MSE News: Budget airline Wizz Air to charge for hand luggage

callum9999

epm-84 wrote: »

Jet2 add in a surcharge for check-in when you get to the 'enter passenger details' page. It is not currently included in the advertised price.

It's interesting that you're implying the airline are right to charge for online check-in if they include it as an itemised part of the advertised price. Online check-in is basically using their online booking system, so if they are right to charge for that then are you implying they could charge anyone who looks at flight times and prices on the website and doesn't book flights with them?

In which case I fully agree with you regarding Jet2. Though it only seems to be for those checking in bags - that should be included in the bag charges and not seperated.

How you came to that conclusion I have no idea... Every airline charges you to check-in online (unless you are suggesting their data-centres run off air and they were given the software running it all for free?) - I don't think whether they seperate out that charge from the fare if you look at a breakdown, or they just lump it in with something else is remotely relevant.

And I highly dispute it as being "inferior" to airport check-in anyway. I always check-in online whether it's compulsory or not - I don't quite understand the pleasure you get from standing in a check-in line, but each to their own I guess...

epm-84

callum9999 - There's literally hundreds of things that airlines pass the cost on to customers. A TV advertising campaign for an airline on ITV can actually cost a lot more than the development and running of a booking system. Who's paying for resurfacing the runway, new tyres on the planes etc. are all things to take in to consideration.

The reason taxes are separate is because that's a legal requirement. You as an individual have a right to know how much tax you have paid and the figure given is exactly how much the taxes are. The online check-in fee is not the actual cost of using the booking system to check-in, if it was then Amazon wouldn't exist as a business. The actual cost would be 10 to 20p, just like real cost of processing a card transaction.

I'm pretty sure Ryanair didn't used to include online check-in in the advertised price but have added it in as pressure has been put on airlines to be more transparent with pricing.

Check-in online is certainly inferior if you have hold baggage. You have to go through the online check-in process and still have to queue at the airport for bag drop. Anyway it's the cheaper option for the airline so it's like your M&S and Asda comparison where Asda sells a cheaper similar product.

HelenaHandcart

NFH wrote: »

We're talking here about hand baggage charges. If US airline Spirit is a precedent of likely charges in the future, this could easily double the cost of a flight. Unless you're travelling on a day trip, it's hard to fly without any hand baggage.

Even on a day trip it's hard to fly without any hand baggage at all. Most people need to carry something. However, I do think it would be reasonable to have a much smaller free allowance (say 40 x 30 x 15 cm - that would accomodate most laptops) with a charge if you wanted to bring a larger bag (56 x 45 x 25 cm - current IATA standard) instead of your free allowance.

SaveTheEuro

epm-84 wrote: »

The reason taxes are separate is because that's a legal requirement. You as an individual have a right to know how much tax you have paid and the figure given is exactly how much the taxes are.

Which law is this? And why are petrol, clothes etc excluded?

callum9999

epm-84 wrote: »

callum9999 - There's literally hundreds of things that airlines pass the cost on to customers. A TV advertising campaign for an airline on ITV can actually cost a lot more than the development and running of a booking system. Who's paying for resurfacing the runway, new tyres on the planes etc. are all things to take in to consideration.

The reason taxes are separate is because that's a legal requirement. You as an individual have a right to know how much tax you have paid and the figure given is exactly how much the taxes are. The online check-in fee is not the actual cost of using the booking system to check-in, if it was then Amazon wouldn't exist as a business. The actual cost would be 10 to 20p, just like real cost of processing a card transaction.

I'm pretty sure Ryanair didn't used to include online check-in in the advertised price but have added it in as pressure has been put on airlines to be more transparent with pricing.

Check-in online is certainly inferior if you have hold baggage. You have to go through the online check-in process and still have to queue at the airport for bag drop. Anyway it's the cheaper option for the airline so it's like your M&S and Asda comparison where Asda sells a cheaper similar product.

Well I'm 100% sure they've included it for well over a year as I fly regularly on them...

It isn't "certainly inferior" - I check-in online even if I have a bag... You aren't the be all and end all you know...

And I honestly can't believe you are throwing a hissy fit because of itemisation... It makes absolutely no difference to the fare you see whatsoever so why on earth would you possibly care? What is so troubling about a £10 fare and £6 check-in fee in comparison to a £16 fare?

epm-84

callum9999 wrote: »

Well I'm 100% sure they've included it for well over a year as I fly regularly on them...

And I honestly can't believe you are throwing a hissy fit because of itemisation... It makes absolutely no difference to the fare you see whatsoever so why on earth would you possibly care? What is so troubling about a £10 fare and £6 check-in fee in comparison to a £16 fare?

I don't understand why you're so keen on defending a random number that Ryanair pluck out of the air as a check-in fee. It makes no sense and as I said originally Ryanair didn't include it in the advertised fare until they were forced to.

Here's an example of a Liverpool to Dublin flight in October:
Cost: £16.00
(Online Check-in £6.00)

Now a Dublin to Liverpool flight in October:
Cost €20.00
(Online Check-in €6.00)

Current exchange rate is 1.25 so the fare is exactly the same but the on-line check in fee is a different proportion of the fares for different currencies. If the actual cost to Ryanair is €6.00 then it should be £4.80 when paying in pounds.

epm-84

SaveTheEuro wrote: »

Which law is this? And why are petrol, clothes etc excluded?

Laws are different for airlines. Clothing retailers don't have to provide you with compensation if your clothes are delayed for a day.

What retailer do you buy adult sized clothes from where they don't tell you the VAT amount on the receipt or invoice? (Children's sized clothes are VAT exempt.)

NFH

SaveTheEuro wrote: »

Which law is this? And why are petrol, clothes etc excluded?

See Article 23 of Regulation (EC) No 1008/2008 of 24 September 2008.

epm-84 wrote: »

What retailer do you buy adult sized clothes from where they don't tell you the VAT amount on the receipt or invoice?

Retailers don't have to itemise the amount of VAT on VAT receipts below £100. When selling to a consumer, they don't even have to give you a VAT receipt unless you ask for one.

Pollycat

NFH wrote: »

We're talking here about hand baggage charges. If US airline Spirit is a precedent of likely charges in the future, this could easily double the cost of a flight. Unless you're travelling on a day trip, it's hard to fly without any hand baggage.

HelenaHandcart wrote: »

Even on a day trip it's hard to fly without any hand baggage at all. Most people need to carry something. However, I do think it would be reasonable to have a much smaller free allowance (say 40 x 30 x 15 cm - that would accomodate most laptops) with a charge if you wanted to bring a larger bag (56 x 45 x 25 cm - current IATA standard) instead of your free allowance.

Have you actually the MSE article?

It says:

The €10 (£7.88) trial charge, which is likely to last for a month, will apply from 1 August on baggage larger than 42cm x 32cm x 25cm. A smaller bag will be free.

zagfles

NFH wrote: »

This would be the fairest solution. However, an additional allowance would have to be given to very tall people whose additional weight is involuntary.

That's a dangerous game to get into, next people who need to carry extra items eg because of a disability will want an extra allowance, fat people will claim it's their metabolism etc.

Anyway, currently some airlines charge extra for seats with "extra legroom" which tall people need. Very fat people sometimes have to pay for 2 seats. So it happens already - regardless of weight/height being voluntary or not.