RYANAIR is introducing charges for checking in online – with no alternative for half its passengers.
Consumer watchdogs hit out at the carrier's latest add-on fees, part of its abolition of airport check-in desks from October.
Travellers booking flights from next Wednesday will be charged a £5 online check-in fee per person, per flight, for a s
ervice which was previously free.
The charge will affect those not travelling on "promotional fares", which account for half of Ryanair's passengers.
In addition, passengers who have not printed their own boarding cards will be hit with a further £40 charge.
Ryanair will also ban under-16s travelling alone.
Which?, the former Consumers Association, said the move would make air travel even worse. A spokeswoman for Which? Holiday said: "We're particularly disappointed with their decision to introduce yet another extra charge for something that was once included in the full cost of the ticket. If you fly with Ryanair, online check-in will now be the only option, so it would be fairer to include the cost in the price up front."
Ryanair said it had previously charged £10 to check in at airports, and justified the online charge because it had absorbed the cost of developing the technology up to now. A spokesman said: "If you wish to avoid online check-in charges, you can by travelling at another time that suits you and on a flight on which we have on promotion."
The full article contains 248 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
