Ryanair To Eliminate Checked Bags

Ryanair is running out of things to eliminate. Now they want to eliminate checked baggage.

‘The Airline Blog’ actually felt this was a good thing, We tend to disagree. Ryanair has already eliminated ticket counters, and charges an insane amount if you can’t check in online, and a charge if you do. The author assumes Ryanair will provide customer service agents. The airline has a reputation for a “we’ll give you nothing, charge you for everything, and you’ll thank us because the base fare is so low” philosophy. There are ways to revamp luggage. The reason it is so virulent when Ryanair suggests it is how Ryanair operates.

Under the plan, the passengers would drop all but one bag at the entrance to the aircraft, likely still paying for the privilege of checking it. O’Leary commented that the idea would allow multiple bags, but they would have to be small enough to get through security.

In the United States, the DOT has ruled that a convenience fee can be imposed if there is a way to avoid it. So, by that logic, a fee for booking online can be imposed if it is free to pay at a counter. Airlines such as Spirit who do this are brilliant, knowing that people won’t trek to the airport to buy their tickets, as opposed to other carriers who charge fees for counter purchase. We do think the practice is a bit sleazy, however.

Ryanair gets you no matter what. There is a fee for online check-in, and if you can’t check-in online, for whatever reason, there is a gigantic fee for a boarding pass at the airport with the removal of their check-in desks.

‘The Airline Blog’ is somewhat aware of this, as they commented on BA‘s new value calculator which factors in these fees to compare British Airways to Ryanair and Easyjet when you factor in what things will cost. The point is that fees are confusing, and in many cases unavoidable.

If an airline is going to refuse to allow checked luggage, are they going to assist in shipping luggage ahead? For most weekend trips, a single carry-on will do for us. Although in Europe, a carry-on piece has a lighter weight limit. Ryanair permits, for example, 10KG(22lbs). US Airways, to pick an airline at random in the U.S., permits 40lbs.

We will continue to monitor the situation. Some airlines will back away from an unpopular policy, especially if their competitors don’t match it. Ryanair, quite frankly, doesn’t care about how they are perceived by anyone.

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• Ryanair Customers May Pay £1 To Spend A Penny (news.sky.com)
• Ryanair to abolish check-in desks (news.bbc.co.uk)
• Ryanair’s New Fee To ‘Check In’ & The Real Cost Of Some Low Cost Carriers (simpliflying.com)
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• Chutzpah: Ryanair to charge £5 (and up) for boarding passes (upgradetravelbetter.com)
• Ryanair chief Michael O’Leary wants passengers to carry all their bags to the plane (telegraph.co.uk)