How to stop the airlines giving you a handbagging over your carry-on case
WHAT YOU CAN TAKE IN CABIN FOR FREE – AND PENALTY FOR BREAKING THE RULES
You may think you’re grabbing a bargain with a cheap flight for €80. But by the time you’ve paid for all the ‘extras’, you’ll be forking out €100 more on average. A quarter of the money spent on budget airlines goes on so-called ‘ancillary revenue’ – extras on top of the price of the flight – according to UK-based independent researcher IdeaWorksCompany. It found these extras generate €8bn of revenue a year for low cost carriers – with baggage being the biggest money spinner, raking in 60% of this revenue.
I remember seeing an unfortunate young man at an adjoining check-in desk a few years back, when such things were still used for short haul flights.
His name was Will on his ticket – but William on his passport. He was insisting he should be let on the plane anyway, but the airline staff did not appear to be cutting him any slack as I checked in.
So make sure you type in the correct spelling of a name on a ticket – otherwise an airline such as Ryanair can demand €160 to change the details.
Changing tickets can leave you more out of pocket than if you leave your old ones unused and simply buy new ones, as Irish Mail on Sunday readers have catalogued.
Therapist Ina Sieczko paid for a return flight to Poland to visit her family in December 2017.
The day after making the booking in October, she had to change their travel plans and immediately told Ryanair they wished to go in January instead. The airline said the new flight, including ‘change fee’, would cost nearly €300.
Yet when UK-based Ina, 35, pressed the button to pay, an email came back with a final fee of €560 – including the money previously paid and the change fee. She rang Ryanair and was told ticket prices varied on the day. She duly paid.
Out of interest, Ina looked up how much it would have cost had she simply bought new tickets online. By changing her flights, she believes she paid nearly €100 more than if she had simply bought new tickets.
She says: ‘It would have been far cheaper to have torn up the tickets and thrown them in the bin and simply bought new flights. Rebooking seemed to be a waste of money.’
Despite the extra fees now charged by both Ryanair and Aer Lingus for pre-booking seats, the number of people opting for this extra cost has doubled.
This is because the random allocation of seats means partners are sometimes seated away from each other.
The number of customers paying for priority boarding has also risen fourfold for Ryanair, as people attempt to avoid a scrum at the departure gate.
Ryanair says: ‘Over the past 18 months we have seen about half our customers reserve a seat. All optional extras are visible and transparent on our website.
‘All fees are brought to customers’ attention and agreed prior to boarding.’ All budget airlines are at it – and some are even surpassing Michael O’Leary, the master of extracting every last cent from passengers, at his own game. The Ryanair chief’s old friend Willie Walsh – now head of BA and Aer Lingus owner IAG – doesn’t stint on stinging passengers with extras either.
Aer Lingus charges less for a name change, but more for extra leg room after following Ryanair’s example into this controversial charging territory.
If you wish to change travel dates, Ryanair can demand €35-€65 online, while Aer Lingus charges €40.
Airlines also line their pockets by forcing holidaymakers to pay more for better seats, or if they want to sit together.
British Airways has a generous baggage allowance, but a €70 fee if you exceed it. It can demand over €20 to reserve a seat on a journey – yet consumer group Which? has found nine out of 10 families are automatically put together.
Extra legroom – sitting beside the emergency exit – can cost more with British Airways than Ryanair.
Hannah Maundrell, of consumer website Money, says: ‘Assume an airline will always try to generate more money through sneaky charges. ‘Seat allocation is a naughty extra, but if you pack less you will make the most savings from using a budget airline.
‘Budget airlines are great if travelling light, but if you have luggage, want a decent seat and a free glass of wine, you are better off looking elsewhere.’
An increasing number of companies do business in this way – notably those involved in car hire, energy and TV, phone and broadband services.
They charge an eye-catching cheap rate to lure you in – and then clobber you with extras or higher charges once your introductory discount expires.
Just be aware of these charges and act accordingly.
If it suits you to arrange priority booking and pay for extra luggage, and you are still getting a good deal, there’s no point in getting annoyed about it. If not, simply book elsewhere.
However, while other carriers may be apeing Ryanair’s tactics, the Irish carrier doesn’t get completely off the hook.
Unlike some others, it won’t allow you that crucial piece of sizeable hand luggage without you paying extra for priority boarding.
And it has gone a step further down the ‘Confusopoly’ route than most, with layer upon layer of hardto-understand fees.
I’m not saying that they don’t spell them out somewhere. But they are not easy to figure out – even for someone like me who is used to wading through financial details.
All of this is detrimental to consumer interests.
Because, if you don’t fully understand the deal, how on earth can you tell if it’s good or not?