A Ryanair customer has fumed that the extra charges to check in were more expensive than the cost of her actual flights to Italy.
Unzela Khan said her family had to shell out £220 to check-in at Luton Airport, as each member was charged £55 each.
Like many others who have chosen to fly with the budget airline, she was frustrated by its notoriously expensive check-in fees.
She wrote in MyLondon: “If I told you I bought a T-shirt but I had to pay to actually wear it – what would you say? It’s ridiculous?
“Well, that’s exactly how I felt when Ryanair demanded we pay £55 – per person might I add – to board a flight we had already paid for.”
In August, her family had booked a holiday to Naples, Italy, to celebrate the mum’s birthday, which was also their first family holiday with their one-year-old daughter.
The family paid around £200 for the flights, expecting “some hiccups; a poo explosion at an awkward time, tantrums, travelling according to baby nap schedules”.
On November 3, they arrived at Luton Airport and thought all was well until they got to the front of the check-in desk queue.
She recalled: “We reached the check-in desk, weighed our bags and discussed checking in the baby car seat and pushchair. Then, the Ryanair employee said ‘That’ll be £55.’ Confused, we asked why and were told it was because we hadn’t checked in online.”
Even after the family’s protest, they were told it would cost £220 for the four of them, although the baby could fly for no extra cost.
Ryanair’s website states: “You can check in for your flight at the airport, but you will have to pay an airport check-in fee per passenger to cover the extra cost of the airport check-in service.”
If you fail to check-in online two hours or more before your plane departs, then you will be charged the fee, even if you can do so at the airport.
A spokesperson for Ryanair said: “Ryanair wants customers to check-in online as it enables us to offer lower fares than any other airline. It costs to rent an airport ticket desk and to have staff there to look after around 0.2 percent of our passengers who agree to check-in online before they arrive at the airport and who also receive multiple reminders to do so before their flight.
“In accordance with our T&C’s, which passengers agree to before their flight, you can check-in online for free up to two hours before your flight. If you do not check-in online more than two hours before the scheduled departure time, you will be charged the airport check-in fee.”
