The airline has made billions in 'ancillary revenues' but is not alone in charging for add-ons
Analysis has found Ryanair has earnt £18billionn from add-on fees over the past decade, for the likes of reserving seats, check-in fees and adding baggage. The Telegraph newspaper found "ancillary revenues" charges have "ballooned" from £910m in 2013 to £3.3billion this year.
Despite its fees, Ryanair recently recorded booming passenger numbers, bumper profits and is one of the most reliable airlines in Europe when it comes to cancellations and delays. Not only are they largely more reliable than others, their choice of routes and prices are often unbeatable. Not only are Ryanair Europe's industry leaders when it comes to passenger numbers, but are also experts at extracting ancillary revenues. Ryanair now earns an average add-on revenue of £19.50 per passenger thanks to optional charges such as seat booking, on-board food and speedy boarding. This is up 70 per cent from 2013.
On low-cost airlines and their fees, Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel, said: "Like many budget carriers, over the years Ryanair has mastered the art of extracting as much money as possible from passengers, adding on eye-watering fees for everything from a decent sized bag to sitting next to your kids.