Ryanair will fine passengers who try to break cabin baggage rules
Wednesday January 21 2009
FOR those of you cheeky enough to try to smuggle in a handbag along with your backpack when you board a Ryanair flight -- your days are numbered. The no-frills airlines will be rapping offenders on the knuckles and slapping them with a €30 fine if they try to carry more than one piece of cabin baggage on board.
Current rules allow passengers to take along baggage weighing up to 10kg, but Ryanair management claims that there has been a big increase in those "abusing" this privilege.
Spokesperson for Ryanair Stephen McNamara explained the new rules, saying that the current allowance is already a generous one.
"Due to the large increase in passengers abusing this allowance Ryanair will now charge passengers for each additional piece of carry-on luggage," he said.
"Passengers are made clearly aware of their cabin allowance at the time of their booking and it is also printed on their online boarding cards, said Mr McNamara, adding that passengers who over-pack and refuse to pay the fine will not be allowed to travel.
The policy will be enforced for everyone travelling on all Ryanair flights.
It means that everything that passengers wish to bring on the plane, including handbags and laptops, must be contained inside one single bag.
Passengers have been advised to pay the €15 charge to check in a bag, rather than risk a heftier fine for too many bags at the departure gates.
- Caitrina Cody
