Ryanair 'worst offender' for extra charges

Passengers flying with some no-frills airlines are having to pay extra charges magazine 'Holiday Which?' said today.

Sometimes travellers are having to fork out £28 (€38) above the advertised ticket cost for a return flight, the magazine said.

It named Irish budget airline Ryanair as “the worst offender”, saying it charged passengers £20 (€27) at the airport to check a bag into the hold for a return flight if the booking was not made online.

Holiday Which? Added that Ryanair also charged £4 (€5.40) “simply to use the check-in desk”. Checking bags into the hold costs £18 (€24) with Flybe and £10 (€13.50) with easyJet, the magazine added.

Passengers wanting to use the speedy boarding service offered by easyJet can expect to pay up to £15 (€20) extra, while Ryanair charges an additional £4 (€5.40) for this service, the magazine said.

These charges are on top of the credit card fees airlines charge at the time of booking, which can range from £3.50 (€4.70) to £4.90 (€6.60), it said.

'Holiday Which?' editor Lorna Cowan said: “We’re disappointed to see the major budget airlines are introducing charges for services that were once included in the full cost of the ticket. Ryanair’s charge to use its check-in desk is especially unfair. The only way to avoid this is not to check any luggage into the hold.

“Although the airlines view these services as optional, who would go on a week’s holiday without checking a bag into the hold?

“We would like to see airlines put a halt to these extra charges. Who knows what they’ll be charging us for next?”