Ryanair has announced that it is making changes in its cabin and check-in baggage policy. Chief marketing officer Kenny Jacobs says the airline is not going back to the old days, when passengers had to stuff everything into one bag and keep it under 10kg. From November 1st, all passengers travelling without Priority Boarding or premium Flex, Flexi Plus and Family Plus tickets will have their wheelie bags or backpacks taken at the aircraft and put in the hold.
As an incentive, the cost of check-in baggage has been reduced by €10 and the weight increased to 20kg across the network. “We want to maintain our on-time performance and it had been impacted over the past year. Load factors have increased from 82 per cent when the two bag policy was introduced up to 97 per cent currently,” Jacobs says.
“More people are travelling, with too much luggage and trying to bring bigger bags. We are tagging up to 50 wheelie bags per flight. This takes time and customers are clear that punctuality matters to them,” he continues. So from November, what can you expect when flying with Ryanair?
Q. What can I take on board?
A. You can take only one small bag measuring 35x20x20cms or 14x8x8 inches.
Q. What will happen to my cabin bag?
A It will be tagged and taken at the boarding gate and put in the hold for no extra charge.
Q. Where can I collect my bag?
A. You will collect your baggage from the carousel in the airport baggage hall. 90 per cent of bags will arrive at the carousel before passengers
Q. Who can take two bags on board?
A. Customers who buy Priority Boarding can take two bags on board, a cabin bag up to 10kg and a hand bag. There will be two queues at airports, Priority and Non Priority customers.
Q. What about Flex, Flexi and Family Plus customers?
A. Customers who pay for the premium services can take two bags on board; they will have priority boarding, and assigned seating.
Q. How much is Priority Boarding?
A. Priority Boarding is €5 and can be purchased at the time of booking. It will be available up to one hour before departure on the Ryanair app, where it costs €6. You need to sign up to Ryanair to use the app.
Q. How much will checked-in baggage cost?
A. Bags weighing up to 20kg will cost €25 each way, except for longer routes in summer where there is a surcharge of €10. At Christmas and Easter there will also be a €10 surcharge, to cover additional staff. Bags booked at the airport will cost €40 each way.
Q. What about duty free, can I still buy duty free/shopping in the airport?
A. You can still take one duty free bag on board for no charge.
Q. What about a changing bag for infants?
A. You can bring an additional 5kg bag for an infant.
Q. What about medical equipment?
A. Yes, you can still take on board any equipment you require but must notify the special assistance line in advance on 01-2480858 (National rates, and is open from 6am to 7pm, Monday - Friday and 9am to 6pm Saturday and 10am to 6pm Sunday. Calls from mobile and other networks may cost more.)
Q. What happens if someone refuses to put their bag in the hold and they are a non-priority customer?
A. They will be refused travel on board and there will be no refunds.
Q. When does it come into effect?
A. From November 1st 2017, across the network.
Q. Will Ryanair make money out of these changes.
A. Not initially, but we think that in the long run people will book more hold baggage because the price is lower and for the convenience.
Q. How strict are you going to be about handbags?
A. There will be an element of judgement used by cabin crew. Bags must be able to go under the seat in front of you.
