Ryanair's chief executive has said he is considering increasing the bonuses paid to staff for finding customers' oversized luggage.
The airline currently pays its staff approximately €1.50 for identifying passengers with prohibited baggage on board.
It is known that the maximum bonus amount is about 80 euros per employee per month.
Passengers will be charged up to €75 for carrying baggage that exceeds the dimensions specified when booking the trip.
Ryanair currently includes one small carry-on bag in the price of each ticket, the dimensions of which must not exceed 40x20x25 cm and weight – 10 kg.
Passengers are required to pay a fee if they intend to carry larger luggage or multiple bags.
Chief Executive Michael O'Leary said on Monday that summer fares would be roughly the same as in 2023, but added that he expected the airline's profitability to improve through “cost control.”
Members of the European Parliament are demanding that airlines allow passengers to take personal items and small hand luggage into the cabin free of charge.
However, Mr O'Leary suggested the proposal would not be implemented due to space constraints.
He told RTE's Morning Ireland business news programme: “We fly mostly full flights, about half the passengers can take two bags and the other half can only take one because that's all that can fit on the plane.”
“We are already struggling to cope with the current volume of luggage.
“This is one of the reasons why we are working so hard on the problem of excess passenger baggage.”
Mr O'Leary said more than 99.9 per cent of passengers complied with baggage rules and “calibration machines” had been installed at airports.
He added: “We are pleased to reward our (employees) with a share of the excess baggage fees, which we believe will come down over the next year or two.”
The CEO said: “It's about €1.50 per bag and we're looking at increasing that so we can abolish it.”
Meanwhile, Mr O'Leary predicted that US President Donald Trump could “delay” the introduction of higher tariffs on Europe from August 1.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
