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We have all become familiar with having to pay for extras on budget airlines; it started with being charged for food and drinks and has gradually extended to having to pay to check in luggage or for “speedy boarding”. Ryanair, however, has taken the art of charging for “extras” to another level!

Recently there has been talk of a “fat tax” for male passengers weighing over 130kg and females over 100kg, a charge for using the toilet on board and the latest suggestion is axing baggage handlers and making passengers carry their own luggage through security to the foot of the steps at the plane and picking it up at the other end.

The airline, however, has said that it will not go ahead with the plans if it means their quick turnaround is affected. It was this concern that put the fat tax on hold since it was felt that it would delay both check-in and turnaround times.

As from this October, passengers will have to check-in online (something which three quarters of all their passengers do already) as there will be no Ryanair check-in desks at airports. The airline expects to save over £44 million a year by introducing this measure.

Ryanair was the first of the budget airlines to charge passengers for hold luggage and this has resulted in about 75% of their passengers restricting themselves to bags which can be taken on board. Last summer the airline announced proposals to ban hold luggage altogether on several of its non-tourist routes popular with business travellers.