When I received my usual ‘Travel Advisory’ email from Ryanair today, I expected it to be the standard, “don’t forget to print off you boarding card, don’t forget the gate closes 30 minutes prior to departure, and don’t forget you are only allowed to bring ONE PIECE of hand luggage!”, but what I got was something completely different…

The email, titled “New Cabin Baggage Allowance Information”, initially caused concern.  Ryanair are not famous for generosity when it comes to free luggage allowances, and I had a sinking feeling that my free 10kg was about to become a single digit nightmare – but quite the contrary!

Ryanair, it seems, has increased its cabin baggage allowance, and we can now take “one cabin bag per passenger weighing up to 10kg with maximum dimensions of 55cm x 40cm x 20cm, plus one small bag up to 35cm x 20cm x 20cm! Hallelujah!

The ‘one piece’ rule was always a real pain, especially for those of us who struggle to ‘pack light’, but thanks to these new rules we can now carry our handbag or camera/laptop bag in addition to our cabin bag, and no longer have to hide it under our jackets or try to squeeze it into an already jam-packed suitcase!

What caused this sudden surge of baggage generosity, I have no idea, but I suspect it could be something to do with the fact that consumer watchdog Which? recently revealed that Ryanair was named the worst short-haul carrier by travellers…

However, it is the ‘Season of Goodwill’, so I prefer to believe that Michael O’Leary decided to spread some festive cheer with an early Christmas present for all Ryanair travellers!

Oh yes, and pigs might fly… but they will do so with more cabin baggage on Ryanair!