Kennedy Slams Ryanair Baggage Charge Hike

Fianna Fail TD Michael Kennedy has attacked the latest decision by Ryanair to increase baggage charges during the summer period, calling the move “blatant hypocrisy”.

The Dublin North TD and member of the Oireachtas Transport Committee said the Ryanair €5 per flight increase on taking baggage on board contradicted the budget airline's incessant campaign to abolish the Government's €10 travel tax.

"Since the introduction of the air travel tax in March last year, Ryanair had consistently blamed falling passenger numbers on the Government’s €10 tax and called for its immediate abolition," Mr Kennedy said.

He added: "This is the same airline which is often criticised for its own misleading charges. Only two months ago, the head of Britain’s business watchdog, the Office of Fair Trading, criticised Ryanair over many aspects of its charging policy. For example, Chief Executive John Fingleton attacked the company for its charges to payments made with a specific type of bank card on its website even though this was clearly the only method of payment for customers."

Mr Kennedy added that over the past year, Fine Gael and Labour had both echoed Ryanair’s calls for the abolition of the air travel tax and that Ryanair’s announcement it will increase baggage charge during July and August exposed the Opposition's "blatant hypocrisy on the air travel tax".

"Dermot Jewell of the Consumers Association of Ireland today criticised the move as anti-family. Both Ryanair and the opposition need to wake up and smell the hypocrisy" said Deputy Kennedy.

Only days before announcing their price hike for luggage, Ryanair called on the Irish Govt to axe the €10 travel tax claiming four million fewer passengers had travelled through Irish Airports as a result.

"While Irish traffic and tourism is devastated by this €10 tourist tax, Ryanair has continued to grow traffic strongly in those EU countries which don’t tax tourists, have competitive low cost airports and are more attractive to visitors than Ireland," a Ryanair spokesman said.

(DW/BMcC)