Ryanair says the £6 charge per passenger per one-way flight relates to costs associated with its booking system, and isn't a payments surcharge.

Ryanair has defied the government's move to ban surcharges on payments to airlines and other firms by saying it does not charge its passengers any credit or debit card fees. Airlines, cinemas and holiday firms will be stopped from imposing millions of pounds in "hidden last-minute" charges on internet bookings. Treasury minister Mark Hoban said the government is prepared to legislate to prevent airlines and other businesses from imposing hefty charges on credit and debit card bookings that are difficult to detect. However, the budget airline said in a statement: "Ryanair, the UK's favourite airline, today confirms that it does not impose any debit or credit card fees."

Ryanair claims instead to charge an "admin fee" per passenger per one-way flight. This £6 charge is levied when a passenger comes to pay and can only be avoided by using the airline's own prepaid Mastercard. It states on its website that this charge "relates to costs associated with Ryanair's booking system." The charge means that, for example, a group of...Read more here--: Ryanair defiant over credit card surcharges crackdown | Money | guardian.co.uk

28th September 2011 BLOG: Ryanair prepaid card customers face 'hefty' fees