To have not known this about Ryanair?

[eastandwestand]

So, we’ve not flown for around 5 years.
Instead we’ve done ferries, a couple of cruises and U.K. holidays.
Booked our flights with Ryanair and booked 2 bags which could each contain 20kg.
Weighed them the night before. 1 bag was 20kg and 1 bag was 22kg. So 2kg over.
Spoke to a few people who said the person checking the bags usually turns a blind eye with a couple of kg extra weight. In fact I’ve never been charged for excess luggage, even when my bag was 29kg instead of 25kg EasyJet just stuck a “heavy” label on it.
Anyway, got to the airport and it’s self check in.
You weigh your own baggage and before the machine prints you a luggage label you have to pay on the card machine attached to the scales for any KG you are over.
So you can’t physically board a flight until you have paid £11 per kilo for anything over.
I paid obviously, as my case was over, but I never realised this check in system even existed!
Has it been around for long? Or am just not an airport pro these days?

I would not fly with any of these so called cheap airlines, unless it was a day trip and luggage not required. I want my suitcase for a 2week break and the cabin allowance for a set of clothes (in case luggage is delayed). Everyone I know who has travelled with cheap airlines has ended up paying the same as a normal airline when all the “extras” are added in. If everyone stopped using them they would get the message and price their tickets to include a 23kg suitcase and 10-14kg cabin bag which is what normal people take on a holiday

"a standard luggage allowance, or at least maximum weight"

I have an even better idea: a weight per ticket.
For example 70kg: so if you weigh 70kg you have to pay extra for your luggage.
If you weigh 50 kg you get a 20kg allowance included in your ticket.
If you are travelling as a party of 4: Mum 70kg, Dad 90kg and two kids at 20 kg and 30kg then the four tickets would include 70kg luggage allowance and if you needed any more you would be charged for it.

By far the fairest way for everybody! (Does Michael O'Leary read Mumsnet?)

@Petlover9
Why tho?
Many, MANY, people actually use them because they are priced like this and if you don't need extras, it's a great way to travel.
I don't want my flights to go more expensive because people want price of the suitcase in the price!

Ryanair. The company whose boss is so tight he tells the staff to take pens from banks whenever they are in there so he doesn't have to pay for them in the office.

Oh. And the reason for putting "heavy" labels on baggage is nothing to do with the baggage limits. It's because if it's over a certain weight the baggage handling companies like swissport have a duty of care to their employees and they need to denote the heavier bags so they don't hurt themselves trying to move the bags. For the general freight companies like DHL it's normally 20kgs.

I like the pricing structure of budget airlines. Not everyone is going away on a two week break and needing a suitcase. Why should short holiday passengers subsidise the people taking hold luggage?

I fly Ryanair a couple or three times a year and have no complaints.

Oh. And the reason for putting "heavy" labels on baggage is nothing to do with the baggage limits. It's because if it's over a certain weight the baggage handling companies like swissport have a duty of care to their employees and they need to denote the heavier bags so they don't hurt themselves trying to move the bags. For the general freight companies like DHL it's normally 20kgs.

Yes. I am not sure if it still is the case, but there were legal limits even for shop assistants what weight could they lift.

I think everyone is being a bit harsh on the op.
There are far simpler things than working out each individual airlines weight restrictions, maximum baggage sizes, what you can and can't take, when to check in, how-to check in etc.
Many people can't supervise their own dc, never mind know all these facts.

I had a flybe flight where my bag was over at self check in. The man working told me to take stuff out, weigh it, print the ticket and put my stuff back in! I did and didn't get charged any extra!!

At least you don't have to do a Ryanair visa check. I am a non EU passport holder, so have to print my boarding pass and get it stamped, outbound and return. Fine in the UK, not always so easy abroad when you have to find somewhere to get it printed (yes, hotels will do it, but I hardly ever stay in hotels).

Then you have to turn up at the airport and queue behind all the people checking in luggage (even though you are not) and hope that they let you board the flight (was refused once, even though I didn't need a visa). Some Ryanair staff will just wave you away and say you don't even need a visa stamp (so all the time and effort you spent printing your boarding pass was wasted), yet others will refuse to let you board. One also said at first that I had to pay the airline check in fee, until I pointed out that their system said I was not allowed to check in online, so it was impossible to do so. Ryanair staff also don't always know the rules and often need to check with other staff or passport control staff.

Yet no other airline does this, not even the other budget airlines. It's unfair on the staff as they are not immigration officials and unfair on the passenger, especially when it's so inconsistent.

Yes, indeed. I upgraded my sister to priority, but between the three of us we had that one upgraded cabin luggage, then the three under-the-seat bags. For those under-the-seat ones, I did the meticulous measuring. And, for the other passengers to whom I'm referring, they had their 10kg cabin luggage and the small, under-the-seat bag, which was much larger than the ones we'd taken. Two passengers were stopped and charged, but only because they were very obvious with their loose interpretations. Ryanair could have made a fortune on that flight, but took no notice!

Ryanair. What you do is book priority and take 4 cabin bags (40kg) and you can still take 4 handbags/laptops/small rucksacks etc. Cheaper than paying for 2x20kg plus excess. So you’re extra 2kg could have been put in a handbag-small rucksack. You use the handbag/rucksack in hols too. No weight limit on the small bags so you put your books/electronics in there just in case they weigh the cabin bag 10kg one (they usually don’t).
Re the liquid thing it’s no bother as you have 4 cabin bags to spread stuff across. So we are 2 adults and 2 kids but split our stuff across all 4. Buy half a dozen 100ml sunscreen so 600ml =3 bottles and buy more in supermarkets when required.

That’s for a 2 week holiday btw. Everything worn and nothing surplus! Totally doable and I was the biggest sceptic!!

Just don’t fly. They treat you like dirt in U.K. airports. Ryanair boss is such a tosser, although the horses he owns are fabulous.

If everyone stopped using them they would get the message and price their tickets to include a 23kg suitcase and 10-14kg cabin bag which is what normal people take on a holiday

What on earth are you taking on holiday that you need 33kg to 37kg of luggage per person? I only ever take a 10kg carry on bag + small second bag for short haul and even for long haul, away for a month and taking gifts for family I only took 15kg of hold luggage even though my allowance was 23kg.

And why should anyone who doesn't want to take that much have to pay for it anyway? Much better to have the current system where those who want extra pay for it and those who don't, don't.

Ryanair change their rules every year. It's vital if you are flying low cost air line you check the current regs.

Ryanair. What you do is book priority and take 4 cabin bags (40kg) and you can still take 4 handbags/laptops/small rucksacks etc.

Exactly. Plus they increased the size allowed on the second bag, so you can fit a surprisingly large amount in. I use a 15l Berghaus rucksack, which as you say can then be also be used on holiday as a day bag.

This is kind of like arguing that a burger place should just add extra bacon and egg charge on every burger automatically instead of charging just the ones who want that extra. Ya know. Because other burger place puts it on automatically, but obvs you don't have to have it, but you still pay the price for it so people who want that bacon and egg don't have to get confused about the price.
Cause reading is too hard🤷

Ryanair is build your own. That's it. And that's why it suits so many people.

What about if you’re fat? So if I’m a normal weight can my bag be heavier?

Well the handlers are not picking you up, innit

Damn it. Sent too early.

They pick up the lugguage. As number of people pointed out. You can't make the carry 40kg suitcase because you are slim 🤷

Accompanied my son to Edinburgh Airport 2 weeks ago to travel to Spain with Ryanair. I encountered the self weigh/labelling machine system for the first time. It may have been there a while but havent travelled with that company for about 4 years. Just as well I went thru the process with my son who has sn, as he was unfamiliar with it all, but as we are both very anxious about rules and extra charges etc, we had read and reread all the instructions so we were in the clear.
However, a few years back, my entire family were on our way to Spain for a family wedding. Ryanair flight from Edi to Alicante. We had checked in all the hold luggage, kilts,gifts and all and proceeded to departure lounge. All good with security, until we were on the last lap at the gate and I got stopped and told to put the little carry on wheelie suitcase( which I had just bought because it said CABIN SIZE) into the frame to measure the dimensions of the case. I was told the case exceeded the size,due to the handle being above the bar, or wheels too thick, whatever, and therefore would be obliged to pay the £50 fee to bring my wee wheelie case onboard. I happened to have a shopping bag ( The sturdy, extra large Bag for Life type) inside the suitcase so quickly hauled the contents out and filled it up with my clothes. I gifted my brand new shiny 'CABIN SIZE' case to the stewardess. I had paid 50 quid for the case, it wasn't worth another 50 or 100 if you count coming back.
Since then, we have always got a spare( emergency 'Jobsworth') bag inside the case,... just in case...

We had just went to spain on easyjet from Bristol. They have desk check in. We paid to check in 3 large suitcase allowing 15kg each. one weight 25 kg and another weight 20. So we are allowed 45kg all in and we got 40kg in two cases and the lady at check in did not charge us.

@BarbaraofSeville we used ryainair from Liverpool less than 2 years ago and only had hand luggage so that's probably why, maybe if we had hold luggage we would of seen them.

@Petlover9 Ryanair are a great cheap airline if that's what you need. For 4 adults to Dublin and back we paid £276, that includes 10kg hand luggage which is more than enough for 2 nights.

If you ever watch programmes about air crashes you would know that planes can be destabilise by too much weight in the hold. Imagine everyone on the flight just being 2kg over. That's a lot more than they expect to be in the hold and can, and has caused planes to crash.