Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary has said the airline is considering increasing a bonus it pays to workers for identifying passengers with oversized bags.
Staff currently receive €1.50 (£1.30) if they intercept customers who are trying to bring bags that are too large on a Ryanair plane. Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland today, Mr O’Leary confirmed the practice and revealed the airline is contemplating raising the incentive.
“We’re thinking of increasing it [the bonus],” Mr O’Leary said, describing oversized baggage as a “scourge” that delays boarding and disrupts the travel experience for compliant passengers.
Aggressive Stance on Baggage Rules
The airline chief executive defended the controversial practice, stating that over 99.9% of passengers follow the baggage rules correctly. He pointed to “sizers” located within airports that allow travellers to measure their bags before boarding.
“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,” Mr O’Leary said.
Under current rules, Ryanair passengers can be charged up to €75 (£65) for bringing a bag larger than the size they paid for while booking their flight. Staff bonuses are reportedly capped at around €80 per month, according to The Sunday Times.
Current and Future Baggage Allowances
The airline currently allows a small carry-on bag – with a size capped at 40cm x 20cm x 25cm and weight of 10kg – with every ticket. This must fit under the seat in front of passengers.
However, this is set to increase to 40cm x 30cm x 20cm as a result of minimum standards being brought in by the EU. The change will offer passengers an additional 4 litres of volume, which Ryanair says is enough for an extra pair of shoes or a few T-shirts.
Struggling with Capacity
Mr O’Leary explained that the airline’s aircraft are already operating at capacity when it comes to baggage storage. “We’re flying largely full flights, about half the passengers can bring two bags, or the other half can only bring one bag, because that’s all that fits in the plane,” he said.
“In fact, we’re already struggling with that amount of baggage, and that’s one of the reasons we are so aggressive about eliminating the scourge of passengers with excess baggage.”
EU Baggage Standardisation
The bonus controversy comes as the European Union moves towards standardising hand luggage rules across all airlines. Trade body Airlines for Europe (A4E), which includes Ryanair, announced that its members will implement guaranteed minimum dimensions of 40x30x15cm for personal items by the end of summer 2025.
Members of the European Parliament have also proposed requiring airlines to allow two free cabin bags, though Mr O’Leary has expressed scepticism about whether these regulations will pass into law.
Strong Financial Performance
Mr O’Leary’s comments came as Ryanair reported a jump in profits for the April to June period. The airline said profits after tax rose to €820m (£710.3m) for the period, up from €360m a year earlier, helped by the timing of Easter and a rise in fares.
Revenue increased by 20% to €4.34 billion, driven by a 21% increase in average fares. The airline carried 57.9 million passengers during the quarter, up 4% year-on-year.
Summer Outlook
Looking ahead, Mr O’Leary said Ryanair’s summer fares would be the same rate on average as 2023 but added he thought the airline could boost its profitability by “controlling costs.”
The airline expects to grow traffic by just 3% to 206 million passengers in the current financial year, constrained by ongoing delays in Boeing aircraft deliveries.
Despite criticism from consumer groups and passengers about the baggage fee practices, Ryanair maintains that its approach ensures fairness for the vast majority of travellers who comply with the rules. The airline stated: “Our message to those 0.1% of passengers is simple; please comply with our generous bag rules or you will be charged at check-in or at the gate.”
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