Airline passenger news and views

Ryanair is one of the many airlines that charge excessive fees for purchasing a flight, what it has been described as "pay for paying."

Now the company has launched the Ryanair Cash Passport, a prepaid card to save £6 for booking surcharge. So far so good but, knowing Ryanair taste for hidden charges, we can guess that something fishy is going on here.

Indeed, there are several things to worry about. First of all, there is a sort of blackmail for the passengers that don't have the prepaid card and have to pay those extra £6 when booking a flight. Something that the watchdog Which? has described as an "insult to UK consumers who have little opportunity to avoid such fees."

Secondly, if you take a closer look at the card's conditions you find out he following: 

• You have to transfer a minimum of £150 onto the card to start with.
• There is a £6 fee for applying for the card - only reimbursed in the form of Ryanair vouchers when you buy your first flight.
• You can use the card with other companies to pay for a purchase in the UK, but from April that will cost you 50p each time.
• If you withdraw cash from an ATM there is a £2 fee.
• And if you think of getting money over the counter it gets even worse: you'll be charged £4.00.
• If you try to avoid all these charges and you use the card only to book flights with Ryanair, make sure that you travel regularly. Otherwise you will be charged a monthly fee of £2.50 if you don't use the card for six months.
• Finally, if you have a negative balance on your card you'll be charged £10.00.

In Ryanair's defence it's fair to say that at least they are offering a product that might benefit a number of people - those ready to jump all the hoops. And there is a chance to win free tickets at using the card.