Ryanair passengers could face an additional £55 fee
Ryanair has changed a rule(Image: SOPA Images, SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
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.
New rules have come into force for Brits this week across a number of European holiday hotspots, but there’s an app that could help you swerve potentially long queues
The app could make the EES process simpler – but it’s only available in certain locations(Image: Getty Images)
Brits heading to the likes of France, Spain, Portugal and Greece will face new entry requirements as Europe’s new Entry/Exit System (EES) has come into force. Airports across the EU are braced for potential travel chaos as non-EU visitors, including Brits, will need to have biometric information such as facial images and fingerprints taken when they enter the EU.
Personal data from your passport will also be collected when you enter an EU border, and the system will record entry and exit dates to allow overstays to be easily flagged. EES is set to replace passport stamps in the long run.
However, getting to grips with the new technology has proven tricky at some airports, with many Brits reporting longer queues on arrival and when departing the EU. While EU passport holders have their own lanes, Brits must queue with other non-EU nationalities and go through the new system.
An official app could potentially speed up the process for Brits and other non-EU citizens, although many travellers are unaware of its existence.
The Travel to Europe app is available on Apple’s App Store or Google Play and claims it can “speed up your border check”. Holidaymakers heading to the EU first need to download the app and register. At the moment, the app is only available at selected border crossing points, including Sweden and Portugal, although the developers claim more will be added soon.
Families flying together can add co-travellers to the app so their details are in one place. You simply need to add details of your journey such as the date and time you’ll arrive and depart, and can scan your passport using your phone. You then take a selfie and answer some questions. This can be done up to 72-hours before your flight.
The app then generates a QR code for each passenger which can be scanned at a self-service kiosk or by passport control staff. Simply follow the signs or directions from airport staff to the pre-registration queue. Of course, there’s no guarantee of entry and staff may still carry out additional checks, but for many passengers this could speed up the process for them.
Travellers have been warned to “expect chaos” in the coming months in popular holiday hotspots such as Tenerife. Reports of hours long queues and confusion caused by the new system have surfaced. And while the EES implementation date has avoided the busy Easter weekend, May half-term is just a few weeks away, which could potentially put more strain on the system.
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Emirates has issued a new alert to travellers(Image: Matthieu Douhaire via Getty Images)
Emirates has issued an update to passengers and prospective travellers following news that Iran and the US have reached agreement on a conditional two-week ceasefire. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who has been facilitating talks, announced early on Wednesday (April 8) that the ceasefire took effect immediately.
The Dubai-based carrier Emirates stated in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Friday morning that it is currently “operating a reduced flight schedule to over 100 destinations.” The statement continued, noting that those looking to make fresh bookings can check the most up-to-date flight schedules on the Emirates website.
Emirates added: “To provide further peace of mind, customers who make new bookings will also be offered one complimentary date change within the ticket’s validity.” Regarding those with pre-existing bookings, the airline said: “If your travel plans have been affected, we’ll do our best to rebook you on the next available Emirates flight.
“This applies to most disrupted tickets, including journeys connecting beyond Dubai.” Passengers booked to fly between February 28 and May 31 have several options available.
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These travellers can request a refund by filling out a form on the Emirates website, with the funds expected to be returned to your account within 21 days. Alternatively, you can rebook onto a different flight to your planned destination up until June 15, 2026. Emirates continued: “If your original travel date is within 72 hours, rebook by visiting [the Emirates website] or “Manage Your Booking” on the Emirates App. If your booking is for later, please contact us for assistance at [the Emirates website].”
Prior to travel, passengers are encouraged to keep checking their flight status – even following check-in. The post adds: “You can also review the latest operational updates on [the Emirates website]. Make sure your details are up to date to receive notifications and check your email for changes or cancellations to your flights before travelling to the airport.
“We continue to monitor the situation, and we will develop our operational schedule accordingly. Thank you for your understanding and patience.”
At the time of publication, Emirates said it is operating flights to Dubai from the following UK airports:
The UK is in talks about considering making the same decision
13:42, 08 Apr 2026Updated 15:16, 08 Apr 2026
Major decision made for millions across the country (Image: Getty)
Greece has announced that it will introduce a brand new rule next year that will impact millions of people. The change comes months after Australia implemented a similar decision in December 2025, and now Greece is urging the European Union to follow suit with its upcoming ‘ban‘.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis confirmed on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, that Greece will ban all children under 15 from accessing social media. The measure, which will come into force on January 1, 2027, is designed to protect children’s mental health and will apply irrespective of parental consent.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis cited “unambiguous” evidence that addictive screen time and social media algorithms are contributing to anxiety and sleep deprivation among children. Data from the Greek Safer Internet Centre in Athens shows that 75% of children currently using social media in Greece are of primary-school age.
It comes as the UK government has started a discussion about possibly banning under-16s, and Ireland and Denmark are considering doing the same. Last month, the House of Lords supported a proposal to ban under-16s from using social media platforms in the UK.
In a video posted on TikTok, Kyriakos Mitsotakis said: “We have decided to go ahead with a difficult but necessary measure: ban access to social media for children under 15 years old. Greece is among the first countries in the world to adopt such a measure.” The prime minister went on to say he would put pressure on the European Union to follow suit.
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The Greek government plans to enforce the ban through its existing ‘Kids Wallet’ application, which is already used to verify ages for alcohol and tobacco purchases. This application will be used to filter and block social media access at the device level.
Unlike approaches that rely on social media platforms to police themselves, Greece is pursuing a ‘source-based’ approach. Parents will be required to activate the Kids Wallet app on all of a child’s devices to block access at the system level. Greek officials hope this state-mandated device-level block will effectively counter circumvention methods, such as VPNs.
Greece joins other nations implementing strict age-based digital restrictions, including Australia, which enforces an under-16 ban, and Indonesia. Following the announcement, Kyriakos Mitsotakis wrote to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, calling for a common EU-wide “Digital Age of Majority” to be set at 15.
While both Greece and Australia share the goal of protecting children’s mental health, their enforcement methods differ significantly. Australia’s existing under-16 ban places the burden on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook to find and remove underage accounts.
Since its launch in December 2025, Australia’s platform-based model has faced challenges. The eSafety Commissioner recently reported “significant concerns” about platforms that allow children to bypass checks or that provide insufficient reporting tools for parents.
Australia’s ban impacts ten major “high-risk” social networks but largely spares educational and messaging services like Google Classroom and WhatsApp. The Greek proposal is part of a broader framework that also restricts minors from online gambling, dating apps, and tobacco and alcohol sales.
Meanwhile, the UK government is actively considering an outright ban on social media for children under 16 through a high-profile national consultation and legislative debate. A three-month government consultation on “digital wellbeing” is currently open, seeking views on restrictions such as overnight curfews and “app caps,” and is scheduled to close May 26, 2026.
In the legislative arena, the House of Lords has twice defeated the government by adding an amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill that would mandate a social media ban for under-16s. The House of Commons previously rejected this measure in March 2026, with the bill scheduled to return to the Commons on April 15, 2026.
Vogue Williams and Spencer Matthews have been married since 2018 and share three children, but she admits she initially didn’t fancy him and likes to keep a ‘separate life’
Vogue Williams and Spencer Matthews attend the 2026 EE BAFTA Film Awards(Image: Getty Images)
The Irish podcast presenter initially admits she “didn’t fancy” Spencer and believed he “wasn’t for her”. Yet she says her mates “really wanted me to sleep with Spencer” and thought he’d fit in with their circle.
Nevertheless, shortly after their first meeting, romance flourished, and in January 2018 Spencer proposed during an outing to see The Lion King in London. The couple wed that June at Glen Affric, the Matthews family’s Scottish estate.
Speaking recently at Meta’s HQ in Dublin, Vogue acknowledged she enjoys maintaining a “separate life” from her spouse. This came as she recounted an incident where he irritated her whilst she was preparing to spend time with My Therapist Ghosted Me co-host Joanne McNally.
Asked who she favours between Joanne and Spencer, Vogue answered: “Well it depends what I need them for. I went for a walk with Joanne on Sunday morning and Spenny was insistent that he wanted to go for lunch and then Joanne was like, ‘I’m not hungry, I want to go home.'”
She continued: “So I was in a huff with Spenny, as I was going on a walk with Joanne and he interrupted it. I try to, I like to have a separate life as well, Spenny he has his friends and I have my friends.”
In her autobiography Big Mouth, Vogue confesses she worried a romance with Spencer wouldn’t “have gone very well” regardless because he “was yet to form a serious bone in his body”. Vogue meanwhile acknowledges she tended to find herself “getting serious quickly”.
The duo nevertheless “got on famously” following Spencer’s arrival at The Jump dressed in tracksuit bottoms, slippers, and “reeking of booze”. Vogue penned: “I had done a lot of work with my therapist up to this point; we had decided that if I continue to fall for guys I felt I needed to fix or help I was just repeating a pattern and that it always ended the same way (disastrously).
“Spencer, being a man made of red flags, was not for me I decided, and I didn’t really fancy him anyway so it was all good. I did, however, love his personality.”
The pair now have three children together – Theodore, Gigi and Otto. Vogue has previously revealed she would have “swiped past” Spencer had they encountered each other on a dating app.
She shared this during an earlier episode of Vogue and Amber, whilst responding to a listener finding it difficult to discover love through digital platforms. Vogue remarked: “You’re just judging someone completely on the way they look.
“And I always say this, Spencer is obviously gorgeous, but he wouldn’t have been my type when we met. And I would have swiped past him on a dating app.
“And then we met, and we were mad about each other because we just loved each other’s personalities. So, I think trying to meet somebody in real life, although it can be hard, can be a really amazing thing.”
