Ryanair, an Ireland-based low cost airline, has announced that its newest policy of allowing only one cabin bag per passenger is part of its safety policy.
In response to criticism from some MEP’s regarding its baggage allowances, the company has claimed that passengers routinely carry a cabin bag weighing 10kgs on its flights, and that practice means that the overhead bins are always full. One cabin bag weighing 10kgs is allowed free of charge for the airline’s passengers, although baggage that is checked in requires a payment.
The airline head of communications, Stephen McNamara, said, ‘The inaccurate claims made by some MEP’s yesterday that Ryanair’s free of charge carry-on bag policy was designed to ‘generate revenues’ were absurd and untrue. The purpose of Ryanair’s free of charge 10kgs carry-on bag is to allow passengers to avoid our checked in bag fees. 75 percent of Ryanair’s 80 million passengers now travel without paying any checked in bag fees, while availing of our 10kg free of charge carry-on bag facility. This reduces Ryanair’s revenues (and our costs).
Ryanair’s 1 carry-on bag rule cannot be changed for safety reasons. It would be helpful if these MEP’s made some basic attempt to understand Ryanair’s safety and low fare policies before making false and inaccurate claims in the European parliament.
The idea that Europe’s only ultra low fares airline, which has pioneered low fare travel and continues to promote free of charge carry-on bags (when other airlines are increasingly charging for carry-on bags) and lower prices than any other airline, is somehow an example of ‘capitalist greed’, is as absurd as some of these MEP’s claiming to care about consumers, while travelling on high fare airlines at the taxpayers’ expense. Ryanair’s 1 bag rule is a safety rule, not a revenue rule.’
