Ryanair baggage allowance rip off
My gripe is the ridiculous Ryanair excess baggage policy. Lots of people use low-cost airlines these days because its a cheap way to fly and we can all do without the frills when we want to go and see family. However, be warned, sometimes travelling with a no-frills airline can cost you more than you think. In particular, pay attention to your baggage allowance or you could end up paying a hefty surcharge for those suitcases on your return trip.
Back in the good old days a few kilos here and there didnt matter, but at some airports and with some airlines they count every kilo and will quite literally come down on you like a ton of bricks if your baggage is overweight.
I travelled from Stanstead to Valencia with family this year for Christmas by the low fairs airline Ryanair. We packed as light as we could and between the five of us had two suitcases and one piece of hand luggage each. We had no problem on the outward journey as the suitcases weighed 15 and 20 kilos each and the hand luggage was around 10 kilos which was the recommended weight. Generally I have found that the check-in staff are quite agreeable. A small discretionary surplus is to be expected and overall it often averages out as sometimes the hand luggage is light or one or more of the items of baggage I the party will be light.
On the return journey we pre-paid for one extra piece of baggage at cost of 10 to accommodate Christmas presents and souvineers bought whilst on holiday. We considered the possibility that we may be slightly over the limit of 15 kilos, but probably not by much and as it wasnt a problem on the outward journey we proceeded to the check-in desk.
Imagine our surprise when the Ryanair employee checked our baggage in and handed us an excess baggage receipt and instructed us to go to the desk and cough up an extra 80 Euros because the combined excess weight of our suitcases was 10 kilos! Bear in mind that there were five of us travelling and between us we only had three suitcases. She even held back a boarding pass until we came back with the stamped receipt as proof of payment.
The whole experience left me mad as hell and we werent the only passengers to suffer this fate. The people in line in front of us ended up re-packing their suitcases to try and escape the excess baggage penalty. Unfortunately we couldnt do that as she had already billed us for the extra kilos and was ready to move on to the next load of passengers.
Cheap flights, but theyve sure found another way of screwing the passengers out of money. Why cant they be a bit more lenient with the weight allowance? I can understand that the restrictions are there partly for safety reasons, but I do think in this case the check-in staff were a little bit harsh. Maybe they really should start weighing the passengers as well. That would make life interesting!
By: Kenny
Comments from visitors
Will people stop complaining about being charged for excess baggage, if you don't want to pay then don't take excess baggage, simple really. I love budget airlines, 2 return tickets with Ryanair from Bristol to Belfast, TOTAL cost £20.04p simply becasue I read the terms and conditions and stuck to them. I didn't take excess baggage and made sure my bag was the size specified.
If you want to be treated like a first class passenger then travel first class with an airline that offers you this choice.
If you want to be treated like a first class passenger then travel first class with an airline that offers you this choice.
+2
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I bought a new overnight bag a couple of weeks ago for work. You know the type, just enough room for a change of shirt, underwear and yournlaptop. I bought it at the Samsonite store at Freeport in Braintree and the staff were excellent. They checked to see if it fitted for Ryanair by going on their website and then setting their bag gauge to those sizes. It fit snugly inside with no real room but not a squash either.
I flew on Thursday last week from Stansted with easyJet. Whilst hanging around I had the idea of trying my bag in the Ryanair gauge at the airport. Guess what, it didn't fit!
I was immediately jumped on by a Ryanair member of staff that told me that I'd have to check the bag into the hold and pay extra. Once I had explained that I was checking for future reference and was actually flying with another airline, I went on to explain my confusion that although the bag was under the size published on their website and it fit into the gauge in the
shop, it didn't fit in their gauge, Why not? I asked. The answer stunned me. The guy orang forward and said, and I swear this is the truth, "you didn't expect it to be the same size as published did you?"
So, if I do happen to fly with them in future I'm taking a print out from their website and a tape measure. I'll be armed and ready for the robbing bast*rds!
I flew on Thursday last week from Stansted with easyJet. Whilst hanging around I had the idea of trying my bag in the Ryanair gauge at the airport. Guess what, it didn't fit!
I was immediately jumped on by a Ryanair member of staff that told me that I'd have to check the bag into the hold and pay extra. Once I had explained that I was checking for future reference and was actually flying with another airline, I went on to explain my confusion that although the bag was under the size published on their website and it fit into the gauge in the
shop, it didn't fit in their gauge, Why not? I asked. The answer stunned me. The guy orang forward and said, and I swear this is the truth, "you didn't expect it to be the same size as published did you?"
So, if I do happen to fly with them in future I'm taking a print out from their website and a tape measure. I'll be armed and ready for the robbing bast*rds!
-2
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We use Ryan air a lot during the year and never have a problem, but this week my wife went to visit our daughter for a few days with just hand luggage. For the first time due to traffic we arrived less than an hour before making her rush to catch the plane leaving her no time to weigh her normal case. She was stopped at the check in and asked to see her bag, she was 1 kilo over weight and was forced to pay £40 as had another passenger before her who was also rushing. I would like to know how many times this occurs because it seems to me they target those who are flustered and rushed so you pay up quickly in order to catch the flight. I call this HIGHFLIGHT ROBBERY. Yes we know the rules but in this case she had no time to verify the weight.
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Why didn't you just check Ryanair's webiste? The list of fees is clearly linked at the top of the page. Unfortunately you'll pay through the nose if you carry excess lugagge on any airline.
+2
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Thank you for the wise review. This was just the sort of answer I was looking for to the question of "how much will they charge if my bag is over the weight limit?" I guess in the end Ryanair can still manage to make a 30 euro ticket equal 100 or more.
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Even with Ryanair you have the right to ask for the certificate proving that the scales has been calibrated and corrected recently
Not exactly true, my sister works in trading standards, and I asked her about this, if ryanair scales are not working properly, they should not be getting used
so if you refuse to pay the excess, and might miss your flight, you could suggest then, you will get trading standards involved
Not exactly true, my sister works in trading standards, and I asked her about this, if ryanair scales are not working properly, they should not be getting used
so if you refuse to pay the excess, and might miss your flight, you could suggest then, you will get trading standards involved
+3
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Rules are there for a reason.
If you have only paid to take 15kg in one bag then why fraudulantly try to take 16kgs?
This is theft and that is why you get charged.
If you have only paid to take 15kg in one bag then why fraudulantly try to take 16kgs?
This is theft and that is why you get charged.
+4
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A family of four booking a ticket on some low-cost airlines have to incur a £40 fee with many airlines when paying by credit card.
Which?, the consumer watchdog, has launched a so-called Super Complaint against credit card surcharges. A Super Complaint, which only a small number of bodies are allowed to issue, ensures that the Office of Fair Trading conducts a preliminary investigation, with the option to undertake a full-scale review.
The cost to the airline would be around 20 pence to process a debit card payment and no more than 2 per cent of the transaction value for a credit card, it claimed. While Ryanair charges a family of four £40, the same family would be charged £38.50 by Flybe and £5.50 by easyJet. "
Which?, the consumer watchdog, has launched a so-called Super Complaint against credit card surcharges. A Super Complaint, which only a small number of bodies are allowed to issue, ensures that the Office of Fair Trading conducts a preliminary investigation, with the option to undertake a full-scale review.
The cost to the airline would be around 20 pence to process a debit card payment and no more than 2 per cent of the transaction value for a credit card, it claimed. While Ryanair charges a family of four £40, the same family would be charged £38.50 by Flybe and £5.50 by easyJet. "
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"The problem arises from the lack of consistency with regard to the application of the allowances and tolerances."
Actually Ryanair is probably no. 1 in the world when it comes to consistently enforcing their regulations. Basically their motto is: No exceptions.
If you'll note, the author with the gripe is the one endorsing that rules shouldn't be strictly enforced but rather enforced on a case by case basis.
I agree with you that the creditcard fees are extortionate but they are not hidden. They will be clearly displayed before you finish your payment.
Actually Ryanair is probably no. 1 in the world when it comes to consistently enforcing their regulations. Basically their motto is: No exceptions.
If you'll note, the author with the gripe is the one endorsing that rules shouldn't be strictly enforced but rather enforced on a case by case basis.
I agree with you that the creditcard fees are extortionate but they are not hidden. They will be clearly displayed before you finish your payment.
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"So apparently an airline following the guidelines that are clearly presented to passengers in emails and on the website is now considered 'ridiculous' and constitutes 'screwing the passengers out of money'."
The problem arises from the lack of consistency with regard to the application of the allowances and tolerances.
"There are no hidden fees with Ryanair. Everything is clearly spelled out at the time of booking. "
Up to a point this is true, but the credit card fees are not added until the payment process. This is understandable because up to the point of payment, the system does not know what credit card is going to be used, and different types attract different levels of fee. What is scandalous with Ryanair is that they charge the fee per segment and per passenger, whereas other airlines charge it as a one off on the booking. Where other airlines are simply recouping the cost of card payment, Ryanair are making a large profit out of it.
"If you don't like it, fly with someone else."
I do, frequently, and hopefully will never have to fly with Ryanair.
The problem arises from the lack of consistency with regard to the application of the allowances and tolerances.
"There are no hidden fees with Ryanair. Everything is clearly spelled out at the time of booking. "
Up to a point this is true, but the credit card fees are not added until the payment process. This is understandable because up to the point of payment, the system does not know what credit card is going to be used, and different types attract different levels of fee. What is scandalous with Ryanair is that they charge the fee per segment and per passenger, whereas other airlines charge it as a one off on the booking. Where other airlines are simply recouping the cost of card payment, Ryanair are making a large profit out of it.
"If you don't like it, fly with someone else."
I do, frequently, and hopefully will never have to fly with Ryanair.
-4
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So apparently an airline following the guidelines that are clearly presented to passengers in emails and on the website is now considered 'ridiculous' and constitutes 'screwing the passengers out of money'.
There are no hidden fees with Ryanair. Everything is clearly spelled out at the time of booking. If you don't like it, fly with someone else.
There are no hidden fees with Ryanair. Everything is clearly spelled out at the time of booking. If you don't like it, fly with someone else.
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Even with Ryanair you have the right to ask for the certificate proving that the scales has been calibrated and corrected recently. Failing that you can ask for your bag to be weighed on 3 different machines of your choice. and you take the average of that. They will invariably back down.
I checked in a bag recently (not Ryanair, I would never fly with that bunch of cowboys) but with another carrier. The indication was that my baggage weighed 36 kg. I stood on the scales, and it overread my weight (which I know) by 8 kg. I took the bag and weighed it on three other scales and got 32 kg, 28 kg, and 26 kg respectively, average 30.5, which was the figure finally agreed. I also made a formal complaint to the airport management.
I checked in a bag recently (not Ryanair, I would never fly with that bunch of cowboys) but with another carrier. The indication was that my baggage weighed 36 kg. I stood on the scales, and it overread my weight (which I know) by 8 kg. I took the bag and weighed it on three other scales and got 32 kg, 28 kg, and 26 kg respectively, average 30.5, which was the figure finally agreed. I also made a formal complaint to the airport management.
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its funny you should say that , I have just got back from a holiday in norway for christmas , on the way there I weighed 17.8 kilos I suffered the 40 pounds charge but on my way back from norway I weighed 17.4 kilos , I took a lot of presents over there with me but came back with a more or less empty case , just a few clothes in the bag ,, so either 13 xmas presents(one of them weighed a kilo on its own) either weighed 0.4 kg or the scales arent calibrated correctly , what a terrible service!!!!
+4
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I have used Ryanair and found them to be prompt, efficient service. The seating is comfortable (Monarch by comparison were very limited leg room).
It seems a very fair and very reasonable to charge extra for luggage. In this way, we were able to travel very cheap. Our hand luggage comprised of a small, trolley suitcase that was within their size restrictions and just right for me and my luggage.I carried my toiletries (shampoos, creams, etc) in small bottles.
On one occasion, I needed to take extra luggage and very happy to pay 35 euros each way.
The overall cost was still cheaper than main flights.
Inspite of comments, I have found the travelling experience with Ryanair to be excellent and professional.
( I have travelled by Thomas Cook own flights, Monarch, Xcel, BA and AirFrance)
It seems a very fair and very reasonable to charge extra for luggage. In this way, we were able to travel very cheap. Our hand luggage comprised of a small, trolley suitcase that was within their size restrictions and just right for me and my luggage.I carried my toiletries (shampoos, creams, etc) in small bottles.
On one occasion, I needed to take extra luggage and very happy to pay 35 euros each way.
The overall cost was still cheaper than main flights.
Inspite of comments, I have found the travelling experience with Ryanair to be excellent and professional.
( I have travelled by Thomas Cook own flights, Monarch, Xcel, BA and AirFrance)
+2
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Contrary to all the spin and artuk's comment below, Ryanair are in practice a partial monopoly, due to their having dominated many of the fixed number of flight slots now that are available at airports, particularly Stansted. Customers in practice do not have the choices Ryan may claim, either for leisure or business flights. Unfortunately not everyone wants cheap low grade flight travel, yet the alternatives in practice can be very limited compared to 10 years ago. In any case, irrespective of the level of service, they have a responsibility (as all carriers) to operate a reasonable service for passengers in line with EU regulations (which they try to avoid as in the recent Iceland volcano situation), and not to hide behind hypocritical spin about 'low costs' whilst treating passengers (and their safety) with contempt and running away from basic good service obligations. Ryanair are the modern day equivalent of mill owners,and it's really time they behaved as a responsible service business and not a bargain basement operator who pretends they have customers interests and wallets at heart. Profit via commercial bullying is the actuality. Customers should not refrain from demanding basic good service from this cowboy operator, irrespective of how little has been paid.
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Ryanair is a rip off. There are so many 'hidden' costs making it a rip off airline. You would absolutely need to a lot of bone up on the small print. Don't buy a ticket in a rush cos you will be penalised by Ryanair with their hidden costs that you did not read in haste.
Rubbish airline
Rubbish airline
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There are enough examples in the literature to make clear that "flying with Ryan" is a game, and it's a game you don't want to lose. Bone up on the tricks and put up with the lack of "frills" and you will enjoy the price you expected.
+2
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Ryanair baggage is a rip off. We thought we has a bargain flight and then realised that with baggage costs it was not much difference to other low cost airlines. So many people fall for the price of Ryanair flights and then find out all the extra costs does not make it any or much cheaper than other airlines.
A lesson learned.
A lesson learned.
-3
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Stress free? - 11-Nov-10 23:03
I have NO TIME for people who complain about Ryanair, their terms, conditions and charges are clearly displayed on the website when you book your tickets. If you don't want to pay excess baggage charge then don't take excess baggage. We used Ryanair to Ireland, TOTAL cost for two people return was £20.04p, BMI baby wanted £180 and Easy Jet £85 for the same trip. If I hadn't printed boarding passes myself and had bags to check in the cost with Ryanair would have been higher than BMI baby. People want cheap flights with all the options of expensvie flights, your choice when you book, stop whining, it's YOUR choice.
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Often their weigh in machines are wrongly calibrated. And a number of airlines have been found to do this. Also their handluggage measurers (for want of a better word) are square at the check in but are curved when you go through security so it will not fit and you are hit again for excess as they insist it must go in the hold.
Not cheaper, dirty planes (in my experience), unpleasant flying experience, everything they sell on board is over priced and they provide NO customer service.
Fly with another airline.
Not cheaper, dirty planes (in my experience), unpleasant flying experience, everything they sell on board is over priced and they provide NO customer service.
Fly with another airline.
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