Ryanair £55 airport charge that’s nothing to do with bag size

Ryanair passengers could face an additional £55 fee

A Ryanair regulation could land passengers with £55 charges, and it’s got nothing to do with oversized luggage. The budget carrier is renowned for its stripped-back approach, with a habit of adding extra charges for items such as baggage and choosing your own seat.

At present, passengers on a basic ticket can only bring one small personal bag as hand luggage without facing additional charges. If this bag exceeds the dimensions, it will need to be placed in the hold – at an extra cost. And while many travellers are familiar with this regulation, there’s another Ryanair policy that could see you stung with extra charges.

If you’re jetting off with Ryanair you’ll be required to check in online. You can then save your boarding pass to a smartphone or tablet. As of November 2025 Ryanair has transitioned to “100% digital boarding passes via its app, eliminating paper passes to reduce costs, improve service, streamline rebooking, and save 300 tonnes of paper annually”.

You can check in online from 60 days ahead of your flight’s scheduled departure if you’ve purchased a seat, or 24 hours beforehand if you’re content to be assigned a complimentary seat. Regardless of seat selection, online check-in shuts two hours before the flight is scheduled to take off.

Following online check-in you’ll obtain your boarding passes, and you’ll be required to save a copy. If you fail to check in online, you’ll face an airport check-in charge of £55 or 55 euros.

To dodge the fee make sure you have a valid boarding pass before you head off to the airport. For those without a smartphone or tablet, Ryanair will print a boarding pass at no cost, provided you have already completed your online check-in prior to arriving at the airport.

Ryanair said it will remind passengers who are booked to fly to check-in online before they are due to depart.