Passengers outraged as budget airline Ryanair hikes cabin bag fee to £60 with it slammed as a 'rip-off' and 'making easyJet seem luxurious'

Currently, customers have to pay extra for Priority boarding if they want to bring a 10kg suitcase on board. Otherwise, passengers are only allowed to bring a small personal bag measuring up to 40x20x25cm, which is included in the price of their ticket.

The cost to upgrade to Priority, which includes a small personal bag and a 10kg suitcase measuring up to 55x40x20cm, varies between £6 and £36 when added to the original flight booking. Ryanair charges more to upgrade to Priority at a later date or at the airport. This charge was previously listed on Ryanair's website as being between £20 and £38, however this has recently been updated to between £20 and £60.

When contacted for comment on the apparent price increase, Ryanair highlighted this part of its baggage policy: It stated: "Fee varies depending on the route and travel dates selected." Non-priority customers who have not added a bag to their booking can still purchase a 10kg Check-in bag at the airport bag drop desk for €/£ 35.99. Non-priority customers who bring their 10kg Check-in bag to the boarding gate may check it in against payment of a fee of €/£ 46.00 - €/£ 60.00."

An airline spokesperson added: "This is to align with the gate bag fee if passengers choose to bring their 10kg to the boarding gate and want to carry it on board, then they are subject to a gate fee." Ryanair passengers have taken to social media to complain about its extra fees.

Several users on X, formerly Twitter, labelled the additional charges a “rip off”. One user posted on X: "So @Ryanair have put the price of Priority boarding up from £26 to £40 ... rip off ... everything extra, so you book your flight then it's add on after add on after add on. Before you know it you're another £100 out of pocket."

Another user wrote: "Just avoid Ryanair if you can, they make EasyJet seem luxurious and customer friendly. They charge extra for *every* little thing, I'll never use them again if there's an alternative."