolerant person, and until now, a huge fan of Mr. O'L has got the 'ump with him over his new credit card and the fact that we will be charged for non-usage so looks like Ryanair's loss is the SNCF's gain!
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Nigel and Karen
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Post by Nigel and Karen »

Is the train a comparable cost?
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Post by tubs »

We paid €161 for 2 people (one of us is over 60....and it's not me!!) from Perpignan to London St Pancras for 20th December. I guess it depends where you live in the UK whether it will work for you.
Ok it takes longer than the plane but at least you don't have to check in 2 hours before,you get an allocated seat with lots of leg room, in a comfortable environment with clean loos and a buffet car selling half decent food at reasonable prices (I believe anyway, we normally take a picnic lunch with some wine;can't do that on Ryanair!) There are sockets to plug in your laptop or DVD player, for those who want to watch a film to pass the time.
You can change at Lille(for the Eurostar) and just have to change platforms,simple, but if you change at Gare de Lyon in Paris you have one stop on the metro to Gare de Nord to catch the Eurostar.
For us it is a much more civilised way to travel, of course we will still use Ryanair if and when it suits us(and when OH gets over his strop!) but it's good to have the train as an alternative.
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Post by Owens88 »

I would love to use the train more often but find it difficult to get good prices.Do you book on the french or brit site?

Thanks in advance.
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Post by joe »

www.raileurope.co.uk

apparently you can buy a season ticket that allows for large discount for the train from perpignan to lille and then the eurostar

the only problem is the train timings

but it is still an viable alternative.

it does not really take much longer if you factor in airport distance, 2hour checkin all the security and passport control
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Post by Ian »

Yes it's going to be very awkward without Girona. We have found flights Liverpool to Carcasonne for the winter to use instead and will have have to put up with paying hotel cost as its an early start. Also the more expensive French car hire over Spanish costs. Should still be better than the grief of two flights each way though.

If anyone else in Scotland has found another way please tell us the route.

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Kate
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Post by Kate »

Don't forget that for those over 60, you can get a senior citizen railcard.
Here is an article from a past PO Life. Details ie prices may have changed but I think that most other stuff is the same. Will check and update on site eventually, but in the meantime, if anyone has anything to add/change that would be really useful (and save me having to do it!! :-)

Carte senior – discount railcard

At 56 Euros per annum, the French senior railcard for the over sixties is a little bit more expensive than the British equivalent but with 25% to 50% discount on the trains, as well as the TGV, car hire, hotels etc, and loyalty points (S’miles) to go towards the purchase of your next card, it is worth every penny.
Visit www.raileurope.co.uk to book ahead to ensure the cheapest fare on a long distance journey. If your chosen travel date is too far ahead, you can ask for an e-mail to alert you as soon as there is booking availability.
To apply, pick up a leaflet at any French rail station or SNCF ticket office or visit http://www.senior-sncf.com/accueil and click on votre carte de reduction senior->commander une carte->acheter la carte senior.
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Post by tubs »

John, we booked on TGV-europe.com site which when booking gives you the choice to go to Rail Europe or SNCF. We have found that Rail Europe is a little dearer sometimes for some reason. We have also previously booked the whole journey (London/Perp) on the Eurostar site.

OH hasn't bought a senior discount card but puts in "over 60" in the drop down box and gets a discount anyway.

Not sure if the senior discount card gives a reduction on ALL trains, best check before buying one.
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Post by rogb »

Ian, we haven't so far found any way of avoiding two flights each way to and from Edinburgh this winter...and there still seems to be a total standoff between Ryanair and the Catalan government over Girona (and, needless to say, no sign of any initiative by Perpignan airport to fill the gap).
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Nigel and Karen
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Post by Nigel and Karen »

Looks like there are Birmingham to Girona flights in Jan but only on a Friday?
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Post by Nigel and Karen »

Booked a monday to monday flight, some lo cost cars on holiday autos £84 for 2 weeks.
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Post by Colin L »

I have just been looking at the possibilities for getting here In January and find something called iDTGV which seems to be an internet booking set-up for SNCF trains. €24.90 Paris to Perpignan can't be bad and is less than the SNCF price presumably for the same train.

Anyone know what the set-up is? I guessed they must just buy up space on trains and sell on the seats, but they seem to offer a "busy carriage" with DVDs and pre-arranged meeting people as well as a quiet, no phones one (that's the one for me) so maybe they lease whole carriages?
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Post by Colin L »

Well now, it's amazing what a bit of lateral thinking can . That's us booked to get to Perpignan on the 11 January. Direct Easyjet flight from Edinburgh to Lyon and train from Lyon to Perpignan. Leave Edinburgh 0800, arrive Perpignan 1830. Basic cost £24 each for the flight and €43 for the train. Nae bad, eh?

I say basic cost because this time I have a bag and skis to carry. The great advantage of this route is that is is a single flight so I am only paying for the baggage once.


No idea how we get back to Edinburgh in February, mind you as the flight back from Lyon is a bit early in the morning to get to. But we'll sort that out later 8)
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Over 60`s rail card

Post by Jess »

There is no need to buy an over 60`s rail card to travel on TER local trains to Perpignan i.e. from Montpellier Nimes Beziers or Carcassonne. We had no questions asked as we probably do look the part but you do need to for the TGV. We of course had our passports if challenged.
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Post by opas »

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... t-fit.html

I travel through this airport about5 times per year, the staff have always been zealous in the hand baggage weight/measuring, more so than any other airport I have traveled through via ryanair. It is quite ammusing to see the ladies having to stuff their handbag into their cabin baggage, then wear 3 jumpers and and stuff their pockets with socks etc;

Myself, I obey the rules :wink: but wear my poachers coat with many deep pockets :lol:

Tomorrow I will be 68kilos, next sunday I will be at least 72kilos, and It will not be due to the british diet :oops:
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Post by Rose »

Flying London Heathrow to Toulouse after Christmas with BA. Free luggage allowance 23kg plus hand luggage and a handbag. Free refreshments on flight and no extra charges except for which credit card you use. Shuttle from Toulouse airport to Toulouse station takes 20 mins. Then two and a half hour train journey via Narbonne to Perpignan.

Narbonne to Perpignan by train 28 euros booked in advance and train tickets sent to your address in UK. Less hassle than Barcelona I think for those who live in the south of the UK.
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Post by Rose »

Deb. As someone else wrote somewhere else, the baggage handlers (Servisair) need to report 10 bags that won't fit before they get their £5 bonus as each bag denied is only worth 50p, so it is worth offering them £5 to let your one bag through!!! This is instead of the £40 fine.
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Ryanair and Girona

Post by BT »

Some good news on the way for 2012 ?

Watch this space

BT
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Re: Ryanair and Girona

Post by Webdoc »

BT wrote:Some good news on the way for 2012 ?

Watch this space

BT
Can you give us a hint? I can't bear the suspense.
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Post by Webdoc »

Found it!

Girona/Reus are back on it seems:

http://airobserver.wordpress.com/2011/1 ... -to-thank/

And (in Spanish) http://www.elpais.com/articulo/cataluna ... pcat_5/Tes

Thank goodness, I can put my bicycle clips away again.
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sue and paul
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Post by sue and paul »

and for an English version, read 'Ryanair to increase flights from....' iin "Latest articles" on this site
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Ryanair - Girona

Post by BT »

Hi Webdoc,

Glad you found it !

Still some work to do. Now if they can be encouraged to fly Dublin - Perpignan ......

BT
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Post by Webdoc »

I think we're all hoping for great things from Perpignan Airport in the next year or two.


So I says to the wife "Great news, Veolia have taken over the running of Perpignan Airport."

"Who?" says she.

"You know - the people who empty our bins."

"What? Jack and John are running an airport?"

"No dear. Jack and John are still emptying our bins.............."
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Eamon Avis
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Post by Eamon Avis »

Looks like more Girona flights will restart in April 2012 if AENA doesn't put up the airport taxes there. As AENA is managed by the Spanish Ministry of Public Works and Transportation it will be up to the new Spanish government, resulting from today's election, to decide on the taxes.

http://www.catalannewsagency.com/news/b ... oesnt-rais
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Post by Kate »

I believe that was the problem last time - that the incoming government didn't honour the agreement of the outgoing govt. Let's hope history doesn't repeat itself!
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Eamon Avis
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Post by Eamon Avis »

Hey guys, from 10 January 2012 you can reserve your seat opposite one of those dishy Ryanair trolley dollies for an extra €10 (each way!). Trouble is she might try and sell you a packet of smokeless cigarettes - €6 for ten Sir.
http://www.ryanair.com/en/news/reserved ... nuary-2012
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