Ryanair refines price packages to attract leisure and business custom

A new 'Leisure Plus' fare has been added to answer customer demand, following changes earlier this month to the regular pricing structure by chief executive Michael O'Leary via a cut to baggage costs.

The Leisure package includes a combination of discounts on extras, including priority boarding, a 20kg checked-in bag allowance and an allocated seat.

Ryanair also said it had improved its Business Plus service, extending flight change flexibility to two days either side of the scheduled flight date as well as on the day of travel.

Communications chief Kenny Jacobs said that more than a quarter of customers travel on business.

Said Jacobs: "Following extensive customer feedback, Leisure Plus has been specifically designed for leisure customers, allowing family and friends to board first, sit together and carry all they need."

The budget airline is in the third year of CEO Michael O'Leary's “Always Getting Better” programme, which includes new digital features, new cabin interiors, new routes and further discounts.

Last week, Ryanair cut baggage fees for 92% of customers as part of our “Always Getting Better” programme with a streamlined range of just 6 bag fee options, as we continue to listen to our customers and improve the Ryanair experience for the 116m people we’ll carry this year."

May's traffic figures showed 12% growth on last year to 10.6m customers, while the load factor – which gauges how many seats were taken up on flights – rose to 94% from 92%. Meanwhile, rolling annual traffic to May was up 16% to 108.5m customers.