By Pádraic Gilligan, Co-founder, SoolNua & Research | Consultancy, SITE

Michael O’Leary, never one to shy away from controversy, took to the airwaves recently to defend a Ryanair policy that pays ground staff a minuscule €1.50 bonus every time they catch a passenger with an oversized cabin bag. It’s part of what he calls a “gate bag bonus” scheme—designed, apparently, to incentivise staff to enforce baggage compliance and speed up boarding.

Only one problem: it doesn’t do either.

“We are happy to incentivise (sic) our staff with a share (about 2%!) of those excess baggage fees… It is about €1.50 per bag — and we’re thinking of increasing it, so we eliminate it.”

Let’s call it what it is—€1.50 is an insult, not an incentive. It’s not a reward, it’s a grudging pat on the head, a miserly morsel tossed from the banquet table. Ryanair rakes in upwards of €70 every time a passenger’s bag is deemed too big, and the staff member who enforces that earns less than the cost of a Ryanair coffee. That’s not motivation—it’s humiliation.

To call this a “bonus” is to devalue the very idea of reward. It dehumanises the employee, turning them into a bounty hunter for cabin bags, rewarded with pocket change for every passenger they flag. Far from driving performance, this token payment corrodes morale and reinforces the perception that cost-cutting matters more than people—on both sides of the boarding gate.

What’s more, this “incentive” is likely slowing down boarding rather than speeding it up. Anyone who has flown low-cost in Europe knows the scene: a passenger is told their bag is too big. They protest. They squeeze it into the sizer. The crowd gathers. Time ticks. Arguments escalate. A delay ensues.

The real irony? This entire enforcement drama is being staged for a problem that affects just 0.1% of passengers. That’s right—Ryanair itself says the vast majority comply. But instead of rewarding those who follow the rules, we’re punishing outliers and creating a gate-side spectacle over what is, statistically, a non-issue.

The Trouble with Tiny Incentives

Incentives work when they’re meaningful—when they’re tied to recognition, achievement, and a sense of value. Behavioural science teaches us that motivation doesn’t come from stingy, cheap micro-payments—it comes from a sense of progress, purpose, and, yes, reward.

If Ryanair really wants to incentivise compliance—either from its passengers or its staff—why not take a page from the incentive travel playbook?

Unlike €1.50, a well-designed travel reward taps into deep human motivators: aspiration, recognition, and belonging. It’s why companies invest in incentive travel for their top performers. It’s why SITE exists. And it’s why the global incentive travel industry continues to thrive—even in times of geopolitical instability and economic flux.

Incentive travel doesn’t punish poor performance. It rewards excellence. It doesn’t create tension—it builds loyalty. It doesn’t happen at the gate in front of annoyed passengers—it happens at iconic destinations, in moments of celebration.

Flip the Script: reward compliance

So here’s a radical idea—what if we flipped the script?

What if Ryanair didn’t just penalise non-compliance, but actually rewarded passengers who consistently follow the rules? What if those who pack smart, fly light, and make boarding seamless were entered into a monthly draw for a short-haul trip for two? Or given priority boarding vouchers or a €20 flight credit?

And what if staff who hit compliance targets were recognised not with €1.50-a-bag bonuses, but with quarterly travel rewards—city breaks, beach getaways, even upgrades to their own travel experience?

Incentive travel professionals know: recognition fuels behaviour far more powerfully than micro-payments. Celebrate success. Build systems that reward—not penalise—good behaviour. And always, always keep the end-user (in this case, the traveller) in mind

A Modest Proposal

To paraphrase Jonathan Swift—but with less irony and more sincerity—here’s a modest proposal for Ryanair:

1. Educate more, punish less – make baggage rules clearer, friendlier, and more visible throughout the customer journey – in fairness there is a decent video explainer video buried on the Ryanair webiste
2. Use tech, not tension – install digital self-check bag sizers that allow passengers to confirm compliance themselves (I saw these recently in Bologna)
3. Reward good behaviour – offer travel-related incentives to both passengers and staff when targets are met.
4. Scrap the €1.50 – or at least don’t call it an “incentive”. Let’s call it what it is: a gesture, not a strategy

Final Boarding Call

Incentives, done right, lift everyone. They don’t pit people against each other. They don’t provoke conflict at boarding. They create moments of delight, aspiration, and motivation.

Let’s raise the standard—not the tension—and build a travel experience that reflects the true spirit of rewards.

Even Michael O’Leary might agree … especially if there’s a beach break in it for him.