Ryanair cuts baggage fees as passenger numbers jump

Ryanair is reducing baggage fees for the bulk of its customers from today, the Irish no-frills airline revealed as it posted a 12% jump in passenger numbers.

The carrier said passenger numbers were 10.6 million in May, meaning traffic in the year to last month soared 16% to 108.5 million against a tough travel market backdrop that has been rocked by terrorist attacks and strike action.

Ryanair toasted the growth by rewarding 92% of its customers with a cut in bag fees. They will pay the same price for checking in a bag whether they paid at the time of their initial purchase or added to the booking later.

Ryanair yesterday admitted it has had to cancel 75 flights as French air traffic controllers go on strike.

Travel chaos is set to continue with three more days of strikes planned for this weekend.

The firm, headed by racehorse owner Michael O’Leary, has called on the European Commission to take action to stop strikes causing so much disruption for travellers.