Ryanair will soon make passengers who wish to travel with bags that weigh over 10kg (the weight limit for bags permitted as hand luggage) pay £5 per piece of checked luggage, or £2. 50 per bag if it has been registered in advance on the airline’s website – an initiative the budget airline claims will mean only 25 per cent of its passengers losing out financially. For those who have bags that weigh more than 20kg, there will be an excess baggage fee of £5. 50 per kg.

This means that for example, two people cannot share their luggage allowance. This is a u-turn to existing policy where Ryanair used to allow passengers travelling together to pool their baggage allowance. The move will penalise families with young children in particular, as children do not have a separate baggage allowance so their belongings must be included in their parents’ allowance.

For passengers travelling with hand luggage only, the new rules could be good news, as those in possession of an EU passport will now be able to check in online at www. ryanair. com , before going to the airport and will be eligible for priority boarding.

The charges will apply to bookings made after March 16.

Also from March 16, Ryanair will allow passengers to by-pass airport check-in if they have previously checked in on the carrier’s website. This service is available to EU passport holders travelling with hand luggage only and mirrors a similar recent move by smaller low-cost rival Flybe. These passengers will be given ‘priority boarding’ which will also reduce boarding gate queues. However, passengers checking in baggage on flights booked after March 16 will now pay a fee — 2. 50 stg (3. 50 eur) per bag, per flight, if booked in advance on the website, or 5. 0 stg (7. 00 eur) per bag, per flight, if presented unbooked at the airport.

Simultaneously, Ryanair is increasing each passenger’s luggage allowance from the current 25 kgs to 30 kgs — comprising 10 kgs carry-on and 20 kgs checked in luggage, a move it reckons will substantially reduce excess baggage fees.

Passengers who check-in on the web claiming hand luggage only but then turn up at the boarding gate with baggage will be sent back to the check-in desk and ‘fined’ £25.