Ryanair is at it again – Hikes Baggage and Boarding card costs

The cowboys of the sky are at it once again. The Low Fares Airline (Note Low Fare – not low Excesses) Ryanair has announced changes to some of their fees. And these are eye-watering.

• From 15th December 2011, checked luggage bookings made online for “peak travel periods” (which Ryanair determines as June, July, August, September and “Christmas”) will increase by £5 to £25 per bag, for bags weighing up to 15kg.
• It gets worse. A LOT WORSE. If you forget to book baggage and have to check it at the airport your fees go up to  £60 (up by £25) per bag for off-peak services, to a stonking £100 per bag for peak services (up by £60).
• And if you need to re-issue your boarding pass, I’d get a second mortgage. Or a first one for that matter, with the re-issue fee increasing to £60 (up from £40)
• For those of you travelling outside what Ryanair deem to be the peak period, your 15kg bag is still £15.

Ryanair bleat feebly that less than 10 people a day turn up without their boarding passes with them, whilst giving no excuses for jacking up the luggage fees. “Because they can” sounds like the most reasonable explanation to me.

Remember if you fly Ryanair, you have to play their game. How much you loose by is by how much you don’t read their rules, regulations and fees.

Always ignore the headline fare too. Work it out the final before you hit the book button.

And as usual, if you’re considering Ryanair, please remember – they are not the only game in town 9/10 times. Do a bit of research, and you may find that a traditional airline or one of the other Low Cost Carriers may suit your needs better.