Aer Lingus has confirmed that the fee for checking in bags on its short-haul flights will rise by up to 50 per cent.
The Irish national carrier announced that from Thursday (May 8) the cost of checking in bags at airports will rise from €12 to €18 (£14).
Passengers who check in their bags online will enjoy a proportionally lower increase of €9 to €12 (£9.50).
An airline spokesman said the move was intended to encourage people to rely more on hand baggage in order to facilitate faster processing of passengers and cargo.
"We want to encourage more of our passengers to carry hand baggage and also to travel with less baggage so the travelling experience can become even quicker and more efficient for everyone," explained Enda Corneille of Aer Lingus.
A similar justification was given by low-cost carrier Ryanair when it raised its check-in charges from €9 to €10 (£8) earlier this week.
The Irish national carrier announced that from Thursday (May 8) the cost of checking in bags at airports will rise from €12 to €18 (£14).
Passengers who check in their bags online will enjoy a proportionally lower increase of €9 to €12 (£9.50).
An airline spokesman said the move was intended to encourage people to rely more on hand baggage in order to facilitate faster processing of passengers and cargo.
"We want to encourage more of our passengers to carry hand baggage and also to travel with less baggage so the travelling experience can become even quicker and more efficient for everyone," explained Enda Corneille of Aer Lingus.
A similar justification was given by low-cost carrier Ryanair when it raised its check-in charges from €9 to €10 (£8) earlier this week.