Travellers flying with no-frills airlines are still paying more than the advertised price of the ticket, according to Holiday Which?. (1/9/2008)
"Despite laws forcing airlines to include compulsory taxes and charges in their headline prices, budget airlines are devising new ways in which to levy extra charges on passengers, sometimes up to ?28 more than the advertised ticket cost," the company stated. "Holiday Which? found Ryanair to be the worst offender, charging passengers ?20 at the airport to check a bag into the hold and ?4 simply to use the check-in desk."
Monarch Airlines and Bmibaby also charge ?20 for checking a bag into the hold, while Flybe charges ?18 and Easyjet ?10. Passengers wanting to use the speedy boarding service offered by Easyjet can expect to pay up to ?15 extra, while Ryanair charges an additional ?4 for this service. These charges are on top of the credit card fees airlines charge at the time of booking, which can range from ?3.50 to ?4.90, added the company.
Holiday Which? Editor Lorna Cowan said: "We´re disappointed to see the major budget airlines are introducing charges for services that were once included in the full cost of the ticket. Ryanair´s charge to use its check-in desk is especially unfair. The only way to avoid this is to not check any luggage into the hold."
"Although the airlines view these services as optional, who would go on a week´s holiday without checking a bag into the hold? Holiday Which? would like to see airlines put a halt to these extra charges – who knows what they´ll be charging for next."
Holiday Which? is a subscription-only holiday magazine published 4 times a year by Which?
