A recent vote by the European Parliament could remove low-cost carriers’ ability to enforce a “one bag only” policy.
The unanimous backing for a proposal to allow travellers to take extra duty-free purchases on flights could mean the end of Ryanair’s controversial single-bag policy.
Under its current system, the Irish airline charges a hefty £50/€50 charge to put an extra bag in the hold if passengers’ luggage don’t fit into its bag cage. The airline’s rules are also so stringent that they classify a handbag or camera as a “bag”.
However, under new proposals, which must first be approved by the European Commission (EC), more bags could be permitted on flights in an attempt to boost the number of purchases made at airport retail outlets.
British MEP Philip Bradbourn, who has written a report on how to improve revenue at regional airports, said: “Many accept meagre landing charges in return for the retail footfall that creates – but they’re undermined by low-cost carriers who stop passengers using terminal shops by counting purchases as a second piece of hand-luggage – then charging them.”
Ryanair has attempted to make changes by trialling the introduction of a second bag allowance for passengers travelling through Barcelona Airport. However, this has not applied to flights from Dublin.
The reasons for this discrepancy were attributed to a “growth” agreement between Ryanair and Barcelona Airport, while the airline argued that “the Dublin Airport Authority monopoly are only interested in high passenger charges at Dublin, which is why traffic is down by 20 per cent since 2007.”
“We expect that airlines’ one-bag policies will be addressed as a consumer rights issue through European legislation and we would welcome that,” said Michael O’Leary, chief executive of Ryanair.
Ryanair has recently been criticised for subjecting passengers to a host of extortionate charges, including £110 for changing the name on a single ticket.
(Image: Arpingstone)
