Commenting on the announcement that Ryanair’s Q1 profits are up by one per cent, Bob Atkinson, travel expert at www.travelsupermarket.com, said:

“Revenue growth is outstripping passenger growth as Ryanair manages to take more and more money from each of its passengers, despite offering some of the lowest fares in the world.

“Whilst fares have risen five per cent, ancillary revenues, the so called hidden charges or ‘optional extras’ as Ryanair calls them, have jumped by an astonishing 23 per cent in the same period to €203.9m.  They now represent 22.7 per cent of all revenues, up from 21.3 per cent last year.  This is still an area the airline sees as offering even more potential growth so it is no surprise that Ryanair is finding ever more ingenious ways to drive up ancillary revenues.

Atkinson continued: “It’s not hard to see how the even the basic charges can add up.  The cost of the ‘optional extras’ for a customer taking a return flight in July or August, travelling with just one bag in the hold and paying by credit card, adds up to a significant £60* or for a family of four, this could mean an extra £240 in charges on top of the ticket price.

“My advice to customers booking a flight with any airline is to look at the total price of your tickets including any added extras you may need to pay and then shop around using a comparison site to see how prices compare”.