Ryanair will charge you for 10kg hand luggage from November
Ryanair passengers will have to make do with one item of carry-on baggage from November – unless they want to pay.
The reason behind the move is "to eliminate boarding/flight delays", according to the budget airline.
Nevertheless, passengers will have to pay £6 to add a 10kg cabin bag to their carry-on, with tickets otherwise limiting them to one item of hand luggage that will fit under the seat in front of them. This rises to an £8 fee if people add the extra baggage to their ticket after booking.
Non-priority passengers cannot bring extra hand baggage on board their flight, but must pay £8 to store hand luggage in the hold, or £10 if they choose to do so after booking.
Marketing officer Kenny Jacobs said:
“This new policy will speed up the boarding and cut flight delays. Sixty per cent of customers will be unaffected by these changes and we expect that the other forty per cent will either choose to buy priority boarding or a 10kg check bag or will choose to travel with only one (free) small bag as 30 per cent already do so today.”
The additional charge increases the cost of flying with Ryanair, an airline that carries the tag “lowest fares".
Competitors Easyjet, Wizz and Norwegian Air Shuttle all allow one small personal item and one 10kg carry-on bag included in passenger tickets.
In an FAQ for customers, Ryanair said it didn't expect the move to make it extra money, claiming it is to improve "the boarding gate experience and punctuality for all customers".
The policy comes into force from 1 November, or 1 September for online bookings.
The announcement came a day after Ryanair reached an agreement with striking pilots, and CMC Markets analyst David Madden told Morning Wire that "this is a classic example of one step forward, two steps back".
The airline has been subject to significant industrial action across the continent this summer. Last month 600 flights were grounded, affecting 100,000 customers.
Yesterday's agreement with Irish-based pilots signalled an end to the pattern of strike action affecting routes from Dublin.
Ryanair was forced to apologise earlier this week over compensatory cheques issued to customers that were rejected by banks.
Madden explained that the brand reputation and quality of customer service contributes to company’s standing on the stock markets, and is reflected in its share price. Shares in the air line fell half a percent in morning trading. Madden said, “this is an incorrect move. Those customers that are not already deterred, will be.”