Spain and Portugal for Visitors

Posted by : John Ross on Apr 29, 2008 - 10:12 AM Travel News

Ryanair is the low-cost airline which connects the largest number of destinations in mainland Spain and Portugal. Now, with the stated aim of increasing the number of passengers checking in on-line and reducing hold baggage, Ryanair is to raise its baggage and check-in fees. Ryanair says that the checked-in baggage fee "will rise from €9 to €10." Other sources say this increase will be "£6 to £8" (the conversion jjust doesn't work mathematically for me). Similarly, the airport check-in fee is to be increased "from €4 to €5" according to Ryanair, or "from £3 to £4," according to my other sources. Ryanair calls itself a "low fares airline," other sources call it a "no-frills carrier." Read on for more of this story.

Ryanair introduced airport check-in fee last September, since when its cost has doubled. "Ryanair encourages passengers to avoid these charges altogether by travelling with our 10kg hand luggage allowance and checking in on-line," announces its press office, adding that "Passengers who book their flights in the next week (before May 5) will avoid these charges."

Announcing these charge increases, Ryanair’s Peter Sherrard said:

“40% of Ryanair passengers currently avoid queues at both check-in and boarding by availing of our free web check-in service, and this increase in baggage fees will result in fewer checked in bags and more passengers changing to on-line check-in.

“On-line check-in is faster, more efficient and costs Ryanair less. There is no doubt that it is the future for air travel. We will continue to increase baggage fees until half of our passengers check-in online, which will allow us to reduce check-in and handling costs and pass on these savings to our passengers in the form of Europe’s guaranteed lowest fares.

“Ryanair will continue to drive down the cost of travel by reducing its average fare (which includes baggage and check-in revenues) in 2008 and guaranteeing the lowest fares on every route”.

As far as I can tell, most consumers consider this to be only a covert price hike by Ryanair. Steve Norris at TravelMole posted the following: "Come on Ryanair sort it out. Scheduled airlines permit you to check in online whilst having baggage why can't you? Do you really think that travellers really wish to pay scandalous check in charges and luggage charges if they could travel without luggage and check in online? The fact is there are many people who need to carry luggage with them, we are not all travelling alone with rucksacks or business people with briefcases. Some people have families, some people are going for more than a couple of days, you fly the routes you should know. Allow people to pay rip-off charges for luggage if you have to but sort out your systems and drop off desks at the airport so that they can still check in. Stop using these ever increasing rip-off charges to hide the true cost of flying with you just because OFT finally stopped you advertising non inclusive prices. I hope OFT takes action like it has threatened to stop the hiking of extras that many of us demand and want to be included in the price that we see. I wish someone would enforce that all airlines must include one piece of luggage on all short haul flights with a standard weight in their prices and that all customers have the option to remove that if they wish to. Let's see a level playing field. Where will you stop Ryanair to make the customer experience worse than it already is?"

Others have expressed discontent with the hand-baggage policy on thegrounds that many shaving or hygiene items are only permitted in hold baggage. And not a few have pointed out that if you buy more than one ticket on-line, you have to choose on-line check-in for all or none.

If we give Ryanair the benefit of the doubt, reduced overall baggage weight on flights will reduce fuel consumption, so making flying less ecologically damaging.

What do you think? Do, please, leave your comments below, I would really like to know.