Ryanair Will No Longer Allow Two Free Carry-on Bags on Flights

Ryanair is changing its policy on carry-on baggage, and will no longer allow two free bags per passenger in the cabin.

The new policy will allow passengers just one small bag for free in the cabin, while also reducing the fees for checked baggage — from about $41 to about $30 USD.

Ryanair said in a statement to The Irish Times on Wednesday that the new policy is in response to “too many customers were availing of the [old policy], and that there was not enough overhead cabin space for the volume of carry-on bags, which was in turn causing boarding/flight delays.”

Ryanair hopes the new policy will “encourage more customers to check in bags and reduce the number of customers with two bags at the boarding gates.”

Priority passengers will still be allowed two free bags.

The allowances for checked baggage weight will also increase a bit, allowing for a little more wiggle room for the types of passengers’ bags allowed on the flight.

According to The Irish Times, the reduced fee will cost the airline €50 million a year (about $59.6 million USD).

“We believe offering bigger bags at reduced fees will encourage more customers to consider checking in a bag,” Ryanair spokesman Kenny Jacobs told The Irish Times.

The changes go into effect November 1.