Spain or Ryanair to Morocco?

Oh what a queue—or should I say, what a lot of queues. That’s what greeted me at Málaga airport, arriving to fly down to Morocco tonight on the legendary luxury carrier: Ryanair. Looking at the lines—for check-in and security—I genuinely considered not travelling today. I thought to myself: do I really need to go to Morocco tonight? Or do I just stay in Spain a few extra nights? That has literally never happened to me at an airport before. Normally I’m like a kid in a candy store, just excited by the chaos that airports can sometimes be.

I was relieved to find that Ryanair was the only airline with no queue at all for check-in. How is the cheapest airline the most efficient at checking people in? Probably because it’s a requirement to DIY online before you get to the airport, and then check your bag yourself too. Want someone to do it for you? That’ll be €55, thanks. Seriously contemplating whether to take my flight or bail and stay in Spain, I opted for a €10 fast-track pass to skip the security line, self-check my bag, and dodge the massive queue. Looks like Morocco is still on the cards tonight.

European airports love to make you shop, so they don’t show the gates until the last minute—ideally keeping you spending in duty-free for as long as possible. While my gate isn’t posted yet, I know I need to clear passport control before my flight, so I grab a snack and use the Flighty app’s tips to clear passport control at the B gates. Post-passport control is a little bare and in need of some sprucing up, but I find a jamón and cheese roll, a power charging point, and chill before my flight.

I board on time, climbing the inbuilt airstairs of the Boeing 737-800 and take my seat in 7A by the window. Ryanair are the only airline I know of with built-in airstairs—anything to save a buck by needing less ground support. Once onboard, we push back early for the super long flight down to Tangier—a whopping 25 minutes in the air. We all like to throw shade at Ryanair for their no-frills, definitely no-luxury, budget flair—but if I’m honest, for around AUD $30, the seat is fine for such a short flight.

The seatbelt sign switches off briefly after takeoff, allowing just enough time for the sales trolley to zoom down the aisle—alas, no one’s buying anything on this short-arse flight. I munch on some snacks I picked up at the airport and stare out the window, waiting for that first glimpse of the Moroccan coastline.

I don’t have to wait long. The coast, complete with the Rif mountain range, comes into view. In no time I’m descending into Tangier, with a brief trip out over the Atlantic to line up for approach—not sure if this counts as my first transatlantic flight, though. The sun is setting as we fly over a beach (a plane spotter’s delight) and touch down in country number 54. Welcome to Morocco!

Immigration and customs are done pretty efficiently, and I’m soon in my pre-booked ride to the hotel—feeling a little queasy and dehydrated after a day of wandering. I’m hoping this all passes by morning so I can enjoy Morocco. Otherwise… maybe I should’ve leaned into my instincts back at check-in and stayed in Spain for some chill time. Only the morning will tell whether I made the right call.Baca lagi