FR0972 London Stanstead - Genova Italy.
After a night in London, we got on the tube to Liverpool Street, then the Stanstead express to Stanstead. We got there about an hour into check in however both desks had no que, so we were both checked in within 10 minutes.
We then went to the ticket desk and purchased priority boarding vouchers (2) each. WIth the plan to secure 2 seats in the middle of the plane in the exit rows as they have much more leg room.
We went through security which was fine untill I was pulled aside to have my shoes screened.
Then through duty free, bought a meal deal from Boots and had a look around the shops. Then a really long walk to our gate.
People were already queing, even though the plane had not arrived yet, so we joined the priority boarding queue. The plane arrived shortly, and was on the ground about 20 minutes before we were called. Ground crew went through our queue and checked that everyone in the que had a priority boarding voucher, if they didn't then they were asked to move to the other queue, some passengers were disgrunteled, but signage was quite clear.
We were almost the first people to board so secured to exit row seats. I found the seats really comfortable, they are leather and the extra legroom was much better. It felt like we had paid 2 for an upgrade.
The flight went smoothly and we were soon in Genova, with some turbulance as we went over the coast, it started to seriously rain as we landed, so much so that we had to get a tug to reverse us so we could use the airbridge! Deplaning was really a pleasant experience, no one got up until the row in front of them had got up, collected their luggage etc, it was brilliant!
I couldn't knock the flight, the only thing I didn't like was being forced to stare at the safety card which is attached to the back of the seat infront of you just at eye level, but other than that the flight was fine.
FR0973 Genova Italy - London Stanstead.
We got up really early and left the Cinque Terra where we had been holidaying for the week, got on the train for 2 hours to Genova, and then a bus over to the airport. Check in was really quick - just a 5-10 minute wait to check in, and then again we purchased priority boarding for 3Euros. Through security, and then into Duty free where I spent the last of my Euros on some Chanel Allure Pour Homme Eau De Parfum.
Genova airport's departure screens said gate 5, but our boarding cards said gate 6, so we hovered between the two. Eventually our flight was called at gate 6. We got into the priority queue however by 13:00 our plane had not arrived, we were due to fly at 13:20. 13:20 came and went and at 13:30 it was announced we were delayed by half an hour and a new departure time was 13:50. Again 13:50 rolled around and it became clear that we were not going to depart at that time. An announcement was then made informing us that the flight from London Stanstead had been diverted into Turin, which seemed odd, as Genova is very close to Turin.
The queue dissipated and most people sat down, and a new departure time of 16:00 was enforced, a man from the airport (they don't have any Ryanair employees) came and said don't worry there is another plane on the way for us etc...
We resigned ourselves to the wait - there's no point in getting frustrated or angry because it won't solve anything, just make the wait even worse!
At about 15:00 my travel buddy noticed that it said *Cancelled* on the departure monitors, however no one else had noticed. We thought nothing of it and waited a bit longer. Then the same man from the airport came to the gate and a small crowd ushered around him. We only heard the word 'tomorrow', and we knew they'd cancelled our flight. So Dave and I ran to the ticket desk, as we knew that there wasn't going to be enough free seats tomorrow for the whole plane, so a good position in the queue was going to get us home!
We were about 10th in the queue, and it took about 20 minutes to get through. When we go to the ticket desk we were offered either a seat tomorrow, or a flight from Milan at 10:00, we took the seat for tomorrow, as we'd have to get to Milan at our own expense, and when we get to London we will have missed our connecting train, and there may not be any more so we may still need a night in a hotel. We asked about Ryanair supplying a hotel for the night, and were told that Ryanair does not supply hotel accommodation for cancelled flights. So Dave and I collected our baggage and rang the travel insurance, they said that we'd only get the delay pay out of 20 per 12 hours (so 40 for the 24 hour delay), not any accommodation.
We went outside and met other people who had been at the gate waiting for the bus back into Genova, however there is a Sheraton hotel right next to the airport, I wanted to just check into there as it seemed the best solution. Dave said we could save money by going into the city, and as he knows Italy a little better than myself I said ok. However as I was purchasing tickets for the bus from the machine, he realised that it wouldn't be very expensive at all, and a lot less stress free.
We walked to the Sheraton and Dave said that I should go in, alone, ask what's avaliable and the price and then I'd have to come outside to let him know and we'd go from there. I also had a shirt on and would look more presentable than himself! I went in and the reception clerk seemed to be unsure if there were any twin-bedded rooms avaliable right then, however I explained our situation, and I think the more he realised that I did have the money to stay and did not generally look like a tramp, he started to find me the best possible price. I'm only 18 you see, and look younger so people often don't believe that I'm serious etc.
The best price was 190Euros which was about 125, I went outside to tell Dave, he was still reluctant however I told him that we will both get 40 back from insurance, so that's 80 off the price of the room, so for the night it will actually cost 25 each - including breakfast.
He agreed and we went in. The room was great, with a big bathroom and it was all soundproofed from the noise of the airport.
We had dinner in the bar, however the waiter brought our starters and main courses together, which was odd. Especially as the starter was cold, and the main was hot!
We slept really well, and got up the next morning to enjoy the huge breakfast buffet! We then packed and got to the airport for check in and waited for it to open. We wanted to ensure we had a seat on the plane, as we thought there may be some people on stand-by and if we left check in later they may be offered our seats. We noticed some other people from the Sheraton were also on our plane, and figured that they had done the same as us.
Just as we got to the gate the plane pulled up and we were soon boarded. However because everyone was stressed from yesterday there was a huge scrum at the doors to the gates, and it was difficult for those with priority passes to get through. As I was walking through the gate an English woman shouted 'STOP!' at me, and said 'do you have priority because I do!'. I replyed saying 'So do I, thanks!'. And through I went!
Dave and I got split on the stairs down to the tarmac to walk to plane, he boarded at the rear but I went through the set of doors at the nose. Unfortunately I was behind this elderly Italian couple who had 2 big carry-on cases. When they found a seat they liked they were in the way of people trying to board, however they put their suitcases up. But they didn't like where a passenger had put theirs - so they took it down and then put it in another locker. The passenger got up and said 'don't you move my stuff, what right have you got etc etc!' All the time while people are waiting to get on the plane! Cabin crew asked the elderly couple to sit down for a couple of minutes so people could board, but they ignored her and carryed on rearranging their suitcases. The cabin crew and I shared a joke about it when I was finally allowed to carry on boarding and meet Dave at our exit seats.
Once we were airborne everything was fine, with little turbulance and a great landing.
At the moment I am relucatant to fly Ryanair again, I don't mind a flight being cancelled but it seemed as though no staff at Genova airport could really help, as they weren't from Ryanair. Also Ryanair seemed happy to just let us be stranded for 24 hours with no assistance. However I wasn't suprised, if it was BA I'd have been surprised, but that behaviour from Ryanair is expected in some respects.
I am not sure that Ryanair acted legally regarding the hotel situation and passenger rights, and will be reviewing appropriate legislation and contacting Ryanair and my travel insurance for adequate compensation.
