Holidaymakers handed £55 as budget airline scraps common airport charge

Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary has revealed how the airline will push passengers towards a fully digital experience at check-in

Holidaymakers will be handed an extra £55 when a budget airline brings in a key policy change. Ryanair will scrap its airport desks from May 1, its CEO has announced.

Passengers flying with the Irish airline have to pay £55 if they check-in at airport desks ahead of a flight - although online check-ins on their app are free. The announcement was made by Michael O'Leary who said "everything will be done on the app" and there will be no charge to passengers for airport check-ins, reports MirrorOnline.

The announcement is set to revolutionise the check-in game and push passengers towards a fully digital experience. Mr O'Leary declared his intention to change the check-in procedure by May 1.

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This is set to cut costs and streamline services. The CEO explained the changes at a press event in Dublin. Although hew admitted he was "reluctant" to go on the app, he said "it works so well.

He explained: "We will get rid of ticket desks and then there's no reason to charge people for airport check-in. We want to get rid of airport checks in the same way we got rid of bag [desks]. We are working towards from May 1 that everything will be done on the app, nothing will be done on paper anymore.

"It will probably be around April or May of next year, after Easter. I think from May next year it will be 100% the app. I have been reluctant to go on the app because I am terrified to get on a flight without a piece of paper, but it works so well. It tells you your gate and if there is a delay", reports RSVP Live.

He also noted the shift in customer behaviour: "The customers who want the piece of paper are the same demographic that when we first moved over to the internet they wouldn't move over but were then the first ones to switch to the internet for cheaper airfares."

Currently, 60% of Ryanair's customers use the app for check-in, with expectations that this figure will soar to 80% by 2025.

"If your battery dies we have your seat and your passport and we can do that at the boarding gates at the moment. We sometimes do that if someone's phone doesn't scan for some reason. Once we have the name and passport that's fine but everyone will be on the app," he added.

He also addressed concerns around the digital divide, especially for the elderly who may struggle with smartphone technology or lack internet access, hindering their ability to check-in online.

Compounding the issue is the fact that airports often require scanning of boarding passes post-online check-in even before proceeding through security, creating a catch-22 scenario where one cannot reach the boarding gates to check-in without already having checked in.

Last year the budget airline boss claimed that airport ticket desks cost Ryanair "a fortune" to rent out and staff to help the 0.2% of customers he claimed failed to check-in. “We don’t want the money, we just don’t want anybody showing up the airport without having checked in online. It’s a very simple policy. It’s like arriving at the check-in gate with an oversized bag. You will not get it on board. We will charge you £60 or £70 not because we want the money. We just don’t want your bag," Mr O'Leary said at the time.