Ryanair fees: why most travelers pay them unknowingly, and how to avoid them

Souleymane Enok

May 12, 2026

It has become one of the most profitable extras in European air travel. According to financial reports published by Ryanair, ancillary revenues (of which baggage fees represent a significant share) exceeded 4.7 billion euros in their last fiscal year. A windfall that relies, in large part, on a misunderstanding that few passengers identify before arriving at the boarding gate.

A cabin standard that isn't one

When a traveler buys a bag labeled "cabin luggage," they assume there is a standard shared between airlines. That is rarely the case.

Traditional airlines, such as Air France, KLM, Lufthansa, or British Airways, generally accept dimensions around 55x35x25 cm. It is on this basis that the vast majority of bags sold in stores are calibrated, including at specialized retailers.

Ryanair, for its part, mandates 40x20x25 cm for the free personal item. Easyjet applied a similar logic for a long time before tightening its rules. Vueling and Transavia fluctuate within similar ranges. Any bag that exceeds these limits, even by a few centimeters, triggers a surcharge that can climb to 75 euros if paid at the boarding gate.

The result is statistically predictable. A traveler who flies six times a year with a low-cost carrier can spend, without realizing it, the equivalent of a seventh flight solely in baggage fees.

Legal challenges underway

This issue is not trivial. In November 2024, the Spanish government imposed a combined fine of 179 million euros on five low-cost airlines, including Ryanair and Vueling, for practices deemed abusive regarding hand luggage fees. The European Parliament has also voted for several resolutions calling for the harmonization of rules, although a binding framework has yet to be adopted at the EU level.

In the meantime, travelers remain faced with fragmented rules that are opaque at the time of purchase and applied with increasing rigor at the gate.

The smart sizing reflex

Several forums for frequent travelers (Tripadvisor, Reddit, specialized Facebook groups) converge on the same conclusion. The simplest solution remains to invest in a bag strictly calibrated to the most restrictive standard, which is Ryanair's. A bag that passes on Ryanair passes everywhere else. The reverse is false.

One practical problem remains. A 40x20x25 cm bag is, by design, too small for a trip of more than two or three days. Hence the emergence, in recent years, of a new category of so-called "expandable" luggage, which combines a collapsed configuration compliant with low-cost carriers and a more generous open configuration for legacy airlines.

This type of product remains a minority in the aisles of major retailers, which continue to predominantly offer 55x35x25 formats poorly adapted to Ryanair's constraints.

Brands that have targeted this niche

A few specialized players have carved out a place in this niche. In France, a brand like sac-cabine.com offers, in particular, a 60L expandable model sold for around 129 euros, calibrated to the Ryanair standard when closed and usable up to 60 liters once deployed. Other alternatives exist, mainly on Amazon, at comparable prices but with varying build quality according to user reviews.

The smart approach before buying, regardless of the brand, involves checking three points. The exact dimensions in the folded position (and not just the "cabin compatible" claim). The rigidity of the bag when full, because a soft bag can exceed the dimensions even if it complies on paper. And the presence of a laptop compartment if you travel with one.

How much it adds up to over a year

Based on an average surcharge of 45 euros per trip for a traveler making six round trips per year on low-cost carriers, the annual cost of avoidable baggage fees is around 540 euros. Over five years, we are talking about 2,700 euros. An amount that easily justifies the purchase of a dedicated bag by the second use.

The calculation, for once, requires no calculator.