by Gavin Haines, The Telegraph, July 24, 2017
Passengers flying with Jet2.com must now pay an additional fee if they want to guarantee their hand luggage does not end up in the hold.
On busy flights it has become increasingly common for airlines to ask people to part with carry-on bags so they can be stored with the checked luggage below.
Jet2.com spotted a potential revenue opportunity in this routine and is now charging passengers £2.59 each way to guarantee they can travel with their hand luggage.
The airline's “guaranteed cabin baggage” option is offered to customers just before they purchase their tickets online.
A message states: “On busy flights, we may need to ask you to put your 10kg hand luggage in the hold if we’ve run out of space in the cabin. If you want to be certain of keeping your hand luggage with you, simply add guaranteed cabin luggage now.”
The new fee means a family of four could have to fork out an extra £20 to go on holiday this summer.
This is likely to rile passengers who are already feeling the pinch of a weakened pound, however, Jet2.com defended its new fee, claiming it offered an “industry leading” 10kg of hand luggage to all passengers.
The news comes a week after another low-cost carrier, Wizz Air, announced it would be scrapping its carry-on luggage fees due to a backlash from passengers.
The airline charges up to €35 (£31) for standard-sized cabin bags, depending on the time booked, but such fees will be dropped from October 29, bringing Wizz in line with Ryanair and Easyjet.
Airlines are making more money than ever before through add-ons such as priority boarding and seat selection fees.
And it has been alleged that low-cost carriers are getting sneakier when it comes to making passengers part with their cash; Ryanair has faced repeated claims that it is splitting up groups on its flights to encourage them to pay for selected seating. The airline denies the claim.
This article was written by Gavin Haines from The Telegraph and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to [email protected].