Ryanair luggage rules and extra charges as airline plans 'bonus' fee

Ryanair is considering introducing a new bonus fee for airline staff who identify passengers carrying oversized bags onboard flights. Currently, staff at the budget airline get around 1.50 euros (£1.30) for intercepting customers who are bringing bags that are too large onto the aircraft (capped at around 80 euros, or £70, for each member of staff per month), but this fee could soon be increased. Ryanair rules allow passengers to take a small carry-on bag on flights (capped at a size of 40x20x25cm and a weight of 10kg), and passengers must pay up to 75 euros (£65) if they want to bring any larger luggage, or multiple bags, onboard.

Members of the European Parliament are pushing for airlines to allow passengers to bring both a personal item and a small hand luggage bag onboard free of charge, but Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary says planes are already struggling with lack of space. Speaking to the business news on RTE's Morning Ireland, he said: "We're flying largely full flights, about half the passengers can bring two bags and the other half can only bring one - because that's all that fits in the plane. We're already struggling with that amount of baggage. That's one of the reasons we are so aggressive about eliminating the scourge of passengers with excess baggage."

According to Mr O'Leary, more than 99.9% of passengers comply with its baggage rules and use the "sizers" located within the airport, but he said Ryanair is considering hiking the bonus fee for staff who catch people with oversized luggage to eliminate the problem entirely.

He said: "We are happy to incentivise our (staff) with a share of those excess baggage fees, which we think will decline over the coming year or two." He added: "It is about 1.50 euro per bag - and we're thinking of increasing it, so we eliminate it."

Ryanair passengers already face additional fees when it comes to luggage as the airline has strict rules in place on the size of bags you can take on board for free.

The airline's current bag policy allows all passenger fare types to take a small personal bag onboard, but this must be able to fit under the seat in front of you. If it's too big then you can take additional baggage with you at an extra cost.

A small carry-on bag can be a handbag, laptop bag or a backpack, with a maximum size of 40x20x25cm. All bags of this size are free to take onboard and must be placed underneath the seat in front of you. All bags that are larger than these dimensions face an extra charge.

A small cabin bag with a maximum size of 55x40x20cm and weight of 10kg, can be taken onboard (in addition to a small carry-on bag) and stored in the overhead locker. This costs between £6 and £36 at the time of booking, or between £20 and £60 post-booking or at the airport.

Ryanair says if the option to add two cabin bags to your booking is sold out, then you can still add a 10kg check-in bag but this will need to be dropped off at the airport check-in desk before going through security. It costs around £44.99 to add a 10kg check-in bag to your booking, although the fee may vary depending on the route and travel dates.

If you're going on a long holiday then you can pay to take a bag with a maximum weight of 20kg and no bigger than 55x40x20cm. This must be dropped off at the airport check-in desk before security.

Passengers can buy up to three checked bags of 20kg on their booking at a cost of £59.99 each per flight. Again, the fee may vary depending on the route and the date you're travelling.

Additionally, passengers travelling with an infant are allowed to carry two items of baby equipment free of charge per child. There's no cabin bag allowance for infants aged between eight days and 23 months inclusive). The airline also allows a baby bag up to 5kg, with a maximum size of 45x35x20cm, for babies travelling on an adult's lap.

Ryanair says: "You must adhere strictly to the baggage allowance on your booking. If your small bag or 10kg cabin bag does not fit in the baggage sizers, which are placed at every boarding gate, we will tag your bag and place it in the aircraft hold subject to payment of a gate bag fee. You can collect it on the baggage carousel at your arrival airport."

Customers who bring an oversize bag - over 55x40x20cm - face a charge between £/€ 70 and £/€ 75 at the gate to check it in.