Cheaper BA flights if you only have hand luggage as airline takes on budget rivals

British Airways is to follow budget airline rivals by charging less if passengers travel with just hand luggage. 
The airline said the cheaper fares – which will initially be offered on flights from Gatwick Airport to five European destinations – will give passengers ‘more choice’.
Holidaymakers who travel with luggage they wish to check in will not pay more to compensate for the lower ‘hand baggage only’ fares, the airline said.

British Airways will offer customers 'more choice' when they travel by charging less for hand luggage

It is a move likely to be viewed as an attempt by BA to compete with low-cost airlines such as Ryanair and Easyjet that charge more for passengers to check in baggage, effctively charging less for those who don’t.
Peter Simpson, director of Gatwick for British Airways, said: ‘The introduction of our hand baggage only fare is all about giving our customers more freedom to choose the kind of flying they want.

 

‘Many British Airways customers on Gatwick short-haul breaks choose not to check in a bag as they’re already taking advantage of our generous two-bag hand luggage policy. 

BA plan on taking on their budget rivals, such as Easyjet, that encourage only taking hand luggage

‘Those who still want to check in a bag will simply pay the same price they do now.’
The flag-carrier said it will initially offer a discount for those travelling with just hand luggage from Gatwick to five short-haul destinations including Amsterdam, Dubrovnik, Jersey, Tunis and Turin in Europe.
The size of discounts will vary depending on the route but will range from £9 to £15.
Passengers can start benefitting from the lower fares from Tuesday (February 26), with starting prices ranging from £39 one-way to Amsterdam to £69 one-way to Turin.
Bob Atkinson, a travel expert at Travelsupermarket.com, said it was a great opportunity for passengers to have the full ‘BA offering’ of food and reward points while being handed a ‘generous hand luggage allowance’. 
He said: ‘This is an interesting move for BA which is clearly looking at other ways to position its offering to price-sensitive customers.
‘However passengers who take up the offer to travel without checked luggage will still benefit from a generous hand luggage allowance plus free on board food and drink.’
The move comes after Dutch airline KLM decided to begin charging customers who check in luggage on short-haul flights.