Airlines charging MORE to transport baggage than passengers

24 June 2019, 10:52

RYANAIR, easyJet and Flybe are hitting people with staggering luggage costs as airlines increase prices

Airlines have hiked up baggage prices so much that it now costs MORE to buy luggage space than a seat on the plane.

RYANAIR, easyJet and Flybe are among the popular flight companies whose prices have skyrocketed, leaving passengers forking out extra money for hold luggage and cabin bags.

A probe for The Mail on Sunday revealed that suitcase fees often outweigh return ticket prices to popular holiday destinations all over Europe, with the companies hiding costs until the very end of the booking process.

The staggering price has crept up over a period of time and now comes as an "opt in" extra – a stark difference to when cabin and hold baggage was included in the price of a ticket.

The investigation found that five different airlines tipped the balance and charged passengers more for luggage than seats.

The newspaper claimed a bargain £29.98 Ryanair flight from London Stansted to Copenhagen shot up to almost £80 when baggage was added onto the booking.

A cheap £48.57 return easyJet flight from London Southend to Faro escalated to almost £120 when another bag was selected to go in the hold.

Flybe, Level Airlines and Vueling also displayed similar costs.

According to reports, the world's top 20 airlines profited from a 110 per cent increase in revenue between 2014 to 2018 thanks to extra luggage fees.

In fact, last year's fees have been estimated at a jaw-dropping £22.2billion.

Responding to the claims, a spokesperson for Level Airlines insisted: "Our economy cabin is excellent value for money, with affordable fares so that our clients can explore the world. They are in control because they can choose everything they want for their flight."

Ryanair said: "Our baggage policy is transparent and beneficial to customers."

easyJet added: “easyJet customers have always only paid for what they want and this has proved popular with them as we now fly 90m customers a year.

"The fact that a hold bag can be more than the fare is more reflective of the great value fares that are available. 50 per cent of our passengers pay on average less than £50 for their flight.

“For those customers who choose to take a hold bag we provide choice and flexibility – a smaller 15kg bag starts from as little as £8.99 or for those needing a bigger bag of 23kgs from £13.99.

"Many passengers choose not to add a hold bag and for them easyJet has one of the most generous cabin bag allowances with no weight limit.”