Ryanair withdraws airport check-in facility and introduces online check-in fee in order to lower air fares.

Budget airline Ryanair is to introduce a new online check-in fee as it looks to withdraw its airport check-in facilities. 

Customers checking in online had previously escaped a check-in fee, while customers checking luggage into the hold and using the airport check-in desk paid £10 per flight for the privilege. Now, customers will only have the option to check in online and will pay a fee of £5 per flight. If passengers turn up to the airport without their boarding card, they will have to pay a £40 re-issue fee.

The low cost airline said it plans to phase out the use of airport check-in desks from its 146 airports by the 1 October, and will simply provide customers with a ‘bag-drop’ for those passengers with checked-in bags.

The new scheme will only apply to new bookings from Wednesday 20 May.

Ryanair’s Stephen McNamara defended the move and said: “Passengers travelling without checked in bags have already embraced our online check-in service and the extension of this service to all passengers, including those with hold luggage and those travelling with infants will allow all passengers to forever avoid check-in queues.

“This will also allow Ryanair to lower our airport and handling costs and pass these savings to all passengers in the form of even lower air fares next winter.” 

Ryanair has decided against the possibility of charging a ‘fat tax’ on large passengers, citing the reason that “there is no way to collect it without disrupting its 25 minute turnarounds and its online check-in process.” Click here for the original story.