Forget paying for priority boarding or sewing your clothes into your coat on this Ryanair flight.
The budget airline has confirmed the return of its private jet for the winter season – but it's not exactly the typical private jet experience.
Passengers still have to pay for drinks, and there's no slick fast-track airport security clearance (although it is available to buy separately).
There is one big benefit, though. On the corporate jet, passengers can bring two pieces of check-in luggage and two pieces of hold luggage – a generous allowance given Ryanair's controversial new baggage policy allows passengers to bring just one small bag onboard for free.
From the outside, the corporate jet, a customised Boeing 737-700 with a flying range of six hours, is decked out in the usual blue and white Ryanair livery. Inside, there are just 60 seats, clad in Ryanair's recognisable navy blue leather.
The seat pitch is 48 inches, compared to Ryanair's standard pitch of 30 inch pitch onboard its fleet of Boeing 737-800 aircraft. Seats are configured two by two, so you'll only have one neighbour in your row.
The price for a private jet flight is available on request, says Ryanair, although it's understood it could be available for around £5,000 an hour – working out at under £100 a person per hour if all 60 seats are occupied. Even on the longest six-hour flight onboard the Ryanair jet, that's a snip compared to the typical private jet. According to private jet charter firm PrivateFly, the average spend on a private flight to Europe in the third quarter was £11,270.
However, Ryanair passengers have to pay for food and drinks separately, with a choice of bronze, silver and gold "packages". The bronze package (£15) will only offer tea and coffee and snacks, while from £45, the gold package provides hot dishes and a complimentary alcoholic drink (but no spirits).
The Ryanair private jet experience has been popular with "Champions League soccer teams" and "world famous pop stars", says Ryanair's Robin Kiely.
