Ryanair is incentivising its employees with bonuses for identifying passengers attempting to board with oversized hand luggage, according to a payslip from a former employee. The document shows a “gate bag bonus” being paid for enforcing the airline’s strict baggage policy.
The former staff member claimed they received approximately £1.30 for each personal item exceeding Ryanair’s size allowance, with the bonus capped at £70 per month. Ryanair confirmed on Saturday that employees are financially rewarded for penalising passengers, with excess bags potentially costing customers up to £65 each.
Despite generating over £11 billion in revenue in its last financial year, the Irish airline refused to disclose the total amount paid to staff as a “gate bag bonus”. A Ryanair spokesman told The Sunday Times: “We do pay commission to our agents who identify and charge for oversized bags, but these fees are paid by less than 0.1 per cent of passengers who don’t comply with our agreed bags rules.”
The spokesman added: “Our message to those 0.1 per cent of passengers is simple: please comply with our generous bag rules or you will be charged at check-in or at the gate. For the 99.9 per cent of our passengers who comply with our rules we say thank you and keep flying as you have nothing to worry about.”
Ryanair currently allows passengers to bring one small personal bag, such as a handbag, that fits under the seat with maximum dimensions of 40cm x 20cm x 25cm. Larger cabin bags of up to 10kg (55 x 40 x 20cm) require additional payment, starting at £5. The airline recently announced an increase in the size of its free hand luggage to 40 x 30 x 20cm, following an EU vote to ban airlines from charging for small carry-on luggage.
