Jaunted

Ryanair Finds More Ways to Earn a Quid

5/21/2008 at 9:05 AM
Tags: Ryanair, Low Cost Carriers, LCCs, Airline Fees (all tags)

We naïvely thought a budget airline was supposed to help us get places cheaply. But European LCC Ryanair is doing its absolute best to take the "low cost" out of low cost carrier: Now it's scrapping the free priority boarding for those who check in online.

Last August, Ryanair started charging passengers for physically checking in at the airport rather than online, which meant passengers taking baggage had to pay both a luggage charge and a check-in charge, as you couldn't print a boarding pass at home if you had bags. In January, the airline increased those costs.

The latest additional charge is for anyone who wants priority boarding. (That is, you get to fight for a seat with the first lot of passengers, rather than straggle on when most seats are already taken.) This privilege will now cost £4 ($8), regardless of check-in style. Up to 40 percent of passengers can buy priority boarding, so it's not even guaranteeing you a fantastic seat. We'd probably just skip it.

Related Stories:
· Ryanair Extends Priority Boarding Charges [Business Traveller]
· RyanAir Really Wants You To Leave Luggage At Home [Jaunted]
· RyanAir: Now It Costs Money Just To Check In [Jaunted]

[Photo: dolanh]