Ryanair accused over 'hidden' charges

[Bazz]

From the Daily Telegraph website:

A no-frills airline is taken to task over priority boarding fee, Charles Starmer-Smith examines the small print.

Ryanair was accused this week of effectively charging passengers an extra fee, even if they travel without luggage. The airline, which has already imposed a £7 return charge for every item put in the hold, now appears to be charging anyone who travels without bags a £4 fee for return flights when they book on its website.

After choosing flights, the airline asks every passenger how many bags will be checked in. The only option given for those without luggage includes a priority boarding charge (which entitles you to board the plane first, having gone straight to the departure desk and avoided the check-in queue) of £4 return. Only after you have selected this option does small print appear below, giving you the opportunity to remove the charge - something that many passengers seem unaware of.

Full piece can be read here.

[Scrooge]

This is just getting silly, I can understand the charging for luggage, but to make a charge hard to opt out of just stinks of being underhand.

Also while I am having a mini rant, I am sick to death of the fuel surcharge BS, it has now been long enough where it is not a surcharge, I know no airline is going to put it into the base ticket price because the traveling public will look at only that price, but enough already.

On a related theme I think Easyjet should be more honest over their "Speedy Boarding" policy. The fact is that, if your EZY flight is not gate served, ie. coached instead, there is absolutely no gain to be had. Yes, they invite Speedy Boarders to "board the coach" first only to end up with the rest of the people in the gateroom following closely behind! We learned this to our peril on a recent EZY flight to Athens [n]

[honey lamb]

I've just booked a Ryanair for a friend who manages to screw up each time she tries it no matter how many times I have talked her through it [ii] Sure enough, if you select 0 bags up pops a Û6 charge for OLCI/Priority Boarding but if you read the blurb underneath there is a blue Remove link which does just that. I seem to remember coming across this before and removing this charge, but it is sneaky

Why the extra charge for no bags? Or does Ryanair feel that it has to charge passengers for carrying fresh air in the hold/cabin...its not as if fresh air is heavy!

What fools [V]

[honey lamb]

Originally posted by VS075
Why the extra charge for no bags? Or does Ryanair feel that it has to charge passengers for carrying fresh air in the hold/cabin...its not as if fresh air is heavy!

What fools [V]

It's not charging extra for no bags, it's charging extra for OLCI/priority boarding. You have only ever been able to do OLCI with Ryanair if you have no bags to check and if you have done OLCI you automatically get priority boarding. They are now charging for this service if you choose to take this option. When you get to that page there is a drop-down menu which asks "How many bags to check in" and when you select that option a charge appears together with this message:

You have selected our Online Check-In/Priority Boarding service, passengers who qualify for this service can avoid check-in queues and be priority boarded onto the aircraft. DonÕt forget to check-in online from 2 days up to 4 hours prior to the scheduled flight departure time. Click to Remove this service and just travel with 0 bags.