Ryanair’s CEO, Michael O’Leary, has revealed to the Mirror that the airline isn’t aiming to profit from its customers when imposing charges for hand luggage. Currently, passengers are allowed one free small bag, like a handbag or laptop bag, measuring no more than 40x20x25cm. If they desire an additional bag, they must pay for priority booking or select a separate 10kg check-in bag. O’Leary insists that the fees for an extra bag are not about making money but rather about discouraging passengers from bringing excessive luggage in the first place.

Responding to questions about confidence in continuing to charge for hand luggage after a recent Spanish court ruling supporting the airline’s right to do so, O’Leary stated, “Yes, [I am confident]. There is a safety issue involved in hand luggage here. We don’t charge for hand luggage because we want your money; we charge for hand luggage so you will travel with less luggage.” Ryanair is known for imposing fines on customers for various aviation violations, such as oversized hand luggage or failure to check in online within the specified timeframe.

O’Leary is advocating for standardised hand luggage size rules across Europe and claims that an airline organisation, including International Airlines Group, Air France–KLM, easyJet, Lufthansa, and Ryanair, supports such a move. He emphasised the need for clearer guidelines, stating, “We as an industry need to have much clearer guidelines; passengers get confused. We should all have the same sizes.”

Regarding potential fee increases this year, O’Leary reassured, “No, none.” However, he predicted another summer of disruptions at UK airports, attributing potential challenges to ongoing issues with UK National Air Traffic Control and French Air Traffic Control. O’Leary previously urged the Transport Secretary to take action against the head of NATS, expressing dissatisfaction with the organisation’s performance and calling for changes at the top.