Tuesday, February 9, 2010 Previous editions
Saturday, September 05, 2009
RYANAIR passengers checking in two bags at the airport will be forced to pay €100 extra per flight as the airline increases its baggage charges by 50%.
From October 1, the cost of checking in a bag at the airport will rise to €30 for the first bag and €70 for the second.
This means that the cost of checking in these two bags is more three times the price of the average Ryanair fare of €32.
From the same date, passengers checking in a bag online will be charged €15, up from €10, and €35 for a second bag.
Previously, Ryanair allowed passengers to check in just one bag.
Ryanair said the baggage changes reflect the fact that its fares have fallen by 20% this year from €40 to €32.
Ryanair spokesman Stephen McNamara said: "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 October 1.
"These baggage fees are all avoidable by all passengers who choose to travel with carry-on luggage only."
Mr McNamara claims that 70% of Ryanair passengers will be unaffected by the changes.
This move is the latest in a raft of extra charges announced by Ryanair this year.
It is charging passengers €5 each way to check in online and it also forces passengers who do not hold a Visa Electron card to pay an extra €10 credit card fee when booking a flight.
It also charges €6 for priority boarding per flight and €1 if a passenger wants to receive a text message with their booking confirmation.
© Examiner Publications (Cork) Limited, City Quarter, Lapps Quay, Cork. Registered in Ireland: 73385.
