Ryanair Increases Baggage Charges

'Budget' airline Ryanair has announced that it has increased checked-in baggage and airport check-in fees for all new bookings.

Ryanair's baggage fee has now increased from £5 to £6 per bag and the airport check-in fee will increase from £2 to £3.

Ryanair said that it hoped that these increases would encourage more passengers to avoid these charges by travelling with hand luggage only and checking in free of charge online, which also allows free priority boarding.

Ryanair said that the increases are part of its continued drive to encourage passengers to travel without checked in bags and use the airline's free of charge online check-in.

Ryanair's Peter Sherrard said: "Ryanair remains determined to encourage more and more passengers to travel with carry-on luggage only, which allows them to use our free of charge web check-in, skip airport queues and enjoy our priority boarding service free of charge.

"We have already seen huge increases in the numbers of passengers using Ryanair's internet check-in since we made it free of charge last September. These increase charges will incentivise even more passengers to use our free web check-in service, allowing us to cut airport and handling costs and further reduce our guaranteed lowest fares as we grow from 50 million to 60 million passengers in the coming year.

"These will not be the last increases in Ryanair's checked in baggage or airport check-in fees, which will continue to increase over time until we reach our objective of persuading at least 50% of all Ryanair passengers to travel with hand luggage only, use our free web check-in service and avoid airport check-in queues.

"This will in turn allow us to reduce the number of airport check-in desks that we rent and the handling staff we employ, so that we can continue to pass on these handling savings in the form of Europe's guaranteed lowest fares," he said.

(KMcA)