Oh, Ryanair! There’s nothing about air travel that you won’t consider eliminating! Up next: the airport check-in counter.
European budget airline Ryanair wants to do away with airport check-in desks by the end of the year, saying most of its customers already check in online.
Passengers would still be able to leave their luggage at a baggage drop but everything else could be done over the Web, Ryanair Holdings PLC said Saturday.
“Ultimately, we want just one in five people to check in luggage,” Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary was quoted as saying in The Daily Telegraph newspaper.
Clearly, Ryanair doesn’t want you to check bags. Ever.
They’re already fighting hard to keep you from bringing your luggage. Remember that Ryanair already charges an airport check-in fee, as well as luggage fees that make American carriers’ luggage fees seem downright cheap. The maximum combined weight of all bags on Ryanair is 15 kg, or 33 lbs. (The US standard is 50 lbs. or 22.7 kg per bag.)
Ryanair charges £9.50 for the first bag and £19.00 for each additional bag, regardless of weight. Plus for every kilogram over 15 in your total baggage weight, Ryanair charges an extra £14. And these rates assume you booked on the airline’s website… if you booked elsewhere, double the base rate. These fees add up. Fast.
But apparently those prices aren’t sufficient disincentive. If check-in counters are such an attractive nuisance, what’s next? Maybe we should get rid of terminals entirely?
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February 23rd, 2009 at 11:25 am
How would that save them money? Seems like those kiosks would pay for themselves….I think they are convenient and have used them when my printer has been out of ink.
February 23rd, 2009 at 12:14 pm
This is ridiculous, then Ryan air’s cheap tickets are a sham! that is if you add the fees for luggage to your ticket cost. I dont like to travel without luggage. I like to have my stuff with me as do most people I know. Actually I did realize this last summer when I flew from London to Palma for a wedding , I first wanted to take Easyjet or Ryan air but noticed their luggage fees and decided to book on BMI Baby which seemed quite reasonable in comparison. Yes it had a higher ticket price but at least I was allowed to check-in one 20 Kg bag free of charge.!
February 23rd, 2009 at 12:26 pm
How is this any different from what many airlines are already doing? I checked in with United in Honolulu and saw only machines, and recently flew to the US from Toronto via Air Canada – there used to be two lines, one for baggage drop-off and one for checking in, and now they have only one line. Which means it took me 25 minutes to get through the line to “drop off” my bags – the result of a) Air Canada’s inability to ever have enough agents working and b) the fact that many passengers in line just ignored the machines and had to be checked in anyways. Personally, I’m more than happy to check myself in provided I don’t get stuck in a line with travellers who don’t know what they’re doing. I liked the two security lines in Honolulu, one for “expert travellers” (is that what they called them?) and one for everyone else.
February 23rd, 2009 at 5:26 pm
I like their policy! Light bags mean less fuel = less pollution. And it means *I* don’t have to pay for other people’s useless luggage.
We used EasyJet last week for a midweek stay in London: two adults and a four month old baby. EasyJet makes you pay for *every* single bag. We decided to give it a try, be frugal and ended up with only one suitcase (11 kg) between the three of us.
I never saw the point in packing your complete household on a holiday, I mean: you only wear two sets of clothes anyway and never use the fancy shoes and smart extra handbag.
But this time we took traveling light to a whole new level
February 24th, 2009 at 3:55 pm
[...] The latest “frill” to be cut: Airport check-in counters (upgradetravelbetter.com) [...]
February 25th, 2009 at 9:48 am
One bag between two adults and a baby?
I travel light, but that seems downright ridiculous. I am glad I was not sitting next to you on the way back….
b.
February 27th, 2009 at 8:50 am
More Ryan air cost cutting-they are now planning to charge you to use the restroom. I do hope other airlines dont follow suit anytime soon
http://news.airwise.com/story/view/1235729305.html
February 27th, 2009 at 9:18 am
[...] to Anjeeta in the comments for pointing me toward this [...]
May 15th, 2009 at 12:02 am
[...] They’ve taken a cost-saving measure and turned it into a source of revenue. They’re ditching check-in counters already, so the revenue from this fee comes on top of personnel and infrastructure savings. [...]
August 24th, 2009 at 6:13 am
[...] The latest “frill” to be cut: Airport check-in counters | Upgrade: Travel Better http://www.upgradetravelbetter.com/2009/02/23/the-latest-frill-to-be-cut-airport-check-in-counters – view page – cached Oh, Ryanair! There's nothing about air travel that you won't consider eliminating! Up next: the airport check-in counter. European budget airline Ryanair — From the page [...]