Air travellers seeking bargains face substantial fare increases from today with the introduction by Aer Lingus of baggage charges on short-haul flights.
For the average traveller with two items of baggage, the new charges could mean price increases of up to 40-50 per cent on current Aer Lingus fares.
Passengers travelling with the airline on short-haul routes will have to pay a charge of €4 per bag and flight if booked in advance over the internet. However, the charge rises to €8 a bag if checked in at the airport. Thus, a passenger with two bags checked in at the airport will end up paying an additional €32 for a return flight in Europe.
Aer Lingus is following the example of Ryanair, which introduced check-in charges last March. Ryanair has already increased its original charges, which now stand at €4.50 per bag checked in on the internet and €10 for bags checked in at the airport. Analysts say Ryanair is earning about €2 per passenger on its baggage handling scheme, and this contributed to recent bumper results for the airline.
Now Aer Lingus hopes to generate up to €25 million a year from the new charges and savings generated by its new online check-in system.
However, Labour's consumer affairs spokeswoman, Kathleen Lynch, has expressed concern about the charges, saying they could compromise passenger safety.
Short-haul Aer Lingus passengers are entitled to carry 20kg in luggage; after this, they have to pay €8 per kilo for excess baggage.
While nominal fare prices remain low on the main airlines, the list of additional charges, surcharges and taxes continues to grow. For example, Aer Lingus, which is currently running a sale, is charging just €1 each way to fly from Dublin to Birmingham on February 7th and back on February 14th. However, taxes and charges of €58.75 and a handling charge of €6 also apply. Now, if a passenger checks in two bags at the airport, costing €32, the total fee comes to €98.75; this represents a 48 per cent increase.
Similarly, a flight to London on the same dates, which also costs a nominal €1 each way, ends up costing €111.37 for a passenger checking two bags in at the airport - an increase of 40 per cent. A flight to Frankfurt on the same dates for the same passenger ends up costing 45 per cent more.
However, Aer Lingus maintains the new charges will facilitate quick and easy access through airports and ensure quicker turnaround times, because passengers will bring less luggage. Prams and wheelchairs are exempt from the charges.
"Baggage charges are becoming standard in the competitive short-haul sector," said an Aer Lingus spokeswoman.
"Our new baggage policy will enable the airline to save costs as a result of lower handling fees at airports, and this will be passed on to the passenger in the form of lower fares."
February 1st will bring further increases in flights from Britain following the decision by UK chancellor Gordon Brown to double air passenger duty.