Ryanair to Increase Staff Bonus for Spotting Oversized Bags
Ryanair staff who identify passengers carrying oversized cabin bags will see their bonus increase from €1.50 to €2.50 per bag, chief executive Michael O’Leary has announced.
The change will take effect in November, alongside the removal of the current €80 monthly cap on how much staff can earn through the scheme. O’Leary told the BBC he made “no apology” for the move, stressing it was aimed at discouraging a small minority of passengers who ignore size limits.
“We’re not trying to catch people out,” he said. “But if you don’t comply with the rules and try to board with an outsize bag, we will catch you—and I look forward to rewarding our staff who pick them out.”
Currently, Ryanair allows every passenger one free carry-on bag measuring up to 40cm x 20cm x 25cm and weighing 10kg. From September, in line with new EU rules, the permitted size will increase slightly to 40cm x 30cm x 20cm.
Passengers who exceed the limits may be charged up to £75 to check their bags at the gate, depending on their route and travel date. O’Leary said around 200,000 passengers per year face these charges, and he had little sympathy for “chancers” trying to bring “rucksacks” on board.
“We’re Europe’s lowest-fare airline,” he said. “Ninety-nine point nine percent of our 200 million customers follow the rules without issue. If everyone complies, boarding is faster and delays are reduced.”
The Ryanair boss also urged ground staff to stay vigilant, saying he wanted them to catch passengers “scamming the system.”
O’Leary Dismisses Sustainable Fuel Targets
O’Leary also criticised the UK’s targets for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), calling them “nonsense.” He said there was “not a hope in hell” that the government’s mandate of 10% SAF usage by 2030 would be met.
The UK mandate is due to begin in 2025 at 2%, rising to 10% in 2030 and 22% by 2040. But O’Leary said supply was insufficient and Ryanair had no plans to increase its SAF use. He predicted oil prices would fall significantly over the next decade and argued that aviation’s wider sustainability goals were already “dying a death.”
In response, the Department for Transport said SAF was “central to the UK’s plans for making flying greener over time.” A spokesperson insisted there were positive signs the targets could be met, and highlighted the potential for low-carbon fuels to add £5 billion to the economy by 2050.