Ryanair will increase the bonus paid to its employees for identifying passengers with oversized cabin baggage, according to the airline’s CEO. The incentive will rise from €1.50 to €2.50 per bag.
Speaking to the BBC, Michael O’Leary stated the change would take effect this November and defended the policy without reservation.
O’Leary explained that the bonus aims to deter the small percentage of passengers who attempt to bring carry-on luggage exceeding the size restrictions, asserting that the airline is “not trying to catch people out”.
He further stated that passengers who “don’t comply with the rules and try to get on with an outsize bag, we will catch you and I would look forward to rewarding and bonusing our staff that pick out those oversize bags”.
Ryanair permits passengers to carry one free bag onboard, but charges of up to £75 may be applied to passengers attempting to bring larger bags onto the flight, depending on the route and date of travel.
Currently, the airline allows a small carry-on bag – limited to 40cm x 20cm x 25cm in size and 10kg in weight – with every ticket.
However, following a modification in EU regulations, this allowance is set to increase to 40cm x 30cm x 20cm from September.
O’Leary noted that approximately 200,000 passengers annually are required to pay extra to place carry-on luggage in the hold, expressing no sympathy for “chancers” attempting to board with “rucksacks.”
“We’re the airline with the lowest air fares in Europe,” he said. “Those are our rules. Please comply with the rules, as 99.9% of our 200 million passengers do, and you won’t have any problem.”
He emphasized that if people “comply with the bag rules then everyone will board faster” and there will be “fewer flight delays”.
In addition to the per-bag bonus increase, Ryanair is removing the €80 monthly cap on the amount staff can earn for identifying oversized baggage.
The Ryanair chief executive also expressed his desire for “ground handlers to catch people who are scamming the system”.
O’Leary, who has previously expressed skepticism regarding sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), stated there was “not a hope in hell” of the UK’s SAF mandate of 10% being met by 2030.
He said Ryanair would not be increasing its SAF usage because the supply “is not there”, dismissing SAF as “nonsense”.
The UK mandate is set to begin in 2025 at 2% of total UK jet fuel demand, rising to 10% in 2030 and 22% in 2040.
O’Leary suggested that sustainability targets for aviation are “dying a death”, with the sector on track to miss both 2030 SAF targets and a 2050 net-zero mandate.
“Over the next 10 years, I believe oil prices will fall materially,” he added.