LONDON, Dec 1 (Reuters) - British airline EasyJet is
to reduce its onboard luggage allowance from Feb. 10 next year,
a move which will incentivise more people to pay to select their
seat or check a bag into the hold.
Under the new rules, all passengers can bring a small bag
for free, but only those who pay for a seat in the front of the
plane or extra leg room can also bring a larger bag to go in the
overhead locker.
EasyJet is only flying 20% of its capacity this winter due
to travel restrictions related to the pandemic, and has said it
continues to review options for additional funding after posting
a 1.3 billion pound annual loss.
The airline said the new luggage rules, which bring its
approach more into line with larger rival Ryanair, would
be positive for customers.
"Our new policy will improve boarding and punctuality for
everyone, as well as give our customers certainty of what they
will have with them onboard," easyJet's chief commercial and
customer officer Robert Carey said in a statement on Tuesday.
Previously, all easyJet passengers were allowed to bring a
large bag for the overhead locker, although some of these were
placed in the hold when the lockers became full.
Pre-COVID, easyJet's ancillary revenues, which include sales
from checked baggage and allocated seating, accounted for about
a fifth of the airline's total 2019 annual revenues of 6.4
billion pounds.
(Reporting by Sarah Young. Editing by Jane Merriman)
easyJet (EZJ)
