Ryanair is suffering system problems that have slowed its online booking process and forced it to waive airport check-in fees.
It is the second serious glitch since Ryanair re-launched its website in mid-February following a weekend shutdown. Then it suffered several days of problems.
The carrier acknowledged it is taking up to a minute to move between pages during the booking process, but insisted bookings can be completed. However, the site is not delivering confirmations.
Ryanair is recommending passengers write down their flight confirmation number and flight details, wait several minutes and then go back into the system to retrieve their booking and check whether the payment has gone through.
Passengers are also unable to check-in online, hence the waiving of check-in charges at airports. Earlier this month Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary warned he would keep raising charges at airports, saying: “If you check in at the airport and with a bag we will fine you.”
The loss of airport charges will cost the carrier cash at a time when it is relying on ancillary revenue to bolster profits. But if the problems lead passengers to give up on bookings, it will cost the airline a lot more.
The expanded site introduced in February offered Ryanair considerably more capacity and flexibility to add items and charges to bookings than the old one, to which many features had been bolted on.
The carrier has been looking to add features progressively since the troubled launch. It is unclear whether the difficulties are due to overloading, problems with compatability or something else.