Ryanair is increasing its charges for checked-in baggage by up to 250 per cent in a further effort to encourage passengers to travel with carry-on luggage only.
The cost of checking in one bag online with the budget airline will rise from €10 to €15 per flight from next month, an increase of 50 per cent, it was announced today.
If the bag is checked in at the airport, the cost rises from €20 to €30. The carrier is doubling the checked-in baggage allowance for each passenger, from one bag of up to 15 kg to two bags of up to 15 kg each.
However, customers will pay dearly for the privilege of checking in a second bag, with the fee set to rise from €20 to €35 per flight for online check-ins, and from €20 to €70 for bags checked in at the airport.
Fees for carrying sports equipment are also going up, from €30 to €40 online and €40 to €50 at the airport. The excess bag fee payable at the airport is being increased from €15 to €20 per kilo.
The airline pointed out that passengers can avoid checked-in baggage fees by travelling with carry-on baggage only. One piece of baggage weighing up to 10 kg can be taken on board without charge, though there is an online check-in fee of €5 online and €10 at the airport.
A Ryanair spokesman also said the changes reflected the fact that its average fares have fallen by 20 per cent this year, from €40 to €32. “Ryanair continues to reduce air fares – saving our passengers over €530m this year alone. In order to persuade passengers to travel with carry on bags only and to defray the cost of some of these fare reductions we are increasing baggage allowances and fees with effect from 1st October,” he said.
“These baggage fees are all avoidable by all passengers who choose to travel with carry on luggage only. Over 70 per cent of Ryanair passengers will be totally unaffected by these changes as they already travel with just one carry on bag, which is free of charge.”