Greece

Ryanair Review – A Pleasant and Most Certainly NOT Sponsored Surprise

7 May 2026 · 7 min read

NOT SPONSORED. We paid for our tickets, added our own luggage, and received no perks or discounts.

We chose Ryanair for one simple reason: the direct route we needed (CFU ↔︎ BTS). Receipts, for the record: seats 30D (out) and 31D (return), Regular fare with priority + 10 kg cabin and seat selection included, and a 20 kg checked bag added later via the app for ~€100 return (it would have been ~€78 had we added it at booking). Opinions below are ours, unfiltered.

I’ve known Ryanair since its scrappy beginnings and, for years, avoided it. In my mind, “low‑cost” meant elbows, chaos, and a chorus of sighs. Then September arrived with its late‑summer light, and a week split between Bratislava and Vienna sounded perfect. We booked. We flew. And – here’s the surprise – it was good.

Where We Started & Why This Route Mattered

We weren’t in Corfu; we were on an extended stay in northwestern Greece, and for this trip we had two real choices:

Following a horrendous experience with Olympic Air, where a flight was cancelled and the carrier offered no support on September 9, 2024, we eliminated the Athens connection option. (I’ll write a dedicated post about that soon.) We wanted to avoid stress and extra costs, and the Corfu → Bratislava → Vienna plan felt… sane. Sometimes the most elegant travel choice is the one that keeps your shoulders low and your heartbeat steady.

Our itinerary: 4 nights in Bratislava, 3 nights in Vienna. I’ll write separate city guides because both deserve proper love.

Booking: Straight Lines, No Drama

I booked on the Ryanair website and chose the Regular fare, which includes priority boarding, a 10 kg carry-on bag, a small under-seat bag, and seat selection. A week before flying, I added a 20 kg checked suitcase via the app. It cost approximately €100 return because I added it late; at booking, it would have been approximately €78. Lesson noted: If you know you’ll need a suitcase, add it when booking.

I skipped Fast Track at Corfu (priced at €6), because it rarely changes much there.

Check-in was online, boarding passes were released a few days in advance, and seats were pre-selected at no additional cost—a predictable and transparent process.

Corfu Airport (CFU): A Better Face and September Common Sense

We arrived 2.5 hours before departure, which in September felt exactly right. Corfu’s extensions and renovations are visible now – brighter spaces, calmer flow, a better first impression. Check‑in was quick, and the flight left on time.

One operational quirk: priority meant we were processed first, then waited outside until one bus came for everyone. At some airports, priority doesn’t mean a dedicated bus; it mainly gets you to the front of the line. Manage that expectation and you’ll be fine.

On Board: Minimalism With a Spine

I’m 180 cm and sat comfortably in 30D (outbound) and 31D (return). No knees touching the seat in front, no mysterious knee‑drum from behind. The cabin is purposefully simple:

Outbound, the plane was clean and the crew professional – not warm, not cold, just focused. One thing I didn’t love: trash collection with a plastic bag down the aisle. It works, but it looks makeshift.

Note: Both flights were operated by “Buzz”, part of the Ryanair group, I assume – listed clearly on signage and boarding passes.

Punctuality & The Bratislava Pivot

The only blemish was the cleanliness on the return, with visible crumbs at our seats and on the floors that needed attention. Ironically, trash collection looked more professional on that leg, with a proper trolley/container instead of a plastic bag.

Value: Honest Transport as Quiet Luxury

For the fare we paid, the value was excellent. The Regular fare did precisely what it promised. The late‑added suitcase was the only “ouch,” but that’s on timing, not transparency. The biggest luxury, really, was arriving on time both ways and feeling our day unfold as planned. Sometimes, honest transport is the finest form of luxury – no violins, no velvet curtains, just getting where you need to be, calmly.

And then there’s connectivity. Ryanair links city pairs that others skip. Without them, reaching Bratislava from where we were staying would have meant detours via Athens or Italy – plus the irony of possibly flying a Ryanair segment anyway. There’s a refreshing truth here: they operate routes that actually help people move.

What We Liked (from Former Skeptics)

What We Didn’t

Itinerary at a Glance (for Context)

City stories are coming – food, corners, and the kindnesses we found in both places.

Practical Tips If You’re New to Ryanair (or Low‑Cost in General)

Who This Suits – and Who It Doesn’t

Choose Ryanair if: you value punctuality, price, and direct routes over frills; you’re happy with honest minimalism and a wallet that doesn’t groan.

Skip it if you expect complimentary extras, soft-touch service, or the cozy comforts of legacy carriers. That’s not the product – and that’s okay.

The Verdict – From People Who Never Used Low‑Cost (Until Now)

Would we recommend Ryanair? Yes – 1000%. It’s honest, unpretentious, and gets you where you want to go on time.

Would we fly again? In a heartbeat.

Is it better than Greece’s “national carrier” on this kind of route? For price, punctuality, and plain truth, YES, YES, and YES. (Our separate review covers why Aegean/Olympic often feel overpriced and underwhelming, even in business class.)

Most importantly: the reason we chose this route wasn’t ideology – it was peace of mind. After the Ioannina‑Athens fiasco on September 9, 2024, we wanted a trip that began and ended without an adrenaline spike. Ryanair gave us exactly that. And sometimes, that’s the most Mediterranean luxury of all: less fuss, more living.

Filed under Real Talk