Flybe to charge for checking-in bags
Charges of between £2-£4 are to be imposed on passengers checking in luggage with Flybe from February.
At the same time the airline is cutting all fares by £1, doubling the weight allowance for hand baggage and increasing the hold luggage allowance to 25kgs.
The airline claimed a £2 online check-in charge and the £1 cut in fares will mean the average price paid by consumers will not increase. However, passengers who check in bags at the airport without pre-booking online will face a £4 charge.
The charges are introduced from today for flights to be taken after February 1.
Around 45% of passengers using Flybe only have hand luggage and the figure is expected to rise to more than 50% with the increased hand baggage allowance.
Flybe, which plans to introduce online check-in from next spring, said the new policy would lead to “operational efficiencies through the ability to profile estimates of baggage to be carried, and in quicker turnaround times, that will create savings for the company”.
Chairman and CEO Jim French said: “For the first time passengers checking bags onto flights will pay for the service thye use rather than the cost being unfairly spread across all people on the aircraft.
“With passengers pre-booking baggage we will be abel to accurately predict the volume of baggae to be carried allowing us to handle flights with exactly the right level of resource. This will speed up turnaround times, reduce costs and provide us with much greater operational flexibility.”
He said he was confident other airlines will follow its lead.
“Flybe aims to deliver to the consumer an experience that minimises the time booking and time spent at the airport, removing the need to queue and cutting down hassle,” added French.
Report by Phil Davies
Phil Davies
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