Do Ryanair randomly allocate seats?

If you choose not to pay to reserve a seat, your seat will be assigned to you free of charge when you check in, between 24 hours and 2 hours prior to departure.



Yes, Ryanair utilizes a random seat allocation policy for all passengers who choose not to pay a fee to reserve a specific seat. When you check in for your flight—which for free seats is only available between 24 hours and 2 hours before departure—the airline's algorithm assigns you a seat based on available inventory. Crucially, the system is notorious for separating travel companions; if you are on the same booking but do not pay for seats, it is highly likely you will be placed in different rows or even different ends of the plane. The only exception is for families traveling with children under 12; in this case, one adult is required to purchase a seat (for a small fee), and they are then allowed to reserve seats for up to four children for free to ensure the family sits together. For everyone else, the random allocation is a "take what you get" system designed to encourage passengers to pay the extra €8 to €25 for the peace of mind of choosing their own spot on the aircraft.

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As someone else has already said, it means the obvious — that you don't have an assigned seat yet, and an agent will assign it at the gate. I recommend you take that quite literally — get your seat assignment at the gate, not at the check-in counter.

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Ryanair is pleased to announce in today's results that it will from 1 Feb 2014 move to fully allocated seating on all Ryanair flights, making the boarding process smoother, and enabling families or other groups to ensure that they sit together.

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However, this is not done intentionally, he says, or because of any change in the seat algorithm. Instead, it is because certain seats are more desirable for those booking ahead – so Ryanair have started to “hold” them. “We want to keep certain seats available for people who might want to purchase.”

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The most important rule to make sure you all sit together: Book flights and reserve seats early. That's the simplest and cleanest way. Second, list all family members on the same reservation. If someone booked at a different time, link their reservation to yours.

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Check in opens 24 hours before for both Ryanair and Wizz Air. It's here where you're given the final chance to pay for a seat, or skip that part and let the airline overlords decide where you're going to sit. Essentially, the name of the game here is to wait until most people have checked in before you do so.

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Seat assignment Most airlines assign booked seats before your flight; see Planning your flight. A few airlines do not assign seats (e.g., Southwest), but do assign you a boarding group based on how early you confirm your flight on-line within 24 hours of the flight.

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Passengers are usually assigned a seat before or during check-in. However, in your case you were not assigned a seat at check-in. Probably because you did not click the “select your seat option. Or maybe because the airline still had not assigned an aircraft for your flight.

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I'm travelling with Ryan air and have checked in online. I have only got hand luggage, do I just skip the bag drop/check in desk and go straight through to security?! I'm travelling alone so a bit anxious to know what I'm doing! Simple answer,yes.Be at the gate in time for boarding.

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You do not need to print your boarding pass once you have access to the Ryanair App unless you are departing from a Moroccan airport. If you do not have access to a printer, we can print it for you at the check-in desk, but you will be charged a boarding card reissue fee for each passenger.

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NO, check in early to have a better chance of getting assigned a decent seat if you are flying on a ticket that does not let you select your seat ahead of time. If you wait until the last minute you are competing with people that are on the standby list as well.

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You are allowed to bring a quart-sized bag of liquids, aerosols, gels, creams and pastes through the checkpoint. These are limited to 3.4 ounces (100 milliliters) or less per item. This is also known as the 3-1-1 liquids rule.

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