The Reading / Listening - Luggage - Level 2

The budget airline Ryanair has a plan for the problem of oversized luggage. The airline will increase the bonus it pays to staff for spotting bags that are too big. Staff currently get a "gate bag bonus" of $1.75 a passenger. This is capped at about $95 a month. Ryanair's CEO wants to remove this cap. He hopes removing it will lead to fewer large suitcases. The CEO said Ryanair was "struggling" with baggage. He said his airline needs to do more to cut the number of passengers with excess baggage. Passengers must pay a fee of up to $88 for oversized bags.

Ryanair's CEO said stricter rules were necessary, even though most people follow the rules. He said more than 99.9 per cent of passengers' luggage fits the size limits. Ryanair said people know about the baggage rules because they are on its website. The company said: "Our bag policies are well understood. We remind customers of this when booking, and on their boarding pass. The CEO said a small number of customers do not follow the rules. The company hopes the problem of oversized luggage will disappear after a few years.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Luggage - Level 0 Luggage - Level 1   or  Luggage - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/jul/21/ryanair-weighs-up-higher-bonus-paid-to-staff-intercepting-oversized-luggage
  • https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/airline-considering-bigger-bonuses-staff-who-spot-oversized-bags
  • https://www.thesun.co.uk/travel/35946197/ryanair-staff-bonus-oversized-bags/


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. The budget
  2. the problem of oversized
  3. increase the bonus it
  4. This is capped at about
  5. it will lead to fewer
  6. He said his airline
  7. the number of passengers with
  8. pay a
  1. large suitcases
  2. excess baggage
  3. luggage
  4. fee of up to $88
  5. needs to do more
  6. $95 a month
  7. airline Ryanair
  8. pays to staff

Paragraph 2

  1. Ryanair's CEO said stricter
  2. most people follow
  3. luggage fits the
  4. they are on its
  5. Our bag policies are well
  6. We remind customers of this when
  7. their boarding
  8. disappear after
  1. booking
  2. size limits
  3. understood
  4. a few years
  5. rules were necessary
  6. pass
  7. the rules
  8. website

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

The budget airline Ryanair has a plan for (1) _________________________________________________ oversized luggage. The airline will increase (2) _________________________________________________ pays to staff for spotting bags that are too big. Staff currently get a "gate bag bonus" of $1.75 a passenger. This is (3) _________________________________________________ $95 a month. Ryanair's CEO wants to remove this cap. He hopes removing it will (4) _________________________________________________ large suitcases. The CEO said Ryanair was "struggling" with baggage. He said his airline needs to do more to cut (5) _________________________________________________ passengers with excess baggage. Passengers must (6) _________________________________________________ of up to $88 for oversized bags.

Ryanair's CEO (7) _________________________________________________ were necessary, even though most people follow the rules. He said more than 99.9 per cent of passengers' luggage fits (8) _________________________________________________. Ryanair said people know about the baggage rules because they are (9) _________________________________________________. The company said: "Our bag policies are well understood. (10) _________________________________________________ of this when booking, and on their boarding pass. The CEO said (11) _________________________________________________ of customers do not follow the rules. The company hopes the problem of oversized luggage will disappear (12) _________________________________________________ years.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

ThebudgetairlineRyanairhasaplanfortheproblemofoversizedluggag
e.Theairlinewillincreasethebonusitpaystostaffforspottingbagsthatar
etoobig.Staffcurrentlygeta"gatebagbonus"of$1.75apassenger.This
iscappedatabout$95amonth.Ryanair'sCEOwantstoremovethiscap.
Hehopesremovingitwillleadtofewerlargesuitcases.TheCEOsaidRyan
airwas"struggling"withbaggage.Hesaidhisairlineneedstodomoretoc
utthenumberofpassengerswithexcessbaggage.Passengersmustpay
afeeofupto$88foroversizedbags.Ryanair'sCEOsaidstricterruleswere
necessary,eventhoughmostpeoplefollowtherules.Hesaidmorethan9
9.9percentofpassengers'luggagefitsthesizelimits.Ryanairsaidpeopl
eknowaboutthebaggagerulesbecausetheyareonitswebsite.Thecom
panysaid:"Ourbagpoliciesarewellunderstood.Weremindcustomerso
fthiswhenbooking,andontheirboardingpass.TheCEOsaidasmallnum
berofcustomersdonotfollowtherules.Thecompanyhopestheproblem
ofoversizedluggagewilldisappearafterafewyears.

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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