Ryanair’s new cabin bag policies come into effect from today, January 15th, 2018.
The changes to cabin-bag policy has triggered sporadic outbursts of anger in some Ryanair passengers, but the carrier insists that the policy benefits travellers as "departures will be more punctual."
Unless a passenger pays extra for priority boarding, the larger of any two items of baggage will be removed at the aircraft gate and placed in the hold. At the destination, this bag will reappear on the baggage carousel.
The change was announced last summer for a November 1st start but was postponed until January 15th as the airline was suffering a media storm over problems associated with its botched rostering plan for pilots which led to thousands of flight cancellations.
The airline has cut fees for some checked-in bags and increased the weight limit from 15kg to 20kg. A checked bag on an off-peak flight will cost £25, down from £35, except “during peak travel periods (Christmas-Easter-Summer) and on selected routes”.
The airline says the new rules will cost it €50m, with Ryanair’s director of marketing, Kenny Jacobs, saying last year that when the two bag policy was launched, the airline’s load factor was 81%. It since has increased to 96%.
“It’s simply physics that you can’t have 185 people on an aircraft with a wheelie bag and a rucksack,” said Mr Jacobs, adding that, “Too many people were coming to the airport with too much stuff. We were keen to protect the two-bag rule. So we asked, ‘how do we protect the punctuality? What we’ve got is an elegant and fair solution for customers.”
As Ryanair’s terms and conditions explain, paying extra is not a guarantee that a large case can be carried into the cabin, “Passengers who have purchased Priority Boarding will not be asked to place their cabin bag in the aircraft hold, unless necessary due to operational reasons.”
The airline warns passengers, that any failure to comply with cabin baggage rules could result in a charge of £50 per item, payable at the departure gate.
The notice from Ryanair reads as follows:
As of today, you can only bring 1 small bag on board unless you purchase Priority & 2 Cabin Bags
Non-Priority
If you have not purchased Priority & 2 Cabin Bags, you are only permitted to bring 1 small bag on board. Your second 10kg bag will be tagged at the gate and put into the hold free of charge.
Your small bag (e.g. handbag, laptop etc.) must not exceed 35x20x20cm and should easily fit under the seat in front of you.
Your second 10kg bag must be 55x40x20cm in size and must fit into the sizers at the gate before being tagged and put into the hold free of charge.
Failure to comply will result in a charge of £50 per item at the departure gate and may also lead to delays for all passengers on board.
Priority & 2 Cabin Bags
Only customers who have purchased Priority & 2 Cabin Bags, Flexi Plus, Plus or Family Plus will be permitted to bring both of their cabin bags on board.
Your small bag (e.g. handbag, laptop etc.) must not exceed 35x20x20cm and should easily fit under the seat in front of you.
Your second 10kg bag must be 55x40x20cm in size and must fit into the sizers at the gate.
Failure to comply will result in a charge of £50 per item at the departure gate and may also lead to delays for all passengers on board.
To guarantee 2 cabin bags on board you must purchase Priority & 2 Cabin bags.
