I followed the recent media spat between a Ryanair official and a customer with much amusement. Well, actually it's not the spat itself that caused the amusement – since I wasn't present for the altercation I can't very well pass judgement, whether in jest or otherwise. I can, however, pass judgement on readers' comments while thanking said readers for keeping me entertained for the best part of thirty minutes.

The majority of comments, you understand, were totally unrelated to the case at hand and focused instead on that supremely important of questions: what the hell is our government thinking, making cheap flights available to us all and subjecting us to the shifty business practices of Ryanair, aka the devil incarnate? The consensus on the comments board was strong: charging us €50 for a flight and then rubbing salt in the wound by adding more fees for extra luggage, priority passes and coffee? Daylight robbery.

This post has really been a long-time coming. Guess what, all you whiners out there. If you hate the thought of getting away from the island at one-third (or less) of the price of normal-cost airlines, then you are more than welcome to flupper off, spend away and shut the hell up. Me, I'm a stingy so'and'so who would rather spend the extra cash on, say an extra theatre show or three.

Of course, if any of the typical complaints levelled against low-cost airlines were justified it would be a totally different kettle of fish. But I find it exceedingly difficult to sympathise with those whose major bone of contention seems to be that the nasty stewardess stopped them from taking the kitchen sink on board with them.

In all the times I've used a low-cost airline – and it happens quite often because we've already established that I'm a stingy so'n'so – I've never once had any customer-care problems. Maybe it's because of my (ahem) friendly face. Or maybe I've just been lucky to get the airline reps on a good day. Or maybe, just maybe, it's because I have never tried to sneak in the entire contents of my kitchen as hand-luggage and because I don't shoot dirty looks at the reps when my cunning ploy fails. Just saying.

Reality is that if you play by the rules you will have no problem sailing through boarding. On the other hand, if you're holding three coats, two bags from duty-free and an oddly-shaped hand-luggage that you need to sit on before it closes...then yes, you can expect a couple of setbacks before you make it on board.

But back to the issue of the "nasty" and "rude" airline reps. Low-cost airlines reps aren't known for their charisma. This is probably a direct consequence of having to deal all day with people who insist on trying to fit a baby elephant in a space designed to hold a puppy and who stamp their feet upon being informed that they'll have to pay extra for the privilege.

Would I like these reps to be friendlier? Not really. I like to be left alone when flying and basic courtesy will more than satisfy me. I've also yet to see the smile (or the coffee, or the sandwich) that is worth the extra €200 that a standard airline will tuck onto the flight fare.

Do I mind paying extra fees for extra luggage space, priority boarding, on-line booking etc? Well, it would be nice to get it all for free but then again this is a commercial enterprise we're talking about and not a charity institution. In short, they have to make their money somehow. And since even with all these extras tucked on, I still wind up paying much less than with normal airlines, then I'll thank you all to shut up and quit whining.