POLICIES AND PROCEDURES – Issue 2 Rev 18 13/02/2023

MODULE 3 - BOARDING
The majority of our passengers do not go to the bag drop so their first interaction with staff
is at the gate. Good customer service is very important as first impressions last. Boarding
should be friendly, efficient and announcements always clear.

WET LEASING
For operational reasons, a flight may be operated by another carrier within the Ryanair Group, this is
called Wet leasing.

At the point of reservation, the customer is informed if the aircraft is being operated by another
carrier e.g. FR1901 DUB – KRK operated by Buzz

On the day of departure, you must establish if a flight is being operated by a different carrier as we
quite often have last minute aircraft changes it is a regulatory requirement to inform the customer
during the boarding announcement. This information can be found in departures mode in GoNow.

Manual Airports & airports using local DCS must have a local process established to ensure that staff
are aware of a change of operator.

©Ryanair Group Training Department 1 16/02/2023

25 MINUTE TURNAROUND
The Ryanair Group aim to safely turnaround all flights in 25 minutes. The below document describes
best practice to achieve this and can be downloaded from www.groundops.com

©Ryanair Group Training Department 2 16/02/2023

The below guide sets out our requirements to provide a safe, consistent, friendly and on-
time service to our passengers.

PRE-QUEUE - 4 STEPS / 3 CHECKS

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PRE-Q -50
BOARDING STEPS
1. Arrive at the gate at -50 or earlier where required/ open flight

2. Assembly Call

3. Pre-Queue

4. Pre-board passengers into secure area

5. Close Flight -15 STD

BOARDING STEPS

It is essential to the operation that this process is started at -50 prior to departure time.
If the Pre- Q is not started on time this could result in the agents being under pressure while
boarding taking payments or checking documents which could delay the aircraft.

STEP 1 – ORGANISE (-50)

This is what you do before customers arrive, to make sure you are ready when they do. You need to
allow some time; in case something is wrong when you arrive at the gate.
• Position baggage sizer at the entrance to the queue area.
• Ensure signage is clear & accurate.
• Deploy Tensa barriers to form 2 queues – Priority/Non-priority Queues.
• Make sure that the pre-board area (where available) is clean & free of hazards.

STEP 2 – ANNOUNCE

You may well be the first member of staff that customers see, so you create the important first
impression.
• Relax & smile. You are a professional and customers are relying on you to deliver a
professional service.
• Use the microphone. It will ensure customers hear your instructions, without the need to
shout.
• Speak slowly & clearly. Not all customers will be native speakers of English or the local
language.
• Follow the script. It is designed to be clear & to make sure that customers get the
information they need. The script can be found on the 4steps 3 checks list which is found on
ECrew
• If the flight is being operated by another carrier you must add “Flight operated by XXX (Buzz,
Malta Air, Lauda Europe, Ryanair UK).
• Passengers must be made aware their flight is being operated by another carrier and it will
also help prevent potential misboarded passengers.

STEP 3 – CHECKS

From STD -50, agents should engage with customers that are present in the queue system, when
appropriate start with the Other Q to identify any passengers with additional baggage. It is essential

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this process is started at -50 as you will then have time to process any payments or deal with any
difficult situations if they arise and avoid any delays to the aircraft.

3 CHECKS REQUIRED:

1. PRIORITY/NON-PRIORITY Q – Is the customer in the correct queue? If not, agent must direct them
to the correct queue.

The order of boarding is as follows –

• Passengers with Reduced Mobility (PRM’s) can be pre-boarded once at the gate. In all
instances, PRM’s should be boarded at the earliest convenience
• Priority Queue
• Non-Priority Queue

BOARDING PRM’S

• When gate agents arrive to the gate, they must check how many PRM’S are on the flight and
what type of assistance is required.
For safety reasons Ryanair can only carry a maximum of 4 customers per flight who are
travelling with an assistance dog, who are blind/vision impaired requiring assistance, have
limited or no mobility in the cabin or have an intellectual disability. This restriction is in place
to prioritise the safety of disabled or reduced mobility customers as well as that of other
customers, particularly in any emergency evacuation.
©Ryanair Group Training Department 5 16/02/2023
 To check how many PRM’S are on a flight in Skyport you must choose the ‘check in’ option in
the airport main menu, press enter to continue and enter flight details. You must enter the
correct date; flight number and origin and press enter to continue. All assistance SSR’S (special
service requests) will be displayed on the second page.
To check how many PRM’S on a flight in GoNow you must search for the flight in departure
mode and press F3 to see the overview. PRM’S are on row 19, click on this list and all
assistance SSR’S will be displayed.

• Do not hesitate to be proactive and contact the assistance company if the PRM’S have not
arrived at the gate
In some instances, PRM’S are not at the gate when boarding commences. In this case gate
agents must contact the assistance company to ensure PRM’S are on route to the gate.
By being proactive and calling the assistance company as early as possible it eliminates PRM’S
arriving late and potentially delaying an aircraft or missing their flight.

• Ensure that the dispatcher is made aware once PRM has been boarded.
Once the passengers boarding card has been scanned and they pass through the gate you
must inform the dispatcher, so he is aware that they are on-board.

• Be aware of PRM’S passing through the gate with the assistance company and ensure their
boarding passes have been scanned
In some cases, when the assistance company arrive to the gate they may assume the PRM’S
boarding card has already been scanned and may pass through the gate without showing the
gate agents the boarding passes. Be vigilant of this and always ensure the boarding passes
have been scanned as this can cause boarding discrepancies and result in the aircraft being
delayed.

WAIVER LETTERS
A medical equipment baggage waiver letter is required to carry any medical equipment on board
a Ryanair flight.
Passenger must show baggage waiver letter to gate staff during boarding, and again this must be
shown to cabin crew when boarding the aircraft. Only Items listed in the waiver letter will be
accepted for carriage free of charge.

2. DOCUMENT CHECK

• Ensure the customer’s document is valid for

travel and matches the boarding pass.
• Check the boarding pass carefully to avoid
mistakes such as misrouting the passenger.
• If passengers are self-scanning their boarding
passes, agents must be extra vigilant when
inspecting boarding cards to ensure the
destination and flight number is correct.
• Where required ask the passenger to remove
any form of face covering in order to verify
their identity.

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•
Visa Checks
All Visa checks must be completed at check in. If a passenger requires a visa check at the gate the
passenger must be sent back to check in to have this completed. For example, if the boarding agents
notice that the nationality on the PDF boarding card does not match the passport they are travelling
with. Please refuse passenger and advise them to have their documents checked at check in / Ticket
Desk.

LOST BOARDING CARDS

If the passenger arrives to the gate without a boarding pass, on completion of the below checks,
permit the passenger to travel. Every effort should be made to reissue the customer with a boarding
pass. If this is not possible, good communication between the gate staff, dispatcher and crew is
essential to ensure the customer is not refused on board.

Navitaire/DCS Automated boarding

• Check the customer is listed on the flight manifest and has the required travel documents.
• If possible re-issue a boarding card including the customers seat number.
• If the above is not possible then the customer must be escorted to the aircraft or
information communicated to the crew as stated above.

Manual Boarding
• Check the flight manifest to establish the passengers sequence number, seat number and
verify the passenger has the required travel documents.
• If there is no manifest available at the gate the agent should contact check in for this
information.
• When the sequence number has been confirmed it should be crossed off on the security
cross check and noted that this customer lost their boarding card. Note the boarding card
count will be down one card at the end of boarding.
• If possible re-issue a boarding card otherwise escort the customer to the aircraft or
communicate information to the crew as stated above.

BOARDING/ BOARDING ERRORS

Please note you must check the passengers mobile phone screen before asking them to scan
it to ensure it is correct.
What are you looking for when boarding a flight?

• The name on the passport matches the boarding pass.

• The passenger is at the correct flight (route and flight number)

• If a passenger is in the wrong queue and you scan their boarding pass you may be alerted by
an error tone and a message on the screen which will say ‘invalid flight number’. Advise the
passenger to make their way to the nearest airport screen to check for the correct flight and
gate or call a colleague to assist them.
Please note, do not wait for an error tone/message. Always check the passenger’s
paper/mobile boarding pass first.

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 • When you scan a boarding pass and you may be alerted by an error tone you must check the
screen to see the error message. If it says ‘Passenger already boarded’ you must check how
many passengers are in the reservation and that a member of the group did not scan the
wrong boarding pass in error. This is why it is vital that you check the boarding pass matches
the passport when boarding.

• If you scan a passenger’s boarding pass who has not been assigned a seat you may be alerted
by an error tone or error message, which will read ‘The passenger has no seat assigned would
you like to board anyway? (Skyport) In this case you must check the seat map and assign the
passenger a seat if available and then scan the boarding pass again. When using the GoNow
check in system, if you scan a passenger without an assigned seat it will turn orange and warn
you that the passenger must be assigned a seat before continuing. At this point, you can add a
seat by using the seat management section to view available seating.

• If the passenger is on standby and there is no seat available and they are going to sit in a jump
seat you must manually board the passenger by entering their sequence number. In the Go
Now system, you can always check the “All checked in without a seat” list before boarding to
assign available seats. Passengers in Jumpseats can remain in the UK Zone (Unknown Zone)

• In certain cases, passengers may be removed from a flight and if you scan the boarding pass
you may be alerted by an error tone or error message, it will read ‘sequence not found’ on the
screen. You must not let the passenger pass through the gate and ring the ticket desk or call
your supervisor for further assistance.

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 • If the passenger has an unbalanced booking, when you scan the boarding pass you will be
alerted with an error tone and an error message. It will read ‘Passenger cannot be boarded
with balance due. You must balance the passengers booking before allowing them to pass
through the gate. Enter Check in mode and take a payment from the passenger. If the
boarding agent cannot balance the booking, they must contact Newskies Helpdesk or GOPS to
assist as it may be due to 35cent facial recognition, Tax increase or pending/ declined
payment in the PNR.

ATC/SELECTEE NOTIFICATION

The UK government can request certain passengers not to be carried or to be subjected to

extra security checks on flights to/from the UK.
ATC Notification (No Fly Notification) or Selectee Notification (Extra Security Checks) – If the
below error message displays when the boarding card is scanned agent must investigate.
• Go to F7 Security and check passengers without clearance. Passenger will display
here.
• Call the ticket desk to check the Message history tab in Shift+F7. There may be a 1Z
‘Do not Board’ message.
• Passenger must not be boarded.

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Check the ‘Security’ F7 section in departure mode and click ‘Passengers without Clearance’ and it
will display any passengers that are not permitted to travel as seen below.

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The below 1Z message will also display in the booking and agents can request the ticket
desk to view this is SkySpeed.

Shift+F7 to enter History

UK ELECTRONIC VISA WAIVER

The UK Border Force have introduced an Electronic Visa Waiver program enabling passengers with
specific Nationalities to obtain an electronic visa waiver prior to travelling to the UK. As part of the
iAPI messages that are sent to the UK via our Newskies system, a check will be conducted on
relevant passengers to confirm if they have obtained an EVW. Passengers who have a valid EVW will
have a message code response of “0A” returned indicating they are permitted to travel. All other UK
iAPI message code responses will remain unchanged, i.e. “0Z” (OK to Board), “1Z” (Do Not Board),
“2Z” (Selectee Passenger) & “4Z” (Insufficient Data). Currently there is no change to the boarding
process with the introduction of this new message code response.

Please note if you are alerted by the error tone you must always read the message on the screen
and never let the passenger pass through the gate without being boarded correctly on the system.
Always cross check with a colleague if unsure

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3. BAG CHECK

Priority

Non-Priority

All passengers

• Bags should be visually checked during Pre Q and boarding. Only bags (standard or small)
which are oversize should be referred to the bag sizer for testing.
• All passengers may carry 1 bag of airport/duty free shopping in addition to their allowance.
• Passengers will carry a waiver letter for any medical items authorised to be carried in addition
to their cabin bag allowance. Any issues contact Newskies helpdesk or GOP’s.

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FOLDABLE BUGGIES AND TRUNKI’S

FOLDABLE BUGGY
If a passenger arrives to the boarding gate with a foldable Buggy which they wish to bring on board it
will be considered a part of their cabin baggage Bag allowance and correct bag policy needs to be
followed. If the foldable buggy is within cabin bag dimensions and fits into the Ryanair sizer it is
possible to bring it on board as a part of passenger’s cabin bag allowance.
PRIORITY BOARDING
Passenger arrives at the gate with the following –

• 1 foldable buggy within cabin bag dimensions and 1 small bag – All OK

• 1 foldable buggy within cabin bag dimensions, 1 cabin bag within cabin bag dimensions
and 1 small bag – if they wish to bring foldable buggy on board, the cabin bag must be
charged as PBAG and placed into the hold of the aircraft. Otherwise the foldable buggy
will be tagged and placed in the hold free of charge.

NON PRIORITY
If a passenger arrives to the boarding gate with non-priority boarding pass the foldable buggy must
be placed into the hold of the aircraft (manual bag tag) free of charge.
Non-priority passengers are not entitled to bring foldable buggy on board as it exceeds non-priority
baggage allowance.

Ryanair: 55cm x 40cm x 20cm

Yoyo: 52 x 44 x 18 cm

TRUNKI
Children’s cabin bags such as Trunki’s are part of the passenger’s bag allowance and need to fit
within Ryanair’s baggage dimensions.
As seen from dimensions below, Trunki’s exceed the small bag allowance and are considered a
standard cabin bag.

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PRIORITY BOARDING

• 1 Trunki within cabin bag dimensions and 1 small bag – All ok

NON PRIORITY

• 1 Trunki – must be tagged and placed into the hold of the aircraft and PBAG fee charged.

Ryanair: 40cm x 20cm x 25cm

Trunkie: 46cm x 21cm x 31cm

TRUNKIES ARE NOT PART OF INFANT/CHILD ALLOWANCE AND ARE NOT TO BE ACCEPTED FREE OF
CHARGE!!

CHARGING FOR BAGS

• Agents should check the queue and seated areas at -50 once all passengers have assembled
at the gate. Bags should be visually checked and bags (standard or small) which appear to be
oversized should be referred to the bag sizer for testing.
• All passengers may carry 1 bag of airport/duty free shopping in addition to their allowance.
• Passengers will carry a waiver letter for any medical items authorised to be carried in addition
to their cabin bag allowance. Any issues contact Newskies helpdesk or GOP’s.
• It is essential that bags that exceed the dimensions are identified during the pre- Q as well as
cabin size bags that are being carried by non-priority passengers. If the agent is not proactive
during this process, they may find themselves under pressure during boarding trying to quickly
take payments for bags and potentially delaying the aircraft.
• Passengers who have paid for a checked bag and fail to check it in and instead bring this bag
to the boarding gate must pay a penalty fee.
• If they failed to check in their CBAG they must pay for a PBAG at the gate.
• If they failed to check in their BBG they must pay for GBAG at the gate.

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CHECK, SCAN, CHARGE

• Always check and scan the passengers boarding card first, then proceed with the payment to
avoid the mistake of forgetting to scan.
• This will also reduce the chance of late gate closure due to passengers paying for bags.
• Please ensure once boarding card is scanned that you stay with the passenger, take the
payment and do not allow the passenger abscond from the gate.
GATE BAG SERVICE
Sometimes passengers arrive at the boarding gate with additional baggage they haven’t paid for. We
must charge these passengers for any additional baggage which will be placed in the aircraft hold.

• Ryanair is a cash less operation. Under no circumstances should agents accept cash from
passengers. All card payments are processed through GoNow, a VPOS device or via the
Ryanair App. Wherever possible encourage the passenger to self-serve using the App.
• Always check and scan the passengers boarding card first, then proceed with the payment to
avoid the mistake of forgetting to scan.

• Manual receipts should only be issued where local law requires or on request from the
passenger. Payments via VPOS or the App will provide receipts. PBAG’S and GBAG’S must be
processed before the gate closure time (STD-15).
• At gate closure time, Extra/oversize bags which have not been paid for are not permitted to
travel.

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 • Complete sequence no. and ensure its legible.
• Include flight number and date where possible.
• Attach tag securely to the bag
• Advise passenger to remove any important or valuable items or spare
lithium batteries (dangerous goods).
• Advise passenger where to leave the bag.
• Final count of bags provided to dispatcher to be added to the LID.
• Advise passenger to collect bag from the baggage belt.
• One tag is used for all items at the gate.
• Under no circumstances are agents to attach a manual tag to an item
at the gate without adding the sequence number to the tag.

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 • See below issue 4 of our “When to, why to, How to?” guide outlining all you need to know
about cabin bags at the gate. This document can be downloaded from www.groundops.com

©Ryanair Group Training Department 17 16/02/2023

STEP 4 – PRE-BOARD

To ensure that flights depart on time;

• Once the inbound aircraft has arrived on stand*, commence boarding into a secure holding
area;
• Then, marshal passengers to the bottom of the steps, ready to board.
* For aircraft already parked on stand (1st wave or early arrival), pre-board once crew arrive at the
aircraft.
* Where available and gate lounges are used, pre-boarding is permitted at STD/ETD-50 during a
turnaround (not first wave).
* Where buses are required to take passengers to the aircraft, pre-boarding is permitted at
STD/ETD- 40 or as required. Bus to reach aircraft at -30 STD. Ensure first bus is boarded with priority
passengers. Once full start boarding second bus if available, do not wait for first bus to leave or
return. Bus should depart once full.
• Ensure customers are clearly told to board the aircraft by the front / rear steps (except air
bridge gates). Direct customers to place ALL small bags under the seats on-board and wish
customers a pleasant flight.

BOARDING WITHOUT FLIGHT CREW

Boarding of passengers is normally completed once all crew are present on-board. In rare situations
caused by operational disruption, flight delays, aircraft change or other unexpected circumstances
Flight Crew may not be available during boarding. Cabin Crew are permitted to board the aircraft
without Flight Crew, providing additional restrictions are applied.

• Flight crew estimated arrival time is expected to be under 20 minutes

• Fuelling is not taking place
• Cabin crew have established the outside air temperature to be 25 degrees or less
• The APU is off
• Ground power is connected and running
• Mobile steps must remain in place until at least one flight crew arrives

Good communication between the gate agents and the Designated GDH is vital during these
procedures. You will be advised if this procedure will happen at your airport.

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Flight Closure

STD -15: Once all passengers have boarded the gate can be closed.
Ensure all passengers boarding passes are scanned before -15 and the gate is closed. This will ensure
an on-time departure and allows time for passengers / bags to be offloaded if necessary.

• Identify in the boarding system any missing passengers and establish if they have bags
checked in.
• Advise dispatcher of tag numbers of any bags that need to be offloaded.
• Offload any missing checked in passengers by unchecking them in the system. If using your
local DCS ensure to update both systems. Communicate final boarded passengers and bag
figures to the ramp agent.
• Flight must be closed in the system before agents leave the gate.
• Checked passengers and boarded passengers must match in order to close the flight.
• If the flight is closed in GoNow the APIS is sent automatically.
• If the flight is closed via Skyport, the APIS must be send manually by typing APIS and
entering details required.

Flight Closure Errors

Reasons why the flight will not Close:

• Agent is trying to close the flight too early.
• If the flight cannot be verified due to missing information or Selectee/ ATC passenger
without clearance. (See Above).
• Checked passengers and Boarded passengers do not match. Agents must remove no-shoes
correctly and ensure the flight is reconciled.
• There is a balance due on a passenger’s booking. (HU Booking) There may be a balance due
as a payment may have declined. It could also be due to a tax increase or the 35-cent facial
recognition fee is remaining in the booking.

Agents should run report ‘Manifest with Trip Detail’ in GoNow before check in opens to view a list of
passengers with unbalance bookings to avoid issues at the gate.

Joe Blogg has balance

due therefore flight
cannot be closed.

©Ryanair Group Training Department 19 16/02/2023

The below error messages will display if the agent tried to close the flight and there is a PNR with a
balance due. The passengers name will be displayed on the screen. If the agent clicks ‘Change Flight
Status’ the flight will not close and another error message will display.

Under no circumstances should gate agents leave the flight open in the system. Leaving flights
open can have series implications and agents need to seek assistance when needed.

• Take note of the Unbalanced PNR on the flight.

• Enter Check in mode and display the passengers booking to check what the amount due is.
• If it is a declined payment for an SSR agent must contact the ticket desk to balance the
booking in Skyspeed.
• If the check in agent or Ticket Desk agent cannot remove the balance due, they must contact
Newskies Helpdesk or GOPS to balance the booking.
• Once the booking is balanced the agent must the close the flight.
• APIS will be sent automatically if the flight is closed via GoNow. If closed via Skyport APIS
must be sent manually.

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Zone Report:

• To ensure that crew record the correct passenger breakdown for weight & balance of the
aircraft agents must pass the correct Zone totals to the dispatcher to ensure the LID (Load
Information Document) is completed accurately.
• To access the Zone Report in GoNow press Ctrl + U or go to reports Ctrl + G, choose Zone
Report and enter flight details. If using reports, you will also need to choose the Baggage
report to get the checked bag total.
• The Zone Report will be different depending on the type of aircraft being operated.
• Please see below examples of different Zone reports depending on the aircraft type.

Boeing 737-800 (Capacity 189 Passengers)

• Zone counts for this aircraft are as follows.

• Zone 1 (FWD) Rows 1-5
• Zone 2 (MID) Rows 6-28
• Zone 3 (AFT) Rows 29-33
• Zone UK -Only passengers with no seats allocated will be visible here. Only Standby
Passengers sitting in Jump-seats will remain in this Zone when the flight is closed.
• Below screenshot shows the counts for each zone including how many Adults, Children and
Infants.
• Total figures should be passed including how many adults, children and infants that are in
each zone.
• E.G Zone 1 – 21 + 0 Child, Total 20, Zone 2 - 118 + 4 child, Total 122, Zone 3 -28 + 1 Child,
Total 29.
• Total 167 Adults + 5 Child, Total on board 172.
• Total bags checked – 41

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 • Below is an image of the Boeing 737-800 aircraft.

The winglets
only point up

Boeing 737-8200 (Capacity 197 passengers)

• Zone counts for this aircraft are as follows.

• Zone 1 (FWD) Rows 1-6
• Zone 2 (MID) Rows 7-29
• Zone 3 (AFT) Rows 30-35
• Zone UK -Only passengers with no seats allocated will be visible here. Only Standby
Passengers sitting in Jump-seats will remain in this Zone when the flight is closed.
• Below screenshot shows the counts for each zone including how many Adults, Children and
Infants.
• Total figures should be passed including how many adults, children and infants are in each
zone.
• E.G Zone 1 – 13 + 0 Child, Total 13, Zone 2 - 66 + 2 child, Total 68, Zone 3 -14 + 1 Infant, Total
14.
• Total 93 Adults +26 Child, Total on board 95 + 1 infant.
• Total bags checked – 7

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 • Below are images of the Boeing 737-8200.

On some A/C
8200 written
under the nose

The winglets
point up and
down

Extra
Emergency Exit

• In the event of an aircraft change and the incorrect zone report is displaying in the GoNow
system there are visual checks gate agents can observe before passing the zone totals to
ensure they are for the correct aircraft type.
• The 737-8200 has 8200 written underneath the nose of the aircraft.
• The Winglets are different.
• There is an extra emergency exit door between the over wing exits and the rear door.

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Airbus A320 (Capacity 180 passengers)

• Zone counts for this aircraft are as follows.

• Zone 1 (A) Rows 1-10
• Zone 2 (B) Rows 11-20
• Zone 3 (C Rows 21-30
• Zone UK -Only passengers with no seats allocated will be visible here. Only Standby
Passengers sitting in Jump-seats will remain in this Zone when the flight is closed.
• Below screenshot shows the counts for each zone including how many Adults, Children and
Infants.
• Total figures should be passed including information of total adults, children and infants in
each zone
• E.G Zone 1 – 42 + 0 Child, Total 42, Zone 2 - 40 + 0 child , Total 40, Zone 3 -43 + 1 Child, Total
44.
• Total 125 Adults + 1 Child, Total on board 126.
• Total bags checked – 27

• Below is an image of the Lauda Airbus A320.

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Boeing 737-700 (Capacity 148 passengers)

• Zone counts for this aircraft are as follows.

• Zone 1 (FWD) Rows 1-4
• Zone 2 (MID) Rows 5-21
• Zone 3 (AFT) Rows 22-25
• Zone UK -Only passengers with no seats allocated will be visible here. Only Standby
Passengers sitting in Jump-seats will remain in this Zone when the flight is closed.

• Once the correct zone totals have been passed, Close the flight and the gate.

Aircraft Changes & Zone Errors

Due to aircraft changes (Boeing 800 to 8200) there may be a discrepancy in the Zone totals as some
passengers may be in the UK Zone (Unknown Zone) as the seat originally allocated may not exist on
the new aircraft assigned to operate the flight. In this case the list ‘All passengers without a seat
‘will display as zero and agents must locate the passengers in the UK Zone and allocate them a new
seat. The below seats are not available on the 8200 and may be allocated to passengers.
1A, 27F, 28A, 28F
Please follow the below to amend the Zone totals.

• In departure mode load the flight.

• Go to F4 Manifest and change the list to ‘Boarded’ and sort by ‘Seat Assignment’.

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 • Scroll down and look for any passengers assigned seats 1A, 27F, 28A, 28F.

• Go to F6 Seat Mgmt and remove the seats from these passengers and re-allocate an
available seat.

• Keep note of the PNR’s and enter reservation comment regarding re-allocation of seats to
avoid uncollected revenue.

• The Zone report should now be accurate with no passengers in UK Zone.

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In other cases, there may be an aircraft change from Boeing 8200 to Boeing 800 or Airbus A320
where there will be less seats available and the flight may now be overbooked. Passengers allocated
seats from the back Rows depending on the aircraft type will no longer have a seat and agents must
follow the capacity restrictions procedures in accordance with EU261/2004 regulations to minimize
delays.
GOPS will add a Flight Following comment in GoNow to inform Gate agents an Aircraft change has
been done. Agents should check this before check in opens. Agents must confirm the Aircraft type
with the dispatcher.

CHECKS TO AVOID OFFLOADING BAGS IN ERROR

• Ensure all agents refresh in GoNow (CTRL+ALT+R), before and passengers and their bags are
offloaded.
• Check if the missing passenger has a PBAG or GBAG on their reservation, maybe the
boarding card wasn’t scanned.
• Check if the missing passenger is part of a group and the other passengers are boarded. In
GoNow this can be done in F6 Seat Management. Filter list to “Not Boarded Bags Checked”
and click the link to display all passengers on the PNR e.g. 1/3
• Check if the passenger has a duplicate reservation for the flight. They may have scanned one
boarding pass at the bag drop and the one from the other reservation at the gate.

STD -15 NON-COMPLIANCE

Common reasons for non-compliance of on time gate closure–

• Bag payments (always scan the boarding pass before taking the payment).
• Card payment declines.
• Passenger arrives last minute and has to pay for a bag.
• Disruptive passengers.
• Large families or groups with multiple boarding passes.
• Waiting for passengers to arrive to the gate. Ryanair policy is we do not wait for passengers
to arrive.

Carrying out the Pre Q can eliminate the majority of the above reasons for late gate closure.
Please note – Gate staff should not provide ‘booked’ figures to ramp staff as this causes LID* errors.
Only boarded numbers should be provided.

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*A LID for flight purposes is a Load Information Document. It is completed by a ramp staff member
using bag and passenger information for the flight. This information is provided to flight crew and
imputed into iPads for flight performance requirements.
The TOB (total on board) should reflect the total number of passengers on-board including any
additional seats. Any passenger that may require additional space (e.g. EXTRA SEAT) for comfort due
to their physical size or due to an injury, e.g. broken leg.
The THOB (Total heads on board) section of the LID should not include the extra seats (i.e. comfort
seats or musical instruments) this section is exclusively to record the total number of persons
onboard, including all passengers and crew and infants.
HEADCOUNT ANOMALY GUIDANCE
Follow the below steps in cases where there is a difference in boarding figures vs. actual TOB on the
aircraft. This will help staff to effectively manage a headcount if required and minimise delays.
Stage 1 (between -10 and STD)

• Where 2 scanners are being used, ensure that both agents have updated their screens.
• No show passengers are removed in the system and standbys or crew members accounted
for correctly.
• Check all infant and PRM booking to ensure no anomalies.
• Cross check bag payment details with no shows, maybe boarding card wasn’t scanned.
• Request blank bingo sheets for potential to cross check sequence numbers.

Stage 2 (between STD and +10)

• Begin manual check on board for all pax. If possible, 2 ground staff complete this. One from
row 1-16 and other 17 – 33 or whichever is agreed locally.
Note: When errors are identified, advise the dispatcher of the correct TOB and zone counts ASAP to
allow aircraft to depart before updating the manifest. The agents should ensure the flight closure is
factual and representative of the TOB before closing the flight.

Stage 3 (if required)

• Assist with offloading of all pax and prepare to re-board the flight.

HANDLING OF HOLD BAGGAGE

All hold baggage must be screened before being loaded. Do not load any baggage that is not
identified. It must be ensured that there is no opportunity for the exchange of cabin baggage for
hold baggage, which may contain dangerous items for unlawful interference. When screening of
hold baggage gives rise to suspicion regarding the contents, the local screening authority will
proceed as per local regulations.

In the event a passenger’s bag is escalated through the screening process to a higher screening level
e.g. Level 4 due to it potentially containing prohibited items, the following procedure applies.

• As soon as agents are aware of the security check, they must make contact with the
passenger as soon as possible and advise them of the situation.

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 • The passenger must be instructed by ground staff to attend the appropriate security area to
witness their bag being searched and items removed if applicable.
• If the agents become aware of the situation at the gate, the passenger must be advised to
return to security. This may result in a missed departure.
• If the passenger has already boarded, they must be offloaded from the aircraft and return
to security to inspect their luggage.
• The passenger will have agreed to our T&C’s (Article 7) at the time of booking.
• Standard offload procedures apply ensuring the incident is recorded on the one offload
report https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/442ecf518c9445e0915d750a90ee67c2

NON-STANDARD GROUPS
Unusual groups, excessive weights, or anything outside the standard need to be communicated to
the team leader (i.e. sports teams with higher passenger weights)
The Ryanair Loading Schedule was developed on the assumption of an average passenger weight
plus carry-on bag of 84kg and an average hold bag weight of 13kgs.
If it is noted that a significant number of passengers that are travelling, whose weights exceed the
average standard weights, then the handling agent should advise the Captain as to the numbers of
these persons travelling.

STANDBY PASSENGERS

• At the gate when check in has closed (-40 mins), where available, release the seats of any
passengers not checked in and allocate them to stand by passengers.
• Always allocate seats to revenue passengers before staff.
• All standbys sitting in the cabin must have a seat allocated in the boarding system.
• Authorisation should be sought from the Captain for Jump seats if there are not enough
seats in the cabin.
• All staff require their ID to jump seat in the cockpit. This can be an airport ID or HQ ID
• Non-staff members using a staff ticket travelling on their own can jump seat, but they can
only sit in the rear jump seats.

Remember, always refer to the order of priority:

1. Revenue standby passengers
2. Positioning Crew (Pilots, Cabin Crew or Engineers) with a duty travel booking made by
Ryanair operations.
3. Pilots travelling to their rostered home base on Jump seats in Uniform to carry out flying
duties (i.e. on Supernumerary status)
4. Duty Travel.
Privilege travel (White& Blue Standby tickets/Supernumerary), with seats allocated in the
following order:
5. Ryanair Group staff by date of entry with any accompanying Passengers on the staff
member’s tickets
6. Contract staff (Crew link, Workforce International, Excel) by date of entry.
7. Pilots travelling from their rostered home base on Jump seats in Uniform (i.e. on
Supernumerary status).
8. Family / friends of Ryanair staff travelling on white/ Blue Standby tickets without the
staff member by the staff member’s date of entry.
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JUMP SEATING (Supernumerary Pilots in Uniform)
Pilots availing of Supernumerary Status must follow the below procedures:

- Report to the Boarding Gate.

- Identify yourself to the team leader/ dispatcher.

- Board after the last revenue passenger had boarded.

- Identify yourself and confirm your status SNY to the Cabin Crew supervisor.

- Identify yourself and confirm your status SNY to the Captain.

- Ryanair Group pilots who want to jump seat without a ticket are only allowed to do so when they
are travelling from/to their base/home and they must be in uniform to avail of this privilege. No
jump seat without a ticket to go on holiday.

- All staff require their ID to jump seat in the cockpit; jump seating is always at the discretion of the
captain and the passenger must make themselves known to the commander.

- Pilots travelling in Uniform without a reservation may place a bag in the hold free of charge
provided it is of reasonable size, tagged by the team leader/dispatcher at the gate/aircraft and
accounted for on the LID.

** Remember all bags placed in the hold must be accounted for on the load sheet. The MVT
message Bag count should reflect the LID total.

MANUAL CHECK IN AND BOARDING

Sometimes technology fails, and we must adapt quickly, and revert to manual procedures.
Therefore, it is vital that airports are aware of and practice manual procedures, so they are prepared
in the event of a system outage. Manual procedures should be practiced once a week for bases and
once a month for airports.
For Manual Check in and Boarding procedures we have the following “When to, Why to, How to?”
guides to assist the operation which can be downloaded from www.groundops.com

• Issue 6 Manual Check in and Boarding

• Issue 9 Manual Check in and Boarding during System Outage

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