If you choose not to purchase a seat, you will be able to check-in between 24 and 2 hours before each flight for bookings made as of January 28, 2021 and a seat will be randomly allocated to you (free of charge).
Do you have to book a seat with Ryanair?
You always have the option to purchase a seat in order to check-in outside of the above windows.
Is it necessary to reserve seats on a plane?
Don’t Be Fooled Into Paying to Choose a Seat – 
Airlines want you to pay extra to choose a seat — even middle seats. This is one reason airlines are able to sell tickets for pennies or across oceans for only a couple hundred dollars. The airlines are making big profits from ancillary fees and do everything possible to keep the actual airfare lower than the competition.
As consumers of air travel, we need to be careful to only pay for what we want and not get fooled into paying more than we intend. In my opinion, the seat fee is one of the easiest airline fees to avoid. It can be confusing when going through the booking steps and you may not even realize an extra seat fee was added by the time you get to the final payment screen.
Even if an airline’s website makes it appear that you have to pay extra for a seat, you are never required to choose a specific seat and can always opt to decline seat selection in lieu of a FREE seat assignment during check-in.
When can I check-in for free with Ryanair?
Early check-in is open 30 days from the time of departure and is available with the purchase of a seat. Standard (free) check-in is open 4 days from the time of departure.
Should you pay to select seats?
In fact, most regular airlines now charge for seat selection anyways. It’s often around $10-$30 per seat per flight segment, so if you cave in and pay for that, it can add up quickly. You shouldn’t do it. No matter which airline you’re flying on, don’t ever pay to select a seat.
How do airlines randomly assign seats?
Strategize with ultra-low-cost carriers – In September, I flew with Frontier Airlines for the first time in over four years. I usually try my hardest to avoid ultra-low-cost carriers (ULCCs), but sometimes the schedule just works out. Like all ULCCs, Frontier charges for seat assignments and doesn’t block the middle. I scored an entire row during an entire Frontier Airlines flight (Photo by Zach Griff/The Points Guy) When booking my flight, I noticed that most people hadn’t purchased seats. As the check-in window opened 24 hours before departure, the computer system began automatically assigning seats from back to front.
I waited until just two hours before the flight to check-in and most seats from the back of the plane until row ten had been assigned. At this point, I recognized that I could either “chance it” with an automatic assignment or purchase a seat that’d almost guarantee me an empty middle. I went with the latter.
For $44 I bought an extra-legroom Strech window seat in row two. I figured that these premium seats would be the last to be assigned for free, and I was right. I ended up with the entire row to myself — well worth the extra $44 I spent. In my experience, the same strategy applies to the other ULCCs too.
Many flyers choose to let the airline randomly assign seats at check-in. The algorithm typically starts at the back and moves forward — and only assigns extra-legroom or premium seating when the plane is nearing capacity. So if you’re after an empty middle on the ULCCs, check in at the last minute and consider purchasing a preferred seat.
Related: The best cabins for onboard social distancing
When can you check-in with Ryanair for free?
Standard (free) check-in is open 4 days from the time of departure. purchase your seats if you haven’t already done so. If you wish to bypass this you should proceed to ‘Check-in now’. You then must select to either purchase your seat or be randomly allocated a seat for free (if your flight is within 4 days).
Is Priority boarding worth it Ryanair?
‘ If you have no checked luggage and want to ensure a speedy exit when landing it may be worth paying extra for priority boarding whether as an added extra to your ticket price, or an annual membership fee for frequent travellers.
