Ryanair, the European budget carrier famous — or rather, infamous — for charging passengers for nearly everything, is at it again.
Now passengers who violate their strict one carry-on bag limit will be fined on the spot. And one carry-on means one. Purses, laptops, etc, included. The fine? 30 euros.
And one bigger bag won’t help. The one bag must weigh no more than 10 kilograms, about 22 pounds. The airline says passengers who don’t pay will be denied boarding.
Checking luggage isn’t free either: 10 euros for the first, 20 for the second. But it’s cheaper than the fine. Since Ryanair passengers are already used to paying booking fees, airport check-in fees, and priority boarding fees, perhaps this latest charge will be greeted with no more than a shrug.
And no doubt some passengers who have been bumped, crowded or otherwise harassed by their fellow travelers trying to bring extra bags on board will welcome the new policy. For flight attendants and gate agents, the new fine could be a mixed bag, as while it may simplify boarding, it is one more rule to enforce.
For now, no American carrier has even publicly floated such a new fine, or service charge as they might call it. But it raises interesting possibilities.
Would business travelers cheerfully pay some amount of money not to wait at the baggage carousel, while leisure travelers pay lesser fees to check bags? And how much more work would it create for already over-worked airline employees. (TSA agents, however, would probably welcome the fines, since it would mean fewer carry-ons going through security checkpoints.)
While Ryanair often seems to be off in their own world of fees, it seems likely that other carriers, and perhaps passengers, will be watching their latest effort with interest.
What do you think? Would you give up a second free carry-on for a smoother boarding experience? And if only one was free, how much would you pay for the convenience of bringing a second?
Janice Hough is a California-based travel agent a travel blogger and a part-time comedy writer. A frequent flier herself, she’s been doing battle with airlines, hotels, and other travel companies for over three decades. Besides writing for Travelers United, Janice has a humor blog at Leftcoastsportsbabe.com (Warning, the political and sports humor therein does not represent the views of anyone but herself.)
