the system we have is nuts. it should be free checking for bags (under a certain weight) and pay for overhead bin privilege. due to the insane way we do it, overhead bins are what slow down boarding and deplaning.
Airports charge fees to airlines for handling hold luggage, and it's another potential source of delays when Ryanair has very tight turnarounds. Plus it's harder to remove a belligerent passenger when they have a checked bag ;)
> Plus it's harder to remove a belligerent passenger when they have a checked bag ;)
F that. If you're removing a belligerent passenger, part of the punishment should be that you have to pay to have your luggage returned to you when it arrives at the destination. Getting kicked off the plane should not me you get to delay everyone else even further by making them go find your luggage before the plane can depart. F that.
aha. thanks, i didnt know that (but i should). In the us, some airlines have one free checked bag anyways.... and you get forced to gate check anyways at no cost when you're in a later boarding order.
It's also why Ryanair's 737s have their own airstairs built-in; so they don't have to wait for stairs (or a jetbridge), but mostly importantly so they don't have to pay! The ultimate cheapskates.
They do slow it down from the passenger perspective, but Ryanair optimise for the overall cost of turning planes around.
Loading and unloading bags from the hold costs time and money. Transporting those bags from bag-drop to the plane means paying the airport for that privilege. Misplaced bags etc. adds a customer service overhead.
Ryanair deliberately don't use jet bridges so they can load/unload from both ends using built-in stairs
The issue everyone is skirting around is that many aeroplanes don't actually have the capacity to allow every passenger to bring a carry-on onboard. Ryanair even acknowledge this by limiting the number of people booking their priority add-on.
