The 4 ways Ryanair catches passengers out at the airport that costs hundreds of pounds – here’s how to avoid them
RYANAIR is known as one of the cheapest airlines to fly with, but there are ways that their flights can end up costing quite a bit more than first quoted.
Passengers are regularly caught out at airports and end up having to pay extra fees to get on their flights, including some big charges for small services.
Here, Sun Online Travel has detailed four of the most common ways in which the price of a Ryanair flight can rise if passengers aren’t careful.
Extra luggage
Passengers who stick to Ryanair’s basic fare have a small bag allowance of 40cm x 25cm x 20cm.
Those who don’t pay for extra run the risk of paying out £60 for the privilege of having their luggage with them on the plane.
When selecting the “small bag only” option, passengers are warned: “If you bring a second bag or if your bag is too big to fit under the seat, you will be charged a fee of up to €69.99 or local currency equivalent at the boarding gate.”
An extra cabin bag, with priority boarding, can be added for between £6-£35.99
Meanwhile, check in bags are available for between £12-£35.99 for a 10kg case or £17.99-£59.99 for a 20kg case, with up to three cases permitted per passenger.
Those prices depend on if the passenger pays for them while booking, or if they add it on afterwards.
Passengers who turn up at the airport with unpaid for check-in luggage will be charged £35.99 for 10kg cases and £69.99 for 20kg cases at the bag drop desk.
Name change
Sometimes names need to be changed on flight tickets for whatever reason, but if that happens with Ryanair, it will end up costing at least £115, maybe more.
Passengers who are able to self-serve online will be charged £115, however, if they contact an agent to process the change, the fee goes up to £160.
If the name change is to swap one passenger for another, it may be cheaper to just book a new flight.
Other flight changes can be made for £45 online, or £60 using an agent or at the airport.
Boarding pass printing
Anyone who doesn’t check in for their flight online two hours before their scheduled takeoff time has to pay a £55 fee for boarding pass printing, as set out in the terms and conditions on the .
It is up to passengers to remember to check in online and bring either a downloaded or printed out version of their boarding pass in order to avoid the fine.
One couple found this out the hard way recently when they printed out the wrong boarding passes.
Anyone who loses their card at the airport will have to pay a £20 reissue fee.
Flexi plus or plus passengers do not have to pay for this service, however.
Large items
Large items like musical instruments and sports equipment will also vastly increase the cost of a passenger’s ticket.
A large sports item will cost £65 at the airport and can weigh no more than 20kg. The same fee will apply to musical instruments.
Both are cheaper when booked online while paying for the ticket to begin with, so it’s always best to book them in advance rather than afterwards.
Meanwhile, a money expert revealed how the day you book and the day you fly can impact how expensive your flights are.
And this dad revealed how he keeps costs down on his family holidays.