Ryanair more expensive than BA on some flights
Sunday, August 9, 2009 @ 7:14 PM
Ryanair and other low-cost airlines are now more expensive on some short-haul routes than British Airways, an investigation by The Sunday Times has found.
A survey of flights to popular European destinations identified 10 on which it is more expensive to fly with Ryanair than British Airways, because BA includes as standard many of the services for which the low-cost airline charges extra.
In three cases BA flights were cheaper outright. In the seven others extra fees, such as charges for checking in a bag or processing payments, made Ryanair’s prices up to 50% higher if a passenger chose those services. EasyJet was more expensive than BA on four of the journeys.
While for most routes low-cost airlines remain the cheaper option, the survey suggests full-service airlines are beginning to fight back. Budget airlines now have so many extra charges for basic services that they can add up to far more than the advertised ticket price.
A passenger checking in 20kg of luggage for a return flight with Ryanair, paying for priority boarding and buying a snack and drink would pay an extra £194. EasyJet, by contrast, provides the same services for an extra £31, while British Airways includes the cost of checking in a 23kg bag, reserving seats, debit-card booking and snacks and refreshments.
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