Life Jackets and Ryanair

[Heckler]

Was pleasantly surprised today. Flying home from Faro on Ryanair, did a delivery last November and had to get two self inflating life jackets home. Did a check on the Ryanair website and it said you can take them hold or cabin baggage complete with CO2 bottles. So I took the CO2 bottles off but kept them in the LJ bags. I put the two of them in a supermkt carrier bag for life, they were in zipped bags as well. Off we went, they looked at them in security but that was it! Safely home now!

 

[lpdsn]

I've just e-mailed Michael O'Leary. It'll be £10 each the next time.

 

[Heckler]

:encouragement:

 

[rhino_mac]

Hi, what a coincidence - I was just googling this very thing. I'm off to Croatia soon sailing on a pals boat via Ryanair. I can't seem to find the link on their website - could you link to it so I can print it in case of any queries en route.

Many thanks!

 

[colind3782]

As long as airport security let it through! I had the bottles taken off me at Girona.

 

[lydiamight]

Just unscrew the gas bottle and put the life jacket in your hold luggage

 

[Mister E]

Just tell them you do not want to pay extra for one of theirs.

 

[Heckler]

Hi, what a coincidence - I was just googling this very thing. I'm off to Croatia soon sailing on a pals boat via Ryanair. I can't seem to find the link on their website - could you link to it so I can print it in case of any queries en route.

Many thanks!

https://www.ryanair.com/gb/en/useful-info/baggage/permitted-and-restricted-items

 

[dunedin]

Hi, what a coincidence - I was just googling this very thing. I'm off to Croatia soon sailing on a pals boat via Ryanair. I can't seem to find the link on their website - could you link to it so I can print it in case of any queries en route.
Many thanks!

As ever the flaw with these threads is that the security checks and decisions are not made by the airlines at all, but the airport security guards. And at the end of the long official list of prohibited items, there is a catch all that basically says the security staff can decide to refuse anything if they think it is a risk.
We have taken lifejackets with removed gas cylinders in hold bags a few times, but I always take the cylinders out - for safety and also to avoid losing expensive lifejackets if we get a security officer deciding not to let them through.

 

[Daverw]

When we took ours out to Gib a couple of years ago, the first security were not sure we could take them, they called their supervisor and he know straight away and let us through. We did have a print out of the CAA guidance and RYA info as well. We had them in one bag and had to split to one each in hand luggage.

 

[rhino_mac]

https://www.ryanair.com/gb/en/useful-info/baggage/permitted-and-restricted-items

That's fabulous - thanks very much!

 

[chris_hall]

I travelled to Dubrovnik with EasyJet last year with two twin bladder life jackets (4 O2 cylinders) airline was fine with them, I am taking another two out in June this year with Norwegian Air, no issues with that carrier either. What I would suggest is that you take your hold luggage to the baggage referral and let them inspect it rather than putting it through the check in desk. I was called back from departures once to open my case because the the jackets showed up on xray

 

[Old Bumbulum]

Pack them in hold baggage if you can, remove bottles by all means.
Regardless of whether you carry or pack them also carry copies of the airline's relevant hazardous materials page and the CAA advice.

Any trouble with security just tell them it is NOT a hazardous item from security point of view and show them the paperwork, if they do not let you through straight away go to the supervisor.
Airport security are too often barely trained little Hitlers in uniform who are poorly paid, undermotivated and programmed to say "No!". They seldom know their own rules and often make them up as they go along just because they can.

Supervisors are on a different level and can usually be reasoned with.

They do not have the remit to remove life jacket bottles except in exceptional circumstances (such as a known threat involving life-jacket bottles)

 

[langstonelayabout]

Hi, what a coincidence - I was just googling this very thing. I'm off to Croatia soon sailing on a pals boat via Ryanair. I can't seem to find the link on their website - could you link to it so I can print it in case of any queries en route.

Many thanks!

Is there a particular issue with lifejackets and Ryanair?

Whenever we've sailed in Greece (flying BA and the much-missed Monarch) we have just checked in our hold luggage as usual (each bag containing a Spinlock lifejacket and 1 spare canister) and nothing has been said. No problems at all.

Is the issue that people look to get express permission for their lifejackets from people who don't know the regs but work for the airline?

 

[Heckler]

Is there a particular issue with lifejackets and Ryanair?

Whenever we've sailed in Greece (flying BA and the much-missed Monarch) we have just checked in our hold luggage as usual (each bag containing a Spinlock lifejacket and 1 spare canister) and nothing has been said. No problems at all.

Is the issue that people look to get express permission for their lifejackets from people who don't know the regs but work for the airline?

No issue that I know of. Read the posts. I brought back some life jkts from Portugal viw Ryanair. Had heard of issues that could arise, did my due diligence, there wasnt a problem, security looked at them rather than putting them through on the nod and were happy. I took them in the cabin. All rosy! Thought it would be helpful to others to know. At least one forumite has benefitted from the knowledge.