Ryanair Warns EU Bag Rules May Hide Cheapest Fares
Ryanair has criticised the latest EU261 changes, saying carriers would have to show prices that include a second cabin bag. The low-cost airline argues this would push advertised fares above the cheapest tickets many customers select online. It says more than half of its passengers book lower-priced options without adding another cabin bag, especially on short trips where lighter packing keeps costs down.
The carrier said the pricing rule would weaken EU airlines by preventing them from leading with their lowest available ticket. Chief executive Michael O’Leary described the planned measure as bureaucracy and said airlines should be allowed to advertise basic fares without extra cabin baggage. Ryanair argues the proposal would not reduce travel costs, but would alter which price appears first when people search online.
What Ryanair Wants the EU to Change
The company also tied the bag issue to wider complaints about European aviation policy. It called for:
- ending ETS charges on intra-EU flights;
- reforming Europe’s air traffic control system;
- staffing ATC fully for first morning departures;
- protecting overflights during national ATC strikes.
The airline says ATC problems remain a major source of delays and add costs for carriers under EU261 rules.
Because this is a pricing dispute, it does not open any new route or airport. Its travel angle is about access to cheap European short-haul trips. If basic fares remain easy to find, light-packers can still use low-cost flights for weekend city breaks, family visits, concerts, sports events and quick business trips without paying for baggage they do not need.
People booking with only one small bag should look past the first price shown and compare the fare types before paying. The proposed change would not make a second cabin bag free, and it would not remove basic tickets. It would mainly affect the order and visibility of prices online, which matters most when every added fee changes the final bill.