RYANAIR IS INTRODUCING a “grace period” for this month by waiving new fees for a new baggage policy which came into effect yesterday.

The new rules mean passengers will have to pay to bring cabin bags weighing more than 10kg on board.

Previously, the airline’s policy allowed passengers to carry one small cabin bag, such as a backpack or shopping bag, and one larger bag – weighing 10kg – on board for free.

The bigger bag was tagged at the gate and put in the hold for free, but from yesterday, all non-priority passengers will have to pay €8-€10 to have their 10kg bag checked-in.

The cost will be €8 for customers who pay for their bag during the initial flight booking, and €10 for those who do so after booking via the Manage my Booking facility.

The company argues that it will mean fewer bags being tagged at the gate and will speed up boarding. 

But Ryanair have said today that they are introducing a grace period this month before enforcing the new rules. 

“I think it’ll last for the month of November, we’re going to waive fees when customer’s bags are slightly larger or larger than the permitted allowance,” Ryanair’s chief marketing officer Kenny Jacobs told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland.

We’re taking this reasonable approach because we want customers who are fully aware of the policy, because we’ve announced it and it’s been very transparent, but we just want to say to people the next time you’re travelling you won’t be able to travel with this particular bag or if you do you can pay priority boarding, you can pay €8 to check the bag in or at the gate you can pay a fee.

Some customers had complained online that the change in policy had led to long check-in queues but Jacobs denied this was the case.

He said workers at Stansted said the opposite was the case and also denied that the grace period was because of teething problems.

“We decided we were going to have a grace period and we were going to waive fees weeks ago, we did not do that in reaction to any queues at Stansted yesterday.”

“The opposite, I was in Stansted myself yesterday morning and we were very happy with the processing. The Daily Mail or anyone else putting put photographs is one thing, the reality is that the people who run Stansted Airport said it was the best day ever in terms of people getting through check in, security and boarding the aircraft.”