Passengers may have to load their own bags onto Ryanair flights

[TimberWolf]

Publicity stunt?

"I am struggling to understand this," said a spokesman for Stansted Airport, one of Ryanair's major bases in Britain. "They haven't discussed this with us.

"There are security and practical considerations to be taken into account. For a start they would have to work out where a passenger would pick up a bag after putting it through the screening process.

"Also there are aircraft moving around the tarmac. It is hard to imagine how a grandmother or somebody with impaired mobility would be able to cope.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/tr...r-flights.html

[thelace]

The man's a ******* idiot!

[Peoplesoft bloke]

Stunt - not a chance of it ever happening

[expat]

Stunt - not a chance of it ever happening

Agree. If you target the bottom of the market, all publicity is good publicity. Surprised the press still buy it.

[BoredBloke]

I don't get the whole baggage thing with budget airlines. Ok so they have to pay to have the bags handled, but discouraging hold items simply means more luggage finding its way into the overhead bins. This means it takes longer for the passengers to get to their seats causing a slower turn around. Often the bins get filled and the last few passengers on the flight have to place their stuff in bins away from their seats meaning a slower exit from the plane. On EasyJet they don't weigh 'hand luggage' so how do they know what weight is on the plane when the vast majority are bringing on largish suitcases and shoving them into the overhead bins. Also there must be a safty issue having loads of heavy luggage stored above the passengers heads.

I suspect that the likes of Ryan Air are looking to remove all hold luggage so that they can convert the hold into a sort of super economy section - no toilet/light/heating etc

[expat]

... On EasyJet they don't weigh 'hand luggage' so how do they know what weight is on the plane when the vast majority are bringing on largish suitcases and shoving them into the overhead bins. Also there must be a safty issue having loads of heavy luggage stored above the passengers heads....

They don't know, but then they don't weigh the passengers either, and some of those weigh as much as a good few suitcases.

There is a safety issue. I have been told by an overly talkative Easyjet cabin steward that an unusually bumpy landing can spring open the locker doors, or even cause the lockers to detach from the ceiling. In a crash you are very likely to be flattened by luggage.

I detest checking baggage as much as anybody (especially if going through Heathrow) but I remember how good it was just after the "no hand baggage at all" scare a few years ago. Unfortunately the problem is baggage handling: if they fixed that, it'd be easy to persuade passengers to check in their bags.

[Menelaus]

He's more than a publicity hound, the man's a ****.

[Board Game Geek]

In other news, Ryanair announce plants to build massive great trebuchets at all major airports across the uk.

Passengers will be expected to provide their own step ladders, but once loaded, they can be flung to the country of their choice.

For an extra £5, they can have a picnic sent with them for in-flight food.

For another £5 they can have a soft cushion at the other end for landing.

Unfortunately there are no in-flight toilets on this service, but most passengers will probably go en route anyway.

[Mich the Tester]

In other news, Ryanair announce plants to build massive great trebuchets at all major airports across the uk.

This cannot be true. Far too comfortable for Ryanair.

[TheRefactornator]

Next it will be a Chicken Run reinactment, all passengers pedalling as fast as they can for take off. That should bring a bit more cheapness.