Ryanair hand luggage rules are strict and customers are encouraged to pack as lightly as possible to avoid being hit with extra fees – but some packing hacks could see you hit with extra costs
Ryanair travellers are advised to forego packing tricks if they wish to evade extra charges. Budget carriers such as Ryanair and easyJet are renowned for enticing customers with their cheap initial fares, allowing holidaymakers to travel across Europe for as little as £15.
However, these bargain tickets often come with additional costs, particularly for those wanting to bring more than the complimentary hand luggage allowance. This is especially true for Ryanair, where free allowances are scant and passengers frequently find themselves at odds with the airline’s stringent check-in policy.
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In an effort to determine the best way to maximise the somewhat limited baggage allowance some airlines provide, experts from Which? Travel decided to evaluate common packing tips to identify which were most effective for cramming the most items into a small bag.
Given that Ryanair’s allowance for its under-seat carry-on and larger paid-for cabin bag is among the smallest of most budget airlines, Which? utilised bags that complied with the Irish carrier’s restrictions.
“We used two under-seat bags with the dimensions 40x25x25cm: a tiny wheelie case by a brand called Travel Ready and a squishy holdall by Kono that went viral on social media for being the ideal Ryanair-sized carry-on you can fill to the brim without going over the strict dimensions,” the price comparison publication wrote.
“And then two pieces of larger carry-on luggage: a hard-shelled suitcase and a rucksack (50x40x20cm), both Cabin Max.”
Vacuum bags and packing cubes are all the rage on social media, frequently endorsed by travel gurus and influencers alike. These products promise to let travellers pack more into less space, with one vacuum roll bag brand claiming it can triple your suitcase’s clothing capacity.
“Head to TikTok and you’ll find video after video of users raving about ‘the sorcery’ of compression cubes and how they help them to cram more into their bags,” Which? reported.
Yet, when put to the test by the experts, they discovered that using vacuum packaging and cubes actually resulted in fitting less than if they simply folded their clothes into the bags.
In a similar vein, folding proved marginally better at accommodating more clothes compared to rolling them. “Our results show you can forget the hype around vacuum packing and compression cubes. Even rolling our clothes didn’t give us an advantage,” the Which? experts concluded.
“Instead, we found that folding was best. We fitted 129 garments across all four bags using this technique that’s 16 more pieces of clothing than vacuum packing. The compression cubes social media influencers sometimes promote also failed to impress in our test.
“They fitted in 11 items fewer than folding, although they were useful for stuffing in lots and lots of socks because there were plenty of gaps left around each cube. But considering we spent over £50 on these cubes, we expected them to work miracles.”
Ryanair’s baggage policy permits flyers to take one small personal item aboard, such as a handbag or laptop case, with dimensions no more than 40 x 20 x 25cm, necessitating it fits beneath the seat ahead.
Moreover, easyJet passengers on a standard fare can bring an under-seat cabin bag within the dimensions of 45 x 36 x 20cm, including handles and wheels, without any additional charge.