Defiant Ryanair's big rise in baggage charges

[Henry Tenby]

Graeme Wearden The Guardian, Thursday January 24 2008

Ryanair yesterday increased the cost of putting bags in the hold and checking in at its desks by up to 50%, prompting a consumer watchdog to warn that passengers could end up paying more than £50 in extra charges. The Dublin-based airline increased the baggage check-in fee from £5 to £6 for a single flight, with immediate effect. Checking in at the airport rather than online now costs £3 a time, up from £2.

Ryanair said higher charges would help to reduce the time taken to get customers through airports and onto its flights, and allow it to cut staff. The airline said it would keep raising the fees until it had deterred a majority of passengers from putting bags into the hold.

"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," said Peter Sherrard, Ryanair's head of communications.

The Air Transport Users Council (AUC) said it was disappointed that Ryanair had increased the airline check-in charge, which it introduced last August. It said the company's vow to keep raising the charges could have serious implications.

"We don't want a situation where people are getting a free flight and actually pay £50 or £60 because of all the little charges," said James Fremantle, AUC industry affairs manager.

Ryanair only allows one piece of hand luggage per traveller. The new charges mean that a person who took a return flight would pay £18 if they checked a single bag weighing up to 15kg into the hold each way. Any heavier than that and they would be billed another £7.50 per kilo.

Priority boarding - free with the online check-in - is another £3 a time. It also costs up to £30 to change the time, date or destination of a flight, while changing the name on a ticket incurs a £70 fee.

The increased charges, alongside offers such as £10 single flights, mean some customers now pay more for their baggage than their seat. But rising fuel costs are making it harder for all airlines to maintain profit margins. The UAC believes the various optional charges make it hard for consumers to compare fares, or understand how much they will end up paying.

"We need more transparent pricing. Tickets are priced in much too complicated a way," Fremantle said, but Sherrard countered that check-in charges have led to "huge increases" in the number of people turning to the internet to avoid them.

Ryanair spokeswoman Lorna Farren insisted that passengers could avoid the "discretionary" fees if they wanted to. "We are trying to change people's habits." Farren said the average price of flying with Ryanair had not increased from £30, including baggage charges, since last year.