Budget Travel - beware FLY-BE

Meant to post this a while ago - they now have any even better enhancement for all travellers - it called ripping you off for any luggage you might want to check in - read the small print and beware

Ryanair has already announced that they are going to follow suit early next year, and I suspect that they will be charging a lot more than FlyBe's relatively modest fee of £2 per item (£4 if not pre-booked).

In fact Ryanair announced years ago that they were going to start charging for baggage, so it was probably their idea in the first place.

This was announced in a flyBE email about two weeks ago. I didn't feel that it was an earthshaking announcement, but appreciated the advance notice. We'll still take flyBE over Ryanair, given the choice.

bj-21.

If you know about it in advance, I don't see the problem. Not much different than seeing a $300 base fare on, say, British Airways, which quickly turns into $600 when all the taxes and fees are added.

If you know about it in advance..

Which is all very well, except trhat flyBE operate a fleet of smaller aircraft, such as Dash's which mean that having free carry on/charging for checked luggage is all fine and dandy, except that there isn't that much onboard storage space. This means of course a lot of "I'm so sorry, but you'll have to check that luggage in" lines being presented to the passengers, most of whom wouldn't have a clue what they can/cannot bring onboard or what kind of plane it is, and what hand luggage capacity they can have.

A nice little money spinner for flyBE, not so nice for the general public.

That's a very good point, colmc - how are they going to cope with all those carry-ons on FlyBe's fleet of turboprops and regional jets?

FlyBe's carry-on allowance is about to go up from 5 kg to 10 kg. I suspect that if everybody tries to take 10 kg into the cabin the overhead bins will be full long before everybody has boarded, and we'll end up with "American-style" scenes of passengers queuing in the aisles while FAs desperately try to make space for all those bulky carry-ons, and the last third of the passengers being told that their bags have to go in the hold.

"Sorry, Sir, there is no room for your briefcase - it'll have to go in the hold and that will cost you four pounds... No, sorry, Sir, I can't change a twenty pound note..."

I envisage a certain amount of chaos....

That's a very good point, colmc - how are they going to cope with all those carry-ons on FlyBe's fleet of turboprops and regional jets?

FlyBe's carry-on allowance is about to go up from 5 kg to 10 kg. I suspect that if everybody tries to take 10 kg into the cabin the overhead bins will be full long before everybody has boarded, and we'll end up with "American-style" scenes of passengers queuing in the aisles while FAs desperately try to make space for all those bulky carry-ons, and the last third of the passengers being told that their bags have to go in the hold.

"Sorry, Sir, there is no room for your briefcase - it'll have to go in the hold and that will cost you four pounds... No, sorry, Sir, I can't change a twenty pound note..."

I envisage a certain amount of chaos....
Out of curiosity I e-mailed FlyBE today:

Please clarify your new policy concerning hand baggage after 1.2.06.

Given that most of your fleet is of the 'smaller' a/c type, what will happen if I carry a piece of hand baggage within the weight and dimensions limits and there is no room on-board? Will I then be surcharged to carry it in the hold? What if the hand baggage is a laptop or other non-hold item?

and they replied:

Dear Farci,
I can confirm that if for any reason an acceptable piece of hand luggage cannot be carried in the Cabin due to lack of space, passengers will not be charged.

Yours sincerely
Customer Relations

I suggest we all print this out and tape it inside our passports -wonder what Ryanair will say? :D