The Ryanair model was developed on direct flights. Ryanair refuses to endorse responsibility for missing a connection due to the late arrival of the first flight.
Recently, Ryanair has accepted to provide feeder flights for Air Europa (I'm still waiting to see which will be the minimum connecting time) and to start experimenting connections between its own flights at Roma FCO, but with a connecting time of 2 and a half to 3 hours (the restaurants and shops at FCO will be happy!)
On the other hand, Ryanair has a high rate of reliability and on-time performance. I thus decided to try a much shorter connection: one and a half hour in Barcelona, knowing that if the first flight was late, I would not get any compensation if I missed the second one.
I had thus arrived in Menorca with TUI fly in the morning on the day of the 3rd big power failure at Brussels Airport (report: viewtopic.php?f=4&t=61707 ). I could return to Brussels in the evening with Ryanair via Barcelona. But after I booked both flights (separately of course, with different booking codes), I got an e-mail from Ryanair advising me that the second flight would depart 15 minutes earlier, reducing my connection time to 75 minutes only. No big deal: I didn't have the choice to cancel.
2. Menorca - Barcelona
Flight: Ryanair FR6887
Date : 15 June 2017
Aircraft: Boeing 737-800 EI-DYE
From-To: Mahon - Barcelona (MAH-BCN)
Seat: 27A
Scheduled/Effective Time of Departure: 18:10/18:07 (GMT+2)
Scheduled/Effective Time of Arrival: 19:10/18:55 (GMT+2)
Scheduled/Effective Duration of the flight: 1 hr 00 min/0 hr 48 min
I was at the airport 90 minutes ahead of departure, time for a refreshing beer after a hot day. Soon the incoming aircraft (from Barcelona) would dock at gate 2.
Early pushback, followed by take-off on Rwy 19. 100% load factor in one of Ryanair's older 738s with limited legroom. The short flight itself was a non-event. Early arrival in Barcelona, with the traditional trumpets of glory resounding loud in the cabin
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif)
3. Connecting in Barcelona against Ryanair model
Being early in Barcelona, I saw that the "connecting" flight had recovered its initial timing, 15 minutes later than announced in the Ryanair e-mail: I thus had an hour and three quarters to spend in Terminal 2 (low-cost). Plenty of time. The gate was not even announced yet.
Connecting with Ryanair is thus not a problem. Most of the time. I took the risk, I won.
4. Barcelona - Brussels
Flight: Ryanair FR2939
Date : 15 June 2017
Aircraft: Boeing 737-800 EI-FRZ
From-To: Barcelona - Brussels (BCN-BRU)
Seat: 27A
Scheduled/Effective Time of Departure: 20:40/20:45 (GMT+2)
Scheduled/Effective Time of Arrival: 22:40/22:55 (GMT+2)
Scheduled/Effective Duration of the flight: 2 hr 00 min/2 hr 10 min
Uneventful flight. If the time of departure had been changed, not so for the time of arrival, thus 15 minutes late and no trumpets this time.
Beautiful clouds during the sunset.