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I have to buy a flight from Paris to Dublin, but I don't know which company to use.

I've heard of Ryan Air, Aer Lingus and Air France. The problem is that I will have a carry-on luggage and a checked baggage (probably heavy). And I've heard that Ryan Air is surcharging on overweight luggage, I don't know for Aer Lingus and Air France is the most expensive, so I'd like to avoid it.

Can anyone who knows well this companies advice me?

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  • All companies do surcharge on overweight luggage
    – user141
    Commented Jul 26, 2014 at 10:42
  • Exactly how heavy will your luggage be? And can you perhaps split it into several bags to avoid the overweight fee?
    – Gagravarr
    Commented Jul 26, 2014 at 14:10
  • I don't really know the weight of my lugage, I don't have any weighing machine, but I only have one lugage anyway. It's for a year so the checked lugage will be full of clothes and I'll have two computers on my carry-on.
    – Elfayer
    Commented Jul 26, 2014 at 17:07
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    @Elfayer You should really get a second bag. Anything over 20-23 kg will be very expensive, no matter the airline.
    – Relaxed
    Commented Jul 26, 2014 at 18:56

2 Answers 2

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You're probably overthinking this, as the actual price will depend more on the route, the time, etc. than the airline. It's probably best to just check the price for your specific journey and book the cheapest tickets you can find. If you don't mind a longer travel, you could also use some search engine that will consider many airlines and indirect routes.

As a rule, the most expensive fare on an Air France flight will be more expensive than the most expensive Ryanair fare and conversely the cheapest Ryanair fare will probably be the cheapest overall but in-between everything is possible and there some very attractive fares on regular airlines as well. If it happens to offer a good price on the day you want to fly, there is no point avoiding Air France because it is the most expensive in general.

For example, looking at some random date in November, I can find one-way flights to Dublin for about EUR 80 with both Air France and Aer Lingus. Ryanair won't always be cheaper and if that's too much, you should really consider some other means of transportation like the bus (and even then, I am not sure it would that much cheaper).

Note that both Air France and (especially) Air Lingus moved towards “no frills” service on short-haul routes so you might have to pay for hold luggage in any case. Also, Ryanair actually does not fly from Paris (or most “real” airports) but from alternative airports (in this case Beauvais or Châlons-en-Champagne), which are often more difficult to reach.


Regarding luggage, it's difficult to compare directly but all three airlines charge for hold luggage, at least for some fares, and impose an extra charge for overweight luggage. See the rules for Ryanair or Air France.

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  • I'm not afraid of the ticket price, but more the lugage weight rules. I don't know how much costs and the weight of a checked lugage for Ryan Air. I've found this for Aer Lingus : aerlingus.com/travelinformation/baggageinformation/… But I guess it's a supplement with a "Plus" ticket (there is Low, Plus and Flex tickets). And I guess there isn't this problem using Air France, but it costs too much, I think I won't even try to look at it.
    – Elfayer
    Commented Jul 26, 2014 at 11:12
  • @Elfayer Not sure I can quite follow you. What's too expensive with Air France? The charge for extra luggage?
    – Relaxed
    Commented Jul 26, 2014 at 13:26
  • Air France : 319€, Aer Lingus: 85.99€ and Ryan Air : 26.51€. The 9th of September (Date I'd like to go). I guess there are less or none chage for extra weight lugage with Air France, but it's basically a lot more expensive.
    – Elfayer
    Commented Jul 26, 2014 at 17:03
  • @Elfayer There are steep charges for extra weight on Air France too and, for the cheapest fare (“mini” prices), you have to pay extra for any hold luggage. It really comes down to what you can find on a given date because it's not true that Air France would be either much more expensive or more accommodating with luggage, in general.
    – Relaxed
    Commented Jul 26, 2014 at 18:38
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    @Elfayer I added a link to the relevant rules for luggage. If you are going to carry a lot of stuff, you really need to weight your luggage and read the fine print.
    – Relaxed
    Commented Jul 26, 2014 at 18:46
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You could also check Cityjet. They used to be an air france, but changed owners recently.

Furthermore, do check all, because depending on dates you want to fly all might be the cheapest. Personally, I avoid Ryanair, just to avoid the hazzle, but if you are strictly abiding to their rules, and buy checked luggage ahead of time, they might be the cheapest

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  • Very happy with Cityjet, albeit we flew them while they were still owned by Air France.
    – dlanod
    Commented Jul 26, 2014 at 10:53
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    There are no direct flights between Paris and Dublin on Cityjet. If you want to include a layover, just about any European airline could fit the bill.
    – Relaxed
    Commented Jul 26, 2014 at 10:58

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