LOW-FARE airline Ryanair took almost £550 million in extra charges such as baggage fees last year.
It was revealed yesterday that the Irish no-frills carrier came fourth in a global list for airline ancillary revenue for 2008. Such revenue also includes in-flight food and the commission airlines make on hotel bookings, car rental and insuran
ce.
IdeaWorks, which compiled the list, said that Ryanair's ancillary revenue last year accounted for 19.3 per cent of its total earnings. Only three giant US carriers – American Airlines, United and Delta – had more ancillary revenue last year than Ryanair, which has just announced a 50 per cent baggage fee increase from next month.
A spokesman for IdeaWorks said: "The sickly patient known as the world's airline industry suffered through 2008 and only survived due to dramatic schedule cutbacks, the slow reversal of fuel prices and an intravenous injection of ancillary revenue."
Ryanair's Stephen McNamara said: "Ryanair provides passengers with Europe's guaranteed lowest fares by providing a range of ancillary revenue services such as hotel, villa, camping and hostel accommodation, travel insurance, bus and rail tickets, car hire, gift vouchers, financial services and in-flight telephone services as well as in-flight beverages, food and merchandising.
"Ryanair is not simply an airline: it is the Tesco of the skies."
