Ryanair to ramp up baggage charges

Ryanair has increased its charges for hold luggage over the summer. And it doesn't want to stop there...

Ryanair is increasing its charges for hold luggage by as much as £17.50 over the summer.

And the budget airline's controversial chief executive, Michael O'Leary, doesn't want to stop there, even talking of charging for hand luggage.

Reducing hold luggage

The number of people checking in hold luggage has dropped from 80% to 19% on Ryanair flights as a result of its charges, which has saved the company a significant amount of money.

Talking at a news conference, O’Leary said the company would never get rid of hold bags entitely, but admitted he would be disappointed if the figure didn’t drop further to around 10%.

He also hinted that some airlines will start charging for carry-on bags eventually.

The price of luggage

In the summer months Ryanair, and several other budget airlines, push up the price of hold luggage because during this time of year people tend to travel with more bags.

All the budget airlines charge for checking in hold luggage and this varies depending on the amount checked in, the destination of the plane and also the time of year.

If you were travelling to Palma with Ryanair next week, for example, it would cost £25 to check in a 15kg bag and £35 if the bag weighed 20kg. Move this flight to November and the price drops to £15 for a 15kg bag and £25 for the 20kg.

When looking at the more expensive airlines, such as British Airways and Virgin, there is no extra charge for checking luggage; these costs are absorbed into the entire price of the flight.

The prices are also a lot higher when you move away from the budget airlines. For example, return flights from London to Palma, travelling in mid-August would cost around £770 with British Airways but £266 with Ryanair.

Here's how much the various airlines charge for their hold luggage.

How to avoid the baggage fee

The only way to avoid paying the fee for hold luggage is taking a cabin bag instead – however this won’t be practical for everyone. A family of four going on holiday for a week, for example, will need to put some luggage into the hold.

Another way is to choose a different airline, but again this will mean your total bill could be a lot higher.

If you are taking carry-on bags, you need to make sure they fit the airline’s requirements. These often change – such as with easyJet recently - so check the website before you leave.

These airlines love to catch people out at the gate and make them pay inflated fees to check-in their hand luggage, so make sure your bag complies with the weight and size restrictions.

Other budget airline charges

The whole point of flying with a budget airline is to save money. But when you start adding in all the sneaky extras you can end up paying a totally different amount to the rate which was first advertised.

The key to not getting ripped-off is organisation. Several airports, such as Stanstead, will charge you for the clear plastic bags for your liquid bottles, for example. Get these from your local supermarket and re-use them to avoid paying out more.

Choosing your seat is also another rip-off, because if you get the queue early enough you’ll be able to pick your own seat anyway.

Food and drink costs while on board will also be a lot higher so buy these beforehand, or make your own and take them with you. But remember you won’t be allowed through security with liquids of more than 100ml.

To find out more, check out our article How to beat sneaky budget airline charges.

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