Ryanair’s Summer 2026 Check-In Process Criticised for Dark UX Patterns

A blog post published on 12 June 2026 by Dan O’Sullivan has drawn attention to Ryanair’s online check-in process for the summer 2026 season, describing it as a nine-stage journey utilising dark user experience patterns. The author argues that the airline’s interface is engineered to encourage additional payments, requiring users to navigate multiple upsell prompts to avoid extra costs.

O’Sullivan, who identifies Ryanair as Europe’s most profitable airline, notes that the carrier remains a master of these design tactics. The analysis references a classic example from approximately eight years ago, where customers had to explicitly select “Don’t Insure Me” from a list of countries to opt out of travel insurance, illustrating the long-standing nature of these practices.

The current check-in flow includes a final advertisement described by the author as a “Sam Altman fever dream.” This segment involves a fictional end-user licence agreement consent scenario in which humans become “foie gras in exchange for tokens,” a detail the author uses to highlight the increasingly surreal nature of digital upselling.

Beyond the critique of interface design, the post offers strategic advice for travellers based on the differing operational models of budget and legacy carriers. O’Sullivan suggests that the optimal strategy for Ryanair is to check in at the last possible moment. He argues that if premium seats are sold out, the airline may be forced to assign a better remaining seat, such as an exit aisle seat with overhead bin access.

In contrast, the author recommends checking in as early as possible with Lufthansa. While the German carrier still offers to sell “better” seats, O’Sullivan notes that the assignment process is transparent and fills the plane from front to back in a traditional manner, meaning earlier check-in secures preferred locations.