Ryanair, Europe’s No 1 airline, today (6 Sep), as part of its “Always Getting Better” programme announced new reduced checked bag fees (and increased check-in bag sizes) to encourage more customers to check in bags and reduce the number of customers with 2 bags at the boarding gates. As too many customers are availing of Ryanair’s improved 2 free carry-on bags service, and with high load factors (97% in August) there is not enough overhead cabin space for this volume of carry-on bags, which is causing boarding/flight delays.

To encourage more customers to check-in some bags and reduce the volume of carry-on bags, Ryanair will introduce the following bag policy changes on all flights from 1^st November next:

• The check-in bag allowance will increase from 15kg to 20kg for all bags
• The standard check-in bag fee will be cut from €/£35 to €/£25 for this 20kg bag
• Only Priority Boarding customers (including Plus, Flexi Plus & Family Plus) will be allowed to bring two carry-on bags on the aircraft*
• All other (i.e. non-priority) customers will only be allowed to bring one smaller carry-on bag on board the aircraft, while their second (bigger) wheelie bag must be placed in the hold (free of charge) at the boarding gate.

 

Ryanair’s Kenny Jacobs said:

“These bag policy changes will cost Ryanair over €50m p.a. in reduced checked bag fees. However, we believe offering bigger bags at reduced fees will encourage more customers to consider checking-in a bag, which will reduce the high volume of customers we have with 2 carry-on bags at the boarding gates, which is causing flight delays due to large numbers of gate bag and cabin bag offloads.

We hope that by restricting non-priority customers to one small carry-on bag – their  wheelie bag must be placed in the hold, free of charge at the boarding gate – this will speed up the boarding of flights and eliminate flight delays being caused by not having sufficient overhead cabin space on busy flights to accommodate over 360 (182 customers x 2 bags) carry-on bags.

These lower bag fees and increased bag size allowances will come into play for all bookings for travel after 1^st November, and we hope our customers will enjoy the savings of our new simplified bag policy.”

* Priority Boarding can be purchased for just €/£5 at the time of booking or added to a booking for €/£6 and is available up to one hour prior to scheduled departure.

 

 

Ryanair’s New Baggage Policy – Media Q & A

 

Q1. What is Ryanair’s new baggage policy?

A. From November, we will cut the cost of a checked bag from €/£35 to €/£25 and increase the bag size from 15kg to 20kg.

• The check-in bag allowance will increase from 15kgs to 20kgs for all bags
• The standard check-in bag fee will be cut from €/£35 to €/£25 for this 20kg bag
• Only Priority Boarding customers (including Plus passengers) will be allowed to bring two carry-on bags on the aircraft
• All other (i.e. non-priority) customers will only be allowed to bring one smaller carry-on bag on board the aircraft, while their second (bigger) wheelie bag must be placed in the hold (free of charge) at the boarding gate.

 

Q2. Why is Ryanair making this change?

A. To reduce the number of flight delays caused by too many customers arriving at the gate with 2 carry-on bags.

Q3. Will customers still be able to take 2 pieces of cabin baggage on board?

1. Yes for Priority Boarding customers who will still be able to bring 2 bags, 1 normal (55cm x 40cm x 20cm) and 1 small (35cm x 20cm x 20cm) into the cabin.
2. No for non-priority customers who will put their bigger (wheelie) cabin bag in the hold (free of charge), and will be able to take their smaller bag into the cabin.

 

Q4. How will this change be implemented?

A. There will be two queues at the gate: Priority customers 2/bags and non-priority/1 bag only.

Q5. How much is Priority Boarding and can it be added to bookings?

A. €/£5 at the time of the flight booking. It can be added after booking (for €/£6) up to 1 hour before the scheduled flight departure time, via the Ryanair app.

Q6. What about 15kg bag?

A. The 15kg bag will increase to 20kg.

Q7. Will non-priority customers be able to check their normal cabin bag at the check-in desk instead of the boarding gate?

A. No, all cabin bags must be brought to the boarding gate where the bigger one will be placed in the hold, free of charge.

Q8. What about bookings before the new policy was implemented?

A. The new baggage policy will start on 1^st November, and will apply to all bookings made before and after 1^st Nov, and flights from that date onwards.

Q9. What if non-priority customers refuse to put their bag in the hold?

A. They will not be allowed to travel (without refunds).

Q10. What about customers with infants; can they still bring a changing bag?

A. Yes. A small (5kg) baby bag may be carried by customers with infants.

Q11. Why is there a €/£10 supplement at Easter, Christmas and on longer routes during the peak summer months?

A. The €/£10 supplement reflects the increased handling costs of significant additional checked bags during these busy periods.

Q12. Will it still be cheaper to book a checked-in bag at the time of booking?

A. Yes. The 20kg bag will be reduced in price to €/£25 at the time of booking only. Checked-in bags added after the time of booking or made at the airport will cost €/£40.

Q13. Where can I find the routes where the supplement applies?

A. These selected routes will be highlighted on the website and in the app from today.

Q14. What about customers with waivers for medical items – can they still take them onboard?

A. Yes, subject to contacting our special assistance line in advance and complying with any requirements of our special assistance team.