Millions of Ryanair passengers will be forced to put their weekend bags and small suitcases in the hold from November 1 – unless they cough up £10 per return flight for priority boarding.
In what amounts to the the biggest overhaul of its baggage policy in four years, the low-cost airline said only those who pay the fee will be allowed to take a larger 10kg bag, measuring up to 55cm x 40cm x 20cm, into the cabin. Everyone else will be able to keep a small handbag or laptop bag (35cm x 20cm x 20cm), but will have their bigger cases taken from them at the gate and placed in the hold (free of charge).
On busy flights Ryanair has for some time prevented the last 40 or 50 passengers from taking wheelie suitcases on board. Knowing this, customers will head to the gate as early as possible, and start queueing, to avoid being parted from their luggage – and enduring a wait at baggage reclaim. Others will travel with a backpack or holdall rather than a wheelie case. Now the only way to avoid having a carry-on bag taken away will be to pay the priority boarding fee of £5 per person per flight. It will mean passengers who regularly use standard weekend bags and small suitcases as hand luggage will have to reconsider their luggage options.
