RYANAIR RAKE-OFF
Operator flying high in £1.8bn extras windfall
BUDGET airline Ryanair raked in a massive £1.8billion last year by selling add-ons to flights.
The company’s income surged from the sales, with 28% of its total income now coming from such extras payments as checkedin bags and reserved seats.
Experts say the rise was partly fuelled by doubling the number of passengers who paid for dedicated seating, with a 500% increase in priority boarding.
Half of passengers are now paying for a seat in advance, rising from 23% last year.
The proportion of people paying for priority boarding also soared, jumping from 4% to 20%.
Despite the bonus charges, a study found most passengers were fine with forking over more for perks on top of the basic flight.
Research also revealed things were going so well Ryanair, fronted by Michael O’Leary, made more money from extras than any other airline outside the United States. The opportunity to buy extras has spread in the past few years, with British Airways recently announcing a basic hand luggage-only fare for 10 routes.
But Ryanair is facing calls to be more open about costs. Rory Boland, editor at Which? Travel magazine, claimed: “Ryanair calls itself the airline of low fares but it’s also the airline of high fees.
“A basic £30 return fare between London and Dublin can double if you add an allocated seat both ways and priority boarding. There is a feeling that airlines can be more upfront about these fees.”
The Department for Transport has announced a review of the booking system in the airline industry. They claimed there were “questions about whether the pricing of tickets and potential ‘add-on’ charges is clear”.
Ryanair said it has “no hidden extras and all optional services / fees are brought to customers’ attention and agreed prior to booking.”
The Star Says: Page 6