Latest news with #oversizedbags
Daily Mail
15 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Backlash against Ryanair 'bag police' as boss considers raising bonus for staff catching oversized luggage: 'Turning decent people into hyenas'
Furious social media users have hit back at Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary after learning the airline pays staff bonuses to catch out passengers with oversized bags. The Irish budget carrier currently pays gate staff around €1.50 (£1.30) to intercept passengers who attempt to bring on board carry-on luggage that does not meet their famously tight size requirements of 40x20x25cm. Passengers are charged a fee of up to €75 (£65) for bringing luggage that is larger than they paid for while booking their journey - even if it's a mere centimeter over the required size. A former employee claimed they pocketed the sum for every oversized bag they reported, according to the Sunday Times, although they said the monthly bonus was capped at €80 (£70). Since then, Mr O'Leary announced he is considering increasing the incentive to 'eliminate the scourge of passengers with excess baggage. ' However, hundreds of Ryanair passengers have been left seething at the news, with many taking to Instagram and X to vent their frustration. One person wrote: 'O'Leary's latest idea: turn cabin crew into bag police for a €1.50 bounty. 'Ryanair profits soar, but instead of easing baggage rules, they double down on penalties. At what point does enforcement cross into petty revenue hunting?' Another fumed: 'Considering the profit Ryanair and Michael O Leary makes €1.50 to an employee for finding an oversized is pathetic. Why would an employee draw hassle upon him or her self for €1.50 per bag.' A third customer said: 'That - kind of - explains the behaviour of some of Ryanair's ground staff... especially at Edinburgh Airport. 'I've never been affected myself, but now I'm truly amazed, that a mere £1.50 bonus/bag can turn decent people into hyenas.' Another passenger vowed: 'He is such a never use his airline ever.' On the contrary, dozens of passengers are seeing the funny side to the incentive, with many suggesting they'll solicit bribes in order to pass through with their luggage. One person joked, 'Arriving at the gate with €5 should do it,' while another added, 'I'm gonna start bringing €2 every time I fly Ryanair.' Another quipped: 'Well guess what, they are going to do this until we just don't bring any bag. 'Then when we don't bring any bag they will size us up, and if we don't fit in the seats then we will pay a fee and when we stop flying with them they will impose a fee for us as well for changing carrier.' Hundreds of Ryanair passengers have been left seething at the news on social media - but some have seen the funny side It comes as British holidaymakers were left in shock after a Ryanair flight from Bristol to a popular Spanish island landed without a single suitcase on board - leaving every passenger without their belongings. Flight FR4757, which departed from Bristol Airport on Friday, 18 July, arrived in Gran Canaria with no checked baggage for anyone. Travellers were only informed of the missing luggage after landing, with the flight's captain blaming 'time constraints' and a security issue at the UK airport.
The Independent
a day ago
- Business
- The Independent
Ryanair boss reveals exact bonus staff get for catching oversized bags
Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary has revealed the bonus his staff receive for identifying oversized bags before they reach the plane - and is weighing up increasing it. Speaking to Petula Martyn on RTE Radio 1 this morning (21 July), O'Leary confirmed Ryanair staff get a bonus of around €1.50 per bag caught. 'We're thinking of increasing it, so that we eliminate [oversized bags],' he added. O'Leary also claimed there was 'no chance' of European Parliament proposals allowing passengers to bring a 7kg bag onboard planes for free passing into law because 'that amount of bags don't fit on the aircraft'.
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Ryanair considering increasing commission for staff who identify oversized bags
Ryanair has said it is considering increasing the commission it pays to staff who identify oversized bags at boarding gates as it works to 'eliminate the scourge' caused by a 'tiny number of passengers who don't abide by' its rules. This weekend it emerged that the airline pays bonuses to staff who identify passengers who are required to check in bags deemed too large for the cabins. Staff are paid €1.50 per oversized bag they detect with the bonus capped at €80 per month. The airline charges impacted passengers €75 for each bag deemed too large at the gates and subsequently checked-in to the hold. READ MORE [ Planners just cannot win at Dublin Airport Opens in new window ] A spokeswoman for Ryanair told The Irish Times the bonuses have been in place 'for some years as we work to eliminate the scourge of excess bags and the tiny number of passengers who don't abide by our rules'. She said passengers who followed the rules were angered by those who are 'showing up at the gate with rucksacks trying to game' the system. She added that over 99.9 per cent of Ryanair passengers 'never pay these fines because they abide by our simple rules; if it fits in our sizers, it gets on, if it doesn't, the passenger pays.' She said the airline was 'currently looking at increasing our bag commissions to try to get rid of these excess bags which delay boarding and annoy our other passengers'. In recent months, this newspaper has highlighted the experiences of many passengers who have been hit with unexpected charges at boarding gates after their bags – often bags they have used many times without issue – were deemed to be too big for the airline's sizers. Ryanair has insisted there has been no changes to how it polices carry-on luggage for many years. There are changes coming down the tracks in the months ahead, however. As it stands passengers can bring a free bag measuring 40x25x20cm on-board and place it under the seat in front of them. Under planned changes, the size of the bags permitted will increase to 40x30x20cm. That amounts to an extra 5cm along one side. The enhanced size should allow passengers bring a couple of extra T-shirts or maybe three pairs of rolled up socks on to the plane with you. The airline's chief executive Michael O'Leary has said it might even stretch to an additional pair of trousers, too. The on-board baggage allowances of all airlines have been under scrutiny by law makers in the EU of late with members of the European Parliament pushing for changes that would force airlines to allow passengers to carry on two cabin bags at no cost. The European Commission has not gone that far but it has agreed a standard size of small bag, which is 40x30x15cm. Mr O'Leary has said Ryanair wants 'our personal baggage allowance, our free bag allowance to be bigger than the EU standard so we're moving ours up. We want you to have a big free bag but limit yourself to that one free bag and don't bring a second one.'
News.com.au
08-07-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Airline's leaked email exposes sneaky act
Aussies planning a trip to the UK who have booked internal flights on easyJet should expect extra eyes on their carry-on. The British budget airline is reportedly paying airport staff at seven UK and Channel Islands airports a bonus if they spot oversized bags before passengers board their flights. Details of the Gate Bag Revenue Programme were revealed in a leaked internal email, first reported by the Jersey Evening Post, in December last year. The internal incentive scheme is run by Swissport, the ground handling company contracted by easyJet at seven airports, including Birmingham International Airport, Glasgow, Jersey, and Newcastle. The scheme is still ongoing. The email was allegedly sent to staff by Swissport's Dean Martin back in November 2023, with staff involved in the scheme 'eligible to receive £1 ($A2.10) for every gate bag taken'. The message described the initiative as a way to 'reward agents doing the right thing' and made clear that internal tracking would be used to offer support and training where needed. According to the airline's website, each passenger can bring one small carry on for free but it must fit under the seat. 'It can be a maximum size of 45 x 36 x 20 cm (including any handles and wheels) and must be kept under the seat in front of you,' the site reads. 'That should be enough to bring all the essentials for your journey or for a short trip. Your bag can weigh up to 15kg, but we do ask that you're able to lift and carry it yourself.' For anything bigger (up to 56 x 45 x 25 cm), passengers have the option to book a 'large cabin bag' for a fee starting at £5.99 ($A12.50). If passengers arrive at the gate with an unbooked oversized bag, they'll need to cough up £48 ($A100) to place it in hold. The scheme applies to operations at seven airports, including Birmingham International Airport, Glasgow, Jersey, and Newcastle. According to The Sunday Times, similar payments are being made to ground handlers from a different provider. Staff employed by DHL Supply Chain at airports, including London Gatwick, Bristol, and Manchester, also receive bonuses when they identify non-compliant cabin bags on specific flights. The exact figures were not disclosed, but it described the amounts as nominal. Meanwhile, there is been major backlash against baggage fees in Europe. In June, the transport committee of the European Parliament backed a proposal that would give passengers the right to carry an additional piece of hand luggage (7kg) on board at no extra charge, Simply Flying reported. This would apply across all carriers operating within the EU and will effectively standardise hand baggage allowances regardless of airline fare structure. However, the publication reported the measure still requires approval from at least 55 per cent of EU member states before it can take effect.
