From February if you carry checked baggage on a Flybe fight you will have to pay a fee, the airline will also double the weight allowance for hand baggage from 5kg to 10kg.

Flybe will remove excess baggage charges for 99 percent of the travelling public by increasing hold baggage allowance to 25kgs.

Flybe will exempt all economy plus passengers from paying any baggage costs (up to 30kg).

Flybe will introduce charges for each checked item of hold baggage of £2, per item, per sector, if booked in advance, and £4 per item, per sector if presented un-booked at the airport

As a result of the change passengers will now only pay for the service they use rather than the cost being unfairly spread across all passengers on the aircraft whether they check a bag in or not

Flybe has been a leading innovator in the low cost sector, and see this development as the next logical step for this vibrant part of the aviation industry, undoing a historical inequity, in which the cost of handling baggage has been spread across all travellers, regardless of how much baggage they bring on board. 

Flybe see this move as a further development of its fair and transparent pricing strategy.

The pioneering move will be revenue neutral for the average consumer.

Currently just over 55% of consumers check baggage into the hold of Flybe aircraft, Flybe expects this number to drop slightly to 50%.

With Flybe’s announcement of a £1 universal cut in all fares, plus the £2 on-line check in charge, the average price paid by consumers will not increase. 

Flybe will however be able to drive operational efficiencies through the ability to profile estimates of baggage to be carried, and in quicker turnaround times, that will create savings for the company. 

These savings will be ploughed back in to the airline further reducing fares for consumers over the next few years.

Jim French, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at Flybe said: “For the first time passengers checking bags onto flights will pay for the service they use rather than the cost being unfairly spread across all people on the aircraft. 

With passengers pre-booking baggage we will be able to accurately predict the volume of baggage to be carried allowing us to handle flights with exactly the right levels of resource. 

This will speed up turnaround times, reduce costs and provide us with much greater operational flexibility.”

Flybe is continually looking at managing operational performance and keeping costs for passengers as low as possible. 

On Flybe flights around 45% of passengers only have hand baggage, and this figure is expected to rise to over 50% with the increased hand baggage allowance.

“This change in the way that we operate is about creating a fairer environment for our passengers and gaining operation efficiencies and savings which can be passed onto our customers.  At Flybe we’re constantly looking for ways to put transparency and choice at the heart of our customer offering and we believe this pioneering move does just that.  We are confident that other airlines will follow our lead.

“Flybe’s innovative lead allows passengers to book on-line, reserve a seat on-line, and in Spring 2006 check-in on-line. Therefore passengers travelling without baggage will go straight to the boarding gate, having spent an average of four minutes completing the on-line integrated booking process. Flybe aims to deliver to the consumer an experience that minimises the time booking and time spent at the airport, removing the need to queue and cutting down hassle.” added Mr French.

Flybe baggage charges will be introduced from 16th December for flights booked from 1st February and apply to all flights.

Passengers who will be checking in bags can pre-book these online at the same time they buy their tickets.  Late booking of bags can be carried out at check-in, but will cost £4 for 25kg rather than £2.
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