Aer Lingus increases baggage charges

Conor Pope

Aer Lingus is to increase charges for checking in bags on its short haul flights by as much as 50 per cent from later this week, it announced this morning.

The airline said that from Thursday, the cost of checking in bags at airports will increase from €12 to €18, while the fee for online baggage check-in will rise to €12 from €9.

Aer Lingus said its new baggage kiosks will allow customers to check-in their bags automatically

Aer Lingus said it hoped the latest round of price hikes will “encourage” more passengers to travel with less checked baggage and will assist in streamlining passenger movement through airports.

It also said that new baggage kiosks, which will allow customers to check-in their bags automatically, will be piloted at Dublin Airport over the coming months.

“We want to encourage more of our passengers to carry hand baggage and also to travel with less baggage so the travelling experience can become even quicker and more efficient for everyone,” Enda Corneille, Director of Corporate Affairs at the airline said.

He said the increase reflected “the general pricing structure across the industry" and said that Aer Lingus will reduce its handling costs by reducing the number of checked bags it processes.

Earlier this week, Ryanair increased its baggage check-in charges from €9 to €10 and vowed to make further increases, again with a view to encouraging as many passengers as possible to bring carry-on luggage only.

The airline also increased the cost of checking in at the airport rather than online from €4 to €5. Checking in online, without any bags, remains free.