Ryanair travellers warned over increased new £60 ‘ripoff’ baggage charge

People who fly with Ryanair are being warned about a price increase for its baggage policy, with some labelling it a 'ripoff'.

The Irish airline is known throughout the world for offering some of the lowest prices when it comes to travelling abroad.

From £15 flights to visit the 'Kingdom of the West' to £30 returns after €2 pints and 23C winter sun in the 'Garden of Europe', they are among the best when it comes to flying to somewhere new for not very much money at all.

Ryanair allows you to bring on one free bag per passenger, but that bag is capped at 40cm by 20cm by 25cm. It's not very big, basically, and it must fit under the seat in front of you.

We're talking something such as a handbag, backpack, or laptop bag that fits these dimensions.

Those that want to bring more, such as a cabin bag, there is the option of upgrading to Priority boarding.

Doing so will allow you to bring a 10kg bag on board the plane that can be stored in the overhead lockers.

The size of these bags is capped at 55cm by 40cm by 20cm.

Upgrading to Priority comes at a price, varying between £6 and £36 on top of your original booking if you're upgrading to this in advance.

But Ryanair has changed the way it charges people who upgrade to Priority at a later date or at the airport itself.

On the airline's website, this charge had been listed as £20 to £38 extra if you upgrade.

Now, that has been upped to between £20 and £60 depending on your journey and time of booking.

Explaining the policy, Ryanair says: "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."

This is most likely going to catch people out who bring an oversized bag to the gate with them and are made to check in the luggage as a checked in cabin bag at the gate.

A Ryanair spokesperson said: "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."

People who have flown with the airline have been left a little annoyed at the cost increase, taking to social media to vent their frustrations.

On Ryanair's extra charges on top of the ticket - which can include choosing to sit next to friends or family - one X (formerly Twitter) user posted: "Everything [is] 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."

They also called it a 'ripoff' by putting the price of Priority boarding up.

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."

And a third said: "Cheap flights can still be found but not many. Adding priority really brings up the price."