Ryanair is planning to increase bonuses for staff who catch out travellers for carrying oversized bags, despite previously denying the existence of such a scheme.
The Irish low-cost carrier's CEO, Michael O’Leary, has indicated that the company will up its current bonus of €1.50 (£1.29) per oversized bag to €2.50 (£2.16).
The airline boss also suggested that they will be removing the current €80 (£69) per month cap on bonuses, giving more incentive for workers to catch passengers bringing oversized bags onto flights.
At a press conference in London, Mr O'Leary confirmed: “I want our ground-handling people to be catching people who are scamming the system.
Michael O’Leary has indicated that his company will up the current bonus
|REUTERS
"I am still mystified by the number of people with rucksacks who think they are going to get through the gate and we won't notice.
"We will - and you will be paying for the rucksack."
However, earlier this year Ryanair denied the existence of the bonus scheme.
A spokesman outright denied claims of doing so when pressed by GB News in January - then in April, Dara Brady, Ryanair's chief marketing officer, told Virgin Media News: "We don't pay our staff commission for bags."
Earlier this year, Ryanair denied the existence of the bonus scheme
| PARyanair currently fines customers up to €75 (£65) if they attempt to board a flight with oversized carry-on luggage.
The airline announced earlier this year that it intended to increase the size allowance of its cabin bags by 20 per cent to fall in line with new European Union standards.
However, the "gate bag bonus" programme was revealed last month by the Sunday Times after they obtained a former Ryanair employee's payslip.
After the newspaper exposed the bonus scheme, a representative for the airline admitted that such a practice exists.
RYANAIR - READ LATEST HEADLINES:
- Ryanair flight forced to U-turn mid-air after passenger 'tries to open emergency exit door'
- 'No one wanted to sit near it!' Passenger panics after discovering 'cracked' window on Ryanair plane
- Ryanair unveils 3 new routes to a winter destination that is like 'waking up in a dream'
- Ryanair demands UK air traffic control chief resigns after day of travel chaos
Dara Brady, Ryanair's chief marketing officer, told Virgin Media News: 'We don't pay our staff commission for bags'
| PEXELSA Ryanair spokesman said: "We do pay commission to our agents who identify and charge for oversized bags, but these fees are paid by less than 0.1 per cent of passengers who don't comply with our agreed bags rules."
The Dublin-based airline allows travellers to bring on board a small bag, measuring 40cm x 20cm x 25cm, that fits under the seat free of charge.
Passengers wishing to bring larger carry-on luggage weighing up to 10kg must pay an additional fee.
Each year, roughly 200,000 Ryanair customers fall foul of the baggage rules and are forced to fork out the fines.
Two flyers from Northern Ireland were left "utterly miffed" after being issued a double fine for oversized baggage at Dublin Airport earlier this year.
Mary O'Hanlon, from County Down, had been flying to Lanzarote with her partner when "stroppy staff" at the boarding gate issued fines for the couple - despite photos of the ordeal showing the bag fitted perfectly inside the rack.
Ms O'Hanlon told GB News: "Our bags are the right measurements, they fit in their sizing racks - and we were at the end of the queue.
"Pay up or you won't be going anywhere, we were told... We had no choice but to pay €75 each."