London - British Airways is following its budget rivals by charging passengers to check in their baggage on short-haul flights.
The airline announced a £10 (about R150) fee to put luggage in the hold on some of its routes from Heathrow and London City. It will come into effect later this month on flights to Amsterdam, Barcelona, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Paris, Rome, Rotterdam and Stockholm.
BA said it is making short-haul flights cheaper for those who do not want to fly with hold luggage, but denied that it had been forced to change its fares structure to compete with budget airlines.
“We are basically offering the fare to adapt to travellers’ requirements and to give them what they want,” said a spokesperson.
The charge follows a trial over the summer on short-haul routes from Gatwick, where BA faces strong competition from easyJet.
Many airlines now impose add-on charges for services including baggage, food, seat reservations, priority boarding, fast-track security or seats with more legroom. These now comprise up to five percent of airlines’ total income, compared with less than one percent five years ago.
Robin Glover-Faure, BA head of short haul, said: “The hand-baggage-only fare at Gatwick has proved popular with customers, so we’re now introducing it on a selected number of short-haul routes from Heathrow and London City. If it proves as successful, we plan to roll it out across the whole short-haul network in the coming months.”
EasyJet charges between £9 and £19 for bags checked into the hold.
The move will not affect long-haul flights, where BA faces strong competition from airlines offering larger baggage allowances.
Aviation consultant John Strickland said BA needs to show that its no-baggage fares are competitive with low-cost carriers. - Daily Mail