BAGGAGE CHARGES:IT WAS a tough week for those not travelling light, with both Ryanair and Aer Lingus hiking their baggage charges.
Ryanair increased its charge from €9 to €10 per bag, with promises of more rises in the future.
Aer Lingus followed with a 50 per cent hike in charges for checking in baggage at the airport, from €12 to €18. Online baggage check-in rises from €9 to €12.
Ryanair passengers will also pay €1 more to check in at the airport, bringing the cost to €5. Online check-in with Ryanair remains free, but passengers must pay to book with a credit card or to board its aircraft first. Aer Lingus extras also include a credit-card handling fee.
We made booking inquiries with both airlines online for two adults and two children flying to Paris next weekend, checking in at the airport with one suitcase for the hold per person.
In each case we took all options suggested by the websites, including travel insurance and, in the case of Ryanair, priority boarding.
Our Ryanair inquiry was for two adults and two children (between two and 16) flying to Paris Beauvais from Dublin at 6.25am next Friday and returning at 10.25am tomorrow week.
Our Aer Lingus inquiry was for two adults and two children (between two and 12) flying to Paris Charles de Gaulle at 7am next Friday and returning at 11.10am tomorrow week.