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Ryanair to ticket passengers who try to cheat the baggage system
Ryanair, the cheeky Irish low cost airline, has decided to hand out 30 Euro fines to any passengers trying to bring too much stuff with them in their cabin baggage. When airlines started charging people for each checked bag, it was only a matter of time till passengers figured it would be much cheaper to just drag as much as possible into the cabin. And it was only a matter of time until the airlines noticed that not enough people were paying for their overpriced baggage service. Their solution? Ticket the passengers!
Checking a bag will cost between 10 and 20 Euros, but anyone caught trying to sneak too much into the cabin can pay the 30 Euro fine, or stay home, because not paying the fine = no travel for you.
The system appears to be pretty well planned, as it does not seem like you are able to check the excess cabin baggage once on board - which should force people to just pay the checked bag fee instead of trying to take a chance the flight attendant won't notice your massive bags.
I'm really not sure what to make of this, on the one hand I've seen plenty of people drag far more on board than they should, and on the other hand I'm annoyed that airlines have started charging for checking bags, which has always been a free service included with your ticket.
The list of fees Ryanair charges their passengers is massive, but to actually start handing out a "fine" when you try to cheat things is just plain miserable.
I bet that some American airlines are probably looking at this new development, and I'm sure some of their bean counters have already been crunching the numbers to see just how much cash they could make off us poor passengers.
(Via: Independent.ie)
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Reader Comments (Page 3 of 3)
etirpsha Jan 25th 2009 12:47PM
The airlines most certainly DO NOT change fees between the time you purchase your ticket and the time you board your flight! The airline ticket you purchase is a contract binding upon both the airline and the purchaser. It is all there for you to read before you sign for the ticket purchase. I recently had a flight on Northwest, and had purchased the ticket before they instituted a baggage fee. Because of that purchase date, I paid no baggage fee. Indeed, the sky cap quickly informed me BEFORE I had a chance to point out the purchase date!
One of the biggest problems today is that people too readily sign on the dotted line and don't bother to read what they are signing. That goes for furniture and new cars, as well as airline tickets. Then people complain because they "didn't know", or that it was a "sudden" change. Well, if you snooze, you lose!
Leon Jan 25th 2009 4:21AM
Really is any of this necessary? Why don't the airlines just figure there costs, mark them up to a reasonable profit and so be it! Let the flying public deceide what is reasonable, and if they fly or not. Seems to work in other industries. Are we so dumb that we pay a fare of say $300.00, two bag charges of say $25.00 each and only consider the fare? It says something that Southwest can charge a reasonable fare (and there profitable) without all this crap, yes I go on vacation for 3 weeks at a time and I try and pack light but I take my golf clubs, dah?
tese42s Jan 25th 2009 4:53AM
It wouldn't be so bad if the whole "We're not making enough money" line wasn't just a big lie. Fuel went up for a while so everybody who sells anything raised prices on everything that we bought. Then we find out how many millions of dollars that the CEO's must have, the truth is out. Everybody must make these people filthy rich. Cuts in pay, benefits, and what ever they can think up just to make these few people rich. They think that if they say it enough, people will just accept it. Wrong, people will do without. But that doesn't matter because they got paid in advance for nothing.
Brian Jan 25th 2009 6:17AM
What this author forgot to mention was that Ryanair is a low cost airline. You can get tickets for under 50 dollars and that is AFTER TAX. It is for people who want to get from point A to point B without having to pay hundreds of dollars. They have to set restrictions or charge people who want to bring lots of extra bags. If those people dont want to pay or go through the hassle of having to pay for checking in bags, they can just pay the much higher price with another airline.
DJ Jan 26th 2009 12:57AM
You pay for every single thing on Ryanair, including pre-boarding WITH small children. The menu is in the back of the seat front. You pay for water, etc.
Customer service leaves a lot to be desired. You better hope your flight doesn't get canceled. If it is, you may have to wait a few days for a return flight. They don't fly to all the same cities from the various hubs. So some of the flights aren't as regular as other places. You can go online and see either accolades or complaints (there are many). Even though Charleroi is a hub, my friends prefer other carriers who are still low cost, but friendlier and more efficient. The "cabin crew" are about 18 years of age, no experience, etc., so you better hope there isn't an emergency such as the Hudson incident. With so many flights all over Europe, I have to be concerned about the flight crew's experience as well.
etirpsha Jan 25th 2009 12:48PM
As I read some of these comments, I am reminded of the book, "The Ugly American". Although set in pre-war Southeast Asia, it tells of just how Americans are seen by so many people around the world--rude, boorish, selfish, self-centered and ignorant. I am so often embarrassed to be an American when I hear some of our citizens whining and complaining and showing themselves to be a selfish ass, and giving the impression that all Americans are like that.
Well, folks, try to learn a little bit about the airline business before whining and complaining. It only makes you look more foolish. No, stupid.
Mike Jan 29th 2009 3:10PM
Well Samantha, why should people that weigh as much as two people get the same price as one? You must be severely overweight, ignorant to the fact that weight equals fuel comsumption or both.