Ryanair is an ultra low cost carrier, and the company’s CEO, Michael O’Leary, is unapologetic about that. Along those lines, O’Leary just gave an interesting interview about the carrier’s carry-on bag crackdown, and I can’t decide if he’s being logical, gaslighting customers, or both.
Ryanair CEO unapologetic about punitive bag fees
Ryanair has a strict carry-on limit. Passengers on some fares are only allowed to bring a personal item, and passengers on other fares are allowed to bring a full size carry-on. But even for the full size carry-on, the airline is strict about enforcing size limits.
This is controversial at times, as the airline pays staff a commission of €1.50 for every oversized cabin bag they identify, as the airline collects up to €75 in revenue in these situations.
The way that O’Leary goes about framing the carrier’s strict policy is quite something, though. What’s the single thing about the Ryanair experience that passengers dislike the most? Well, according to O’Leary, “the thing that pisses off our passengers most is the one or two passengers who simply will not comply with our baggage rules.”
Lol, let me just repeat that. The single thing that passengers like least about flying Ryanair is the one or two passengers who don’t comply with baggage rules? Hmmm…
O’Leary claims that the airline is considering increasing the commission that employees get for identifying oversized bags, in a bid to “eliminate the scourge.” O’Leary insists that if a bag doesn’t fit in the sizer, “it’s not getting on,” and “you’re getting charged and the only way to eliminate this is to incentivise and reward my staff.”
He’s not at all embarrassed by this reality, claiming that “I will continue to incentivise and reward our staff, I make no apology for people who are breaking our baggage rules, they will continue to pay those baggage fees until they comply with our rules.”
Asked about those who are frustrated because they had no issue with a suitcase in one direction, but then have an issue on the return, O’Leary states that “I hope in future you’ll get stung on the way out and on the way back,” adding that “99.9% of our passengers don’t break the rules, they don’t get penalised.”
O’Leary insists that these fees and this strict enforcement isn’t even about generating revenue, but instead, it’s because those breaking the rules are “delaying the departure of the aircraft,” and “we’re going to eliminate them.” He finishes by saying “please fly somebody else, we don’t want your business.”
While O’Leary insists this has nothing to do with profits, it’s worth noting that in Q2 2025, the airline increased its net profit from €360 to €820 million, with ancillary revenue increasing by 7%, to almost €1.4 billion. There aren’t many airlines that saw improved performance in Q2 2025 vs. Q2 2024, so that’s quite remarkable.
Is Michael O’Leary right, or gaslighting customers?
O’Leary is unarguably the airline industry’s most controversial and blunt executive (the only competitor for that title retired in late 2023). 😉 He has been running Ryanair for decades, and there’s simply no denying that he has built an incredible business, with a model that has withstood the test of time.
Is his industry advocacy always self serving? Yes, of course. Does he take every chance he can to minimize labor costs and prevent unions from forming? Absolutely. I’m not a fan of that. But I also recognize that Ryanair has had more of an impact than any other airline in making European aviation affordable.
So, what’s my take on the comments O’Leary made? I think Ryanair is totally within its rights to have punitive policies for those who don’t follow the rules, as the carrier is transparent about how it does business. Now, once in a while we’ll see people claiming that airport employees lie about the size of bags to generate commissions, and that’s of course totally unacceptable. But as a concept, I take no issue with incentivizing airport staff to enforce the company’s policies.
That being said, while I think O’Leary’s end goal is fair, I think there’s a fair bit of gaslighting along the way. If you ask me:
- No, the single biggest pain point that Ryanair passengers have isn’t the 0.1% of passengers who aren’t following the rules, and it’s absurd to claim that; “oh, my Ryanair flight was absolutely fabulous, except for the one person who was charged extra for their bag at the gate,” said no one ever
- Let’s be honest, the actual reason for enforcement is to generate more ancillary revenue, and not to prevent delays
But these comments are ultimately on brand for Ryanair, an airline that spends most of its time on social media insulting customers and making fun of itself (rather hilariously, I might add).
Bottom line
Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary claims he’s considering increasing staff commission for oversized bag fees. Currently, staff get a €1.50 bonus when they collect fees, which can be as high as €75.
What’s noteworthy here is how O’Leary claims that these fees aren’t even about generating revenue, but instead, are about ensuring flights operate on schedule. He also claims that some people trying to bring bigger bags onto Ryanair planes is the single biggest complaint that other passengers have… heh.
What do you make of the comments from Ryanair’s boss?
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