Ryanair has defended increases of up to 50 per cent in its baggage and airport check-in charges.
From yesterday, its baggage charges rose from €6 to €9 for the first bag, and from €12 to €18 for second and third bags. Airport check-in fees were increased from €3 to €4.
The airline says it wants to "encourage" passengers to avoid these charges by travelling with hand baggage only and checking in online, which is free.
However, the online checking facility is not available to many types of passengers, including those travelling with babies, passengers with disabilities or teenagers travelling alone.
Ryanair has also increased a wide range of other charges, although these changes were not mentioned in the press release issued by the company yesterday.
The fee for an infant under two years rises from €10 to €15, airport priority boarding fees go up from €3 to €4, the cost of transporting sports equipment or musical instruments rises from €22.50 to €30 and the cost of infant equipment - like a car seat or cot - is to rise from €6 to €9.
Credit and debit card fees are to rise to €4 and €1.50 per passenger respectively, compared to €2.50 and €1 a year ago.
Ryanair spokesman Peter Sherrard warned that the airline would keep increasing its charges until it reached its target of encouraging at least half of its passengers to travel with hand luggage only. This would allow the airline to reduce its check-in desks and the handling staff it employed, making savings that would be passed on to customers.
He refused to say what additional revenue the airline would gain from the increased charges and refused to say what percentage of passengers travelled with carry-on luggage only or used online check-in. However, last year the airline said 45 per cent of its passengers were travelling with hand baggage only.
The increases are in line with trends in the low-cost sector, where airlines are increasing non-flight sales to make up for falling ticket prices and a rise in fuel prices, the industry's biggest cost.
Labour's consumer affairs spokesman Senator Brendan Ryan said the rises "put to bed" the notion that Ryanair was a low-cost airline and accused the airline of misleading its customers.
"The increases announced today make a complete joke of the notion of low-cost air fares. The charges which were introduced little over a year ago are just one of the ways in which airlines misled their customers on the true cost of their flight."
SOARING COSTS: testing new fees
The Irish Timestested the Ryanair increases yesterday by "purchasing" four "99 cent" tickets for two adults and two children on a return trip from Dublin to Luton. With each passenger checking in just one piece of luggage, as well as a single car seat and taking travel insurance, which is automatically provided on the website, and paying by Visa, the total cost came to €439.16.