Ryanair dismisses govt's luggage advice as 'nonsensical'

Yesterday the Department for Transport set out its full "Covid-secure" guidelines for the safe resumption of international air travel.

Part of the advice includes minimising carry-on baggage.

“To make social distancing easier during boarding and disembarkation, airlines should strongly promote the carriage of baggage in the aircraft hold and minimise any hand/ cabin baggage through communication and incentive policies,” read the government’s statement.

“Face coverings and adequate personal supplies may need to be catered for.”

But today Ryanair criticised the baggage comments as “more nonsensical advice from the DOT which continues to oversee a completely ineffective and useless 14-day quarantine”.

In contrast, it the airline recommends passengers minimise checked in luggage, in favour of carrying one or two cabin bags, as it will come into contact with only one person. The airline highlights checked in bags are handled by multiple people at check-in, in baggage holds and while being loaded on to and out of aircraft holds.

“In attempting to minimise physical contact during the travel process, particularly on short-haul flights, Ryanair recommends passengers to minimise checked in bags and, where possible, confine themselves to one or two carry-on bags which minimises physical contact with other persons,” said a Ryanair spokesperson.

“The UK DfT should stop issuing rubbish advice to passengers about baggage and instead focus their efforts on scrapping the UK’s useless visitor quarantine which the UK Home Office now admit cannot be implemented, supervised or policed effectively.

“Ryanair is returning to flying with 1,000 daily flights from 1 July.

“Recent bookings show how UK customers are largely ignoring this useless visitor quarantine as they book in their thousands to holiday destinations in July and August.”