WHILE Ryanair flights are some of the cheapest on the market, one underused trick can make them even more pocket-friendly.
Anyone who has flown with the budget airline will know that passengers can only take one personal item, like a handbag or a small rucksack, onboard for free.
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Those holidaymakers who want an additional carry-on item, a seat reservation or priority boarding will need to pay.
But MoneySavingExpert has revealed how passengers can get baggage and reserved seats much cheaper.
The website explained that it is all to do with comparing Value Fares and Regular Fares offered by Ryanair.
Value Fares, which start from £9.99 each way, come with nothing included, so passengers simply get a seat on the plane.
While a Regular Fare that starts from £21 each way has Priority boarding, reserved seats and allows for two cabin bags to be taken onboard.
Even though it may seem counter-intuitive, purchasing the Value Fare and paying for extras separately can be much cheaper.
According to MoneySavingExpert, a family of four could save almost £100 on return flights using this method.
The website explains: “If we were able to select the cheapest seats, booking separately always worked out cheaper.”
“[The] savings ranged from 9% to a whopping 59% of the Regular fare.”
“If we could only pick the priciest seats in rows 18-33, booking separately won 80% of the time.
“Factoring in the more expensive seats, it was actually cheaper to book the Regular Fare than separately on four of the 20 bookings we looked at, so always double-check.”
Several MoneySavers reported their success with the hack, and one person reportedly saved £100 on the cost of their flight.
Meanwhile, fans of Ryanair’s cheap flights will be disappointed to learn that the airline’s boss Michael O’Leary has warned that cheap fares will soon be a thing of the past. A
Elsewhere, a woman has received praise online for avoiding Ryanair’s extra baggage fees with a crafty hand luggage hack that allowed her to sneak an extra bag onto a plane.
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