Ryanair plane, illustrative stock photo (source: SME)
From November 1, Ryanair will reduce the fee for extra hold luggage from €35 to €25, while also allowing a greater weight – up to 20 kilograms instead of 15.
However, only passengers buying Priority Boarding, €5 at the time of ticket purchase and €6 later up to 1 hour before departure, will be allowed to take any baggage except for a small purse or handbag, into the cabin. All others will be asked to hand over their baggage at the gate, to be placed – for free – in the aircraft hold.
The reason cited by the airline is to reduce the time spent at the gate, and the number of people travelling with two bags at the gate which causes frequent delays for scheduled flights. With the 97-percent passenger utilisation of Ryanair flights, the space above passengers’ heads does not suffice for all their hand luggage, Veronika Ševčíková, spokeswoman of the M.R. Štefánik airport in Bratislava (BTS) informed on behalf of the airliner.
In effect, flight passengers will still be allowed to take two pieces of hand baggage onboard the plane but under changed conditions.
We believe that passengers will be able to enjoy the simpler rules for transporting baggage, Kenny Jacobs, head of the Ryanair marketing department, opined on behalf of the company.
