They just posted a profit increase of 43 percent to over €1.2 billion this year, so they can well afford it, but Ryanair has announced it has a treat in store for its loyal flyers.  According to David O'Brien, the airline's Chief Commercial Officer, customers can expect "reduced bag fees and a more personalised offering over the coming year". Speaking to RTE's Morning Ireland, O'Brien attributed the company's bumper trip to the bank to a "combination of continuing cuts to our fares but, very importantly, the continued success of our 'Always Getting Better' (AGB) programme". Discussing the fact that Ryanair has cut average fares by €1, to €46.67 as traffic grew 18 per cent to 106m, he revealed:

"The good news is that into the coming year, fares will fall again by around 7 per cent, we expect."

There's no denying it's an impressive story. Michael O'Leary's firm took delivery of 41 new B737 aircraft last year, expanding into seven new bases in Belfast, Berlin, Corfu, Gothenburg, Ibiza, Milan (Malpensa) and Santiago over the last 12 months. Ryanair opened more than 100 new routes and became the first airline ever to carry over 100m international customers in a calendar year. This year there's more big expansion on the way, with the company taking delivery of a further 52 new B737 aircraft (growing the fleet to 380) and opening seven more bases in Bucharest, Hamburg, Nuremberg, Prague, Sofia, Timisoara and Vilnius as part of their winter schedule. Long weekend in Bavaria, anyone?