Ryanair may save €50m on unchecked bags
Michael O'Leary: Ryanair will save millions by discouraging bag check-in. Photo: Bloomberg
“We want passengers to bring two or three pieces of luggage that pass through the airport security check instead of one big suitcase which has to be handled by ground services,” O’Leary said in an interview in Dusseldorf, Germany.
The Dublin-based carrier will only allow internet check-in from October at the latest and plans to ban bag check-in next year, the CEO said. About 25pc of Ryanair’s passengers now travel with luggage that must be processed by ground handlers. The airline has said it will require travellers to take luggage to a “bag drop” and plans to shut check-in desks.
Ryanair will carry more passengers in 2009 than Lufthansa, after beating the German airline in March and April, O’Leary said. Ryanair will announce three or four new bases in July, including one in Germany, the CEO said. The airline is in talks to set up a base in Malta and double the number of people it flies to the Mediterranean island, Ken O’Toole, Ryanair’s route director, said.
(Bloomberg)
- Holger Elfes
