Ryanair has backtracked on its plan to impose checked baggage fees on passengers who booked flights for travel after its new policy goes into affect ahead of the 1 September deadline.
When the Irish low-cost carrier announced its new baggage policy in August – which will see free second hand luggage up to 10kg scrapped for non-priority customers – the new rule was applied to existing bookings even though the change would not be implemented online until 1 September.
That meant passengers who had already booked non-priority tickets for travel after 1 November would have had to pay to either upgrade to a priority ticket for £8/€8 or to check their second bag for £10/€10.
Now, the carrier has said customers who booked tickets on or before 31 August will not be charged if they chose to check their 10kg bag rather than upgrade to priority. Customers have been notified by email that a free 10kg checked bag has been added to their booking, according to the airline.
Ryanair says the 50,000 passengers who had booked on or before 31 August and had paid to upgrade to a priority ticket have had the fee refunded but will still be able to travel as priority passengers.
The airline is calling the move a ‘pre-Christmas gift’ for passengers, saying non-priority passengers “will not be penalised in any way by the introduction” of the new policy.
Kenny Jacobs, chief marketing officer at Ryanair, said: “All passengers booking our lowest fares after 31 August have chosen our €6 priority boarding fee (which allows them to bring two free carry-on bags) or have chosen our €8 10kg check bag service, or have chosen to pay no optional extra but will travel with our generous small carry-on bag allowance – which has been increased by 40 per cent – from 1 November.”
In other news, Ryanair’s Irish pilots have voted to accept the deal agreed between the carrier and the Forsa union, bringing an end to a series of strikes in a row over base transfers and promotions.