Whenever I told anybody that we were flying back to London with Ryanair, they would just roll their eyes and wish us luck. Yes, I knew Ryanair is a budget carrier with a bit of a reputation but the choices weren't great. It was either Ryanair or paying a fortune or leaving really early or arriving really late. So Ryanair it was.
With all the warnings about getting stuffed around and having to queue etc, we got organised and were in a taxi to the airport by 9 o'clock. Baggage drop was no hassle and security was quick so we ended up out at the airport about an hour earlier that we needed to be - still that is better than being an hour late! The thing is with Ryanair is that they have their rules and provided you stick to them everything seems to work out OK. If you don't, that is when you are in trouble - either you have to pay for the privilege of rule breaking or, in some cases, you simple don't fly. Anyway, all went well. We joined the surprisingly short Priority Q (you pay extra for that) before our plane had arrived at the gate and were checked through before everybody was off (we were held waiting in the passage).
Ryanair operate with about a 30 minute turn around on flights so they didn't waste too much time is staring to load us all. With the exception of a trial for the Exit row seats on a few flights, they also operate without any form of seat allocation. Being in the Priority Q, we got to go on first which gave us a chance to site where we wanted. Everyone else had to fight for their seats and given the time it took, it is hard to see the benefit if the aim is for quick turn arounds. We took off on time and in less than 90 minutes, we were on the ground at Gatwick airport. Not to miss a chance to make some money, in that 90 minutes they managed to offer newspapers, food, drink and raffle tickets - all at a price of course.
On of the other characteristics of Ryanair is that expenses are kept to a minimum. The terminal gates they use are the farthest from the terminal entry - presumably because they are cheaper. At Gatwick, although there was an Aerobridge, we still walked down the steps and across the tarmac - again presumably because it is cheaper. All in all, flying Ryanair worked out fine. In fact the worst part of the journey was Passport Control at Gatwick - 40 minutes it took in the queue for Non UK/EU passports. Not that having a UK/EU passport was much better shortly after Anita breezed through. A plane or two must have come in and even that queue took forever...
After we were reunited, we collected our bags and walked out through Customs as if it didn't exist and headed for the trains. We caught a First Capital Connection train to St Pancras International, bought a late lunch and then took a short taxi ride to our hotel. This time we are staying in the Euro Hotel in Russell Square. Comprising three Georgian house built in 1807, this time we have lucked-out and have a room on the third floor - the modernisation includes a very nice en-suite but no lift... Dinner tonight was a simple affair tonight, just fish and chips from one of the many shops nearby.
The passenger concourse at St Pancras International
Our hotel is the Metro Hotel in Cartwright Gardens, Russell Square
(you can't read the name on it very well...)
(you can't read the name on it very well...)
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