Ryanair dark UX patterns summer 2026 refresher

瑞安航空 2026 年夏季暗黑用户体验模式回顾

Everyone likes dark UX patterns – such fun! Ryanair are Europe’s most profitable airline and they are masters of this noble form. This is an all time classic from around 8 years ago – to not buy travel insurance, you must select Don’t Insure Me, midway down a list of countries: 人人都喜欢暗黑用户体验模式——多有趣啊！瑞安航空（Ryanair）是欧洲最赚钱的航空公司，也是这种“高尚”艺术形式的大师。这是大约 8 年前的一个经典案例：为了不购买旅行保险，你必须在国家/地区列表中间找到并选择“不为我投保”（Don’t Insure Me）。

I have the joy of doing some budget flying this summer and I thought I’d see how upsell-alicious the check-in process is in Trumpyear 2026: I count 9 stages a user has to successfully navigate to avoid extra payment: “No, don’t want to be insured” Don’t be tricked into unlocking check-in for your return flight, this costs. Roll the dice by finding and selecting the random seat option. Do you feel lucky punk? Confirm you understand the precarious and unsettling nature of random allocation. Maybe you want a break from your companions? “Last chance to choose where you sit” Opt for 1 Small Bag only. A scary warning pops up about being charged at the gate. 今年夏天我有幸体验了几次廉价航空，我想看看在 2026 年（特朗普执政年），他们的值机流程到底有多“擅长”推销。我数了一下，用户必须成功避开 9 个阶段才能避免额外付费：“不，我不想投保”；别被诱导解锁返程航班的值机，这可是要收费的；通过寻找并选择随机座位选项来碰碰运气。你觉得自己运气好吗，菜鸟？确认你理解随机分配座位那种不确定且令人不安的性质。也许你想和同伴分开坐？“最后一次选择座位的机会”；选择仅携带 1 件小包。此时会弹出一个关于在登机口被收费的恐吓警告。

To be fair, I did recently see this happen to a couple at the airport. They feebly argued their case – pun intended – but I completely agreed with the airline staff. If the case don’t fit… Don’t click “Upgrade to Priority & 2 Cabin Bags”. This one is particularly sneaky as it doesn’t have a “No” option, you must dismiss the window. Scroll past security fast track and pre-paid credit, which at least just needs a “Continue”. 平心而论，我最近确实在机场看到一对夫妇遇到了这种情况。他们无力地为自己的行李箱（case）辩解——一语双关——但我完全站在航空公司工作人员这边。如果箱子塞不进去……别点“升级到优先登机和 2 件随身行李”。这一步特别阴险，因为它没有“否”选项，你必须手动关闭窗口。滑过安检快速通道和预付信用额度，这些至少只需要点一下“继续”即可。

The kid sitting next to me on the flight back bought some Versace aftershave and I pretended to care/be impressed because I am a nice person. Don’t rent a car, don’t buy parking, don’t buy a train(?) Tada – you are checked in. You get one final ad, I assume, for a Sam Altman fever dream in which humans EULA consent to become foie gras in exchange for tokens: 回程时坐在我旁边的小伙子买了一些范思哲须后水，我假装很关心/很佩服，因为我是一个好人。别租车，别买停车位，别买火车票（？）当当——你值机完成了。最后你还会看到一个广告，我猜那是山姆·奥特曼（Sam Altman）的某种狂热梦境，人类在其中签署最终用户许可协议（EULA），同意把自己变成鹅肝以换取代币。

I will finish with an actually sensible/possibly useful postscript. Based on a small amount of recent experience, the best strategy for Ryanair is to check in at the last possible moment. If they’ve given away all the bad seats, they’ll be forced to give you a good one, and I got an exit aisle seat, which also gave access to the precious overhead bin. 最后，我附上一条切实可行/可能有用的后记。根据我最近的一点经验，瑞安航空的最佳策略是在最后一刻才值机。如果他们已经把所有烂座位都分完了，他们就不得不给你一个好座位。我就因此得到了一个出口处的过道座位，这也让我能用上宝贵的头顶行李架。

The best strategy for Lufthansa is to check in as early as possible. They still offer to sell you a “better” seat. But you can immediately see what spot you’re assigned, and they fill up the plane from front to back in a refreshingly old-fashioned manner, so earlier is better. Hope you enjoyed this, more soon. Dan 汉莎航空的最佳策略则是尽早值机。他们依然会向你推销“更好的”座位，但你可以立即看到自己被分配到了哪里。他们以一种令人耳目一新的老派方式从前向后填满机舱，所以越早越好。希望你喜欢这篇文章，后续再见。——Dan