Hand luggage only?
A study by The Co-operative Travel into over 68,000 flight bookings has revealed a 233% increase in the numbers of people managing to go on holiday with just hand baggage.
The poll found that more people are now carrying just 10kg of luggage, including their case, to avoid paying baggage charges from budget airlines such as Ryanair and easyJet.
It calculated that a family of four travelling with just hand baggage, rather than a suitcase each, would save an average of £233.12 on baggage charges from their outbound and return flights.
This rises to £440 saving for Ryanair’s peak season flights.
The Co-operative Travel’s research shows that 26% of passengers are lightening the load in order to reduce costs.
It estimates that over 16,000 of the families flying with budget airlines in 2011 will share just one suitcase between 4, saving an average of £149. While over 51,000 couples will do the same, saving £49.
Trevor Davis, director of retail distribution at The Co-operative Travel, said: “Budget airlines have been around for quite some time now and people are getting smarter and minimising the cost of their flights.
“While not everyone will want to go to the extremes of holidaying with just carry-on baggage, it does allow people to decide exactly what they’re prepared to pay for.
“For the airlines this is probably the desired outcome, lowering the weight of the flight and time spent handling people’s luggage.”
But the Co-operative said complex charging structures make it harder for customers to shop around for the best price.
“Prices for budget airline flights are rarely quoted with a typical baggage cost, and most often the price you see just includes a hand luggage allowance," said Davis.
“This, combined with the broad range and complexity of charges, makes it hard for holidaymakers to compare prices accurately at face value.”
by Bev Fearis
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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