Ryanair fliers pay £2.5bn in add-ons
Ryanair fliers pay £2.5bn in add-ons: Extra charges for priority boarding, checked-in bags and seat reservations now account for 35% of the airline’s total revenue
- Ryanair raked in £2.5billion last year due to add-on charges, analysis reveals
- Airline’s haul from extra costs was 18 per cent more than the previous year
- Shows Ireland-based carrier makes more from extras than any airline outside US
Ryanair raked in a staggering £2.5billion last year thanks to add-on charges, analysis reveals.
The airline made £7million a day in 2019 as rising numbers of passengers paid extra for priority boarding, checked-in bags and seat reservations.
Ryanair’s haul from extra costs was 18 per cent more than the previous year and now works out at 35 per cent of its revenue.
Ryanair raked in £2.5billion last year as rising numbers of passengers paid extra for priority boarding, checked-in bags and seat reservations. (Stock image)
Ten years ago, add-on charges amounted to just 22 per cent of the budget airline’s total revenue.
Checking in a 20kg bag with Ryanair now costs £25 to £50, while seat reservations cost between £3 and £13 per flight. Priority boarding with two cabin bags costs between £6 and £20.
The latest figures show the Ireland-based carrier makes more from extras than any airline outside the US.
And last year’s haul is £1billion more than the amount made in extra charges by EasyJet, according to the research by aviation consultancy IdeaWorksCompany.
Airlines have become increasingly reliant on add-ons amid intense pressure on fares and rising fuel costs. This reliance will continue as passenger numbers remain low during the pandemic.
Ryanair is expected to make much less from add-ons this year.
Bosses boasted last year that although basic Ryanair fares have fallen by 5 per cent, an average of £32.76 is paid in extras per return flight.
The airline makes more from extras than any airline outside the US. (Stock image)
A 10kg check-in bag with the carrier costs between £10 and £17.50, or up to £25 if reserved after the initial booking.
Ryanair has claimed baggage costs are not designed to raise money but are intended to cut delays caused by passengers bringing on more luggage than can fit into overhead lockers.
The airline has also denied profiting from fears that families will be split up if they do not pay extra to reserve their seats.
Ryanair insists it does not deliberately split up groups, but an investigation by the Civil Aviation Authority found its passengers were twice as likely to be split up if they do not pay extra to reserve a seat than those on other airlines.
Guy Anker, deputy editor of Money Saving Expert, said: ‘Ryanair flights are not expensive, but it has long been the king of extras.Flying most of the time has got cheaper than it used to be, but passengers have got to look with their eyes open.
‘If you want anything other than to get yourself and the clothes you are wearing on board, you will have to pay extra.’
A Ryanair spokesman said: ‘All of Ryanair’s ancillary products [add-ons] are optional choices for consumers and our product offering and prices are fully transparent.’
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