The surcharge for hand baggage introduced by Transavia in April will generate more than 100 million euros per year for the Dutch and French branches of the airline. This is what the FD writes on the basis of conversations with financial director Steven Zaat of parent company Air France-KLM and Transavia CEO Marcel de Nooijer. “The flow is better, because less luggage is carried in the cabin. There is less hassle about hand luggage on the plane and the crew likes that. And it makes us more money than we had thought beforehand’, the newspaper quotes De Nooijer as saying. Since April this year, passengers have been paying between 10 and 25 euros per one-way flight for larger hand luggage. The ANVR, which at the time called the surcharge ‘sour for the traveller’, is now a lot milder. ANVR director Frank Oostdam says he understands that airlines are going to introduce such surcharges. ‘In theory, it makes the entire boarding process more efficient, because it gives the traveller more clarity and the rules are followed. We don’t get a lot of complaints or questions about this.’ According to Oostdam, Transavia’s old policy could not be enforced. ‘If you couldn’t get rid of your suitcase yourself because entire suitcases were being lugged in, it caused a lot of irritation.’ (Photo: Shutterstock).
