WHAT'S THE STORY WITH RYANAIR'S NEW CHARGES?IT HAS brought foreign travel to the masses and become, in the process, one of Europe's most profitable airlines, but the cost of flying on Ryanair, the airline that has defined low-cost flying for so long, has been steadily rising.
More than 20 years on from the first Ryanair short hop between Waterford and London, the Irish airline is now flying to some 137 destinations, many of which are tiny airports located hours away from the cities they serve. It's all about keeping the prices down, which is the explanation for isolated airports, non-reclining seats and the lack of assigned seating.
Yet, over the past 12 months, the airline that claims there's no such thing as bad publicity has been in the news on several occasions for its rise in costs, with steady, incremental increases on travel that have substantially narrowed the price gap between Ryanair and its rival airlines. An increase in baggage charges earlier this month - the second this year - was followed last week by the announcement that passengers checking in online, who were formerly allowed priority boarding free of charge when they did so, will now have to pay the same €5 fee as is charged to those checking in at the airport.
According to Ryanair, this isn't the last price hike we'll be seeing either.
"The goal is to get 50 per cent of our passengers to check in online, so we're going to continue to increase charges until we reach that," explains Lorna Farren of Ryanair. While this latest change appears to work against that stated goal, Farren explains that the reasoning is to open up the option of priority boarding for those checking in at the airport, given that the full 40 per cent of seats allocated for priority boarding were being snapped up by those checking in online. "On some flights 40 per cent of passengers were checking in on the internet, and those turning up at the airport who wanted priority boarding couldn't get it," she says. "It's so there'll be more availability for the airport check-in passenger." It will also mean that Ryanair will garner a fee on every passenger choosing priority boarding, which had not been the case previously.
ARGUING THE CHANGEwould mean a fairer system, Ryanair claims it will make for a more family-friendly option. "We hope to ensure that priority boarding seats will always be available for sale at airports for family members and groups who wish to purchase it," says Farren.
Unlike other airlines, Ryanair makes no concessions for those travelling with children and unless they have paid for priority boarding, families are expected to fight for their seats with the rest of the passengers on an airline that has made it a policy not to designate seating. "We don't pre-board passengers with families," admits Farren. "Passengers can arrive early and be the first in the non-priority queue if they don't want to pay for priority boarding."
Those with infants are further penalised given that parties with children under the age of two are not allowed to check-in online. Groups with an infant are therefore charged an unavoidable €5 check-in fee for doing so at the airport. The same applies to those carrying non-EU passports, who are not granted a web check-in option.
According to Farren, this is because airlines can be fined for carrying passengers without the relevant documentation.
"It's to thoroughly check visas at the check-in desk," she says. Along with check-in charges, priority boarding charges and the handling fees, Ryanair passengers have also been grappling with rising charges for checking in baggage. Passengers will now pay €10 per bag if they check the bag in at the time of booking online - and that's for every leg of the journey. If they decide to check in a bag at the airport and have not prebooked online the charge is €18 per bag, or €36 for a round trip.
Ryanair is not alone on this. Aer Lingus, now charges €12 for every bag booked for check-in online, and €18 euro for those checked in at the airport. While there's no online or airport check-in fee, Aer Lingus passengers can choose their seats in advance online, at a charge of €15 for exit row seats, €10 for front row seats and €3 for all other seats. Seat assignment at the airport is free.
BMI, an increasingly popular option on the Dublin-London route, does not charge for checked-in baggage. Depending on the fare type selected, passengers may be required to check-in online or at the airport self check-in machines, but can still check a bag into the hold by doing so. Their flights also include swiftly disappearing extras such as a complimentary newspaper and frequent flyer miles.
Package holiday-makers can rest assured that they will not be required to seek out the hidden costs when booking, as check-in and baggage charges are still a rarity in an industry which prides itself on its one-price-covers-everything policy.
IRISH TOUR OPERATORBudget Travel recently hit out at Ryanair and Aer Lingus, accusing the airlines of profiteering at the expense of customers. "'Low cost' carriers are no longer a suitable alternative for family package holidays," says Clem Walshe of Budget Travel. "Increasing charges to encourage passengers to carry their baggage as hand luggage may be a suitable option for business travellers and day trippers but it's simply not practical to expect your average family of two adults and two children to carry their luggage on board for a two week holiday. It is quite clear that the 'low cost' carriers are now using the revenue generated from baggage to supplement their profits whilst keeping lead-in fares attractive."
Added to the costs of bags, priority boarding and check-in are those for credit card handling fees and travel insurance, which can see your original 99 cent flight climbing closer to a 100 times that price. Yet 52 million people were undeterred last year, and continued to fly with Ryanair.
The bottom line? If you want to book with Ryanair - and despite all the add-ons, it can still be one of the most competitive options in terms of flight prices - remember to take into account the cost of getting to your destination from the airport you fly into, to check in any baggage online, and to shop around for travel insurance so you can undo the default travel insurance option offered when booking with the airline. And don't forget to feed yourself before you go, to avoid paying over the odds for a packet of Pringles.
