Ryanair will remove its airport check-in desks from today, with charges for checking in baggage set to rise.
Passengers will be forced to check in for flights online at a cost of £5, with those forgetting to do so facing an emergency check in fee of £40. Anyone checking in luggage will have to use the airline’s new “bag drop” desks.
A spokesman for Ryanair said the changes will “allow all passengers, including those travelling with checked baggage, to check in online thereby avoiding time wasting queues and delays at airport check-in desks.” Michael O’Leary, Ryanair’s chief executive said the measures are designed to save the airline about £46 million a year.
Regarding the £40 charge imposed on those who forget, a Ryanair spokesman said: “Hopefully they will only forget once.
“The high fee is designed to encourage people to remember, and not to be hit again. Technically the fee is to cover reissuing the ticket.”
Ryanair also announced that from today children under 16 will no longer be able to travel unaccompanied, while passports will be the only accepted form of photo identification.
The no-frills airline carried 58.5 million passengers last year and made £545 million from add-on fees including baggage check-in and credit card booking costs. The company is also increasing luggage check-in charges, with the cost of checking in a bag rising from £20 to £30 for a return, while a second bag will now cost £40 to £70.
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The changes come as research by the Liberal Democrats found that hidden extra charges make up an average of almost 60 per cent of the cost of a family ticket by Ryanair.
Norman Baker, the party’s transport spokesman said: “Prices must be made clear upfront, not tacked on at the end like the hard-to-avoid debit card charge.
“This looks like misleading the public by presenting what appears to be a cheap fare when the reality is rather different.
“A fair deal for the passenger must include clear and unambiguous pricing.”
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