Airline passengers packing light thanks to take-off of baggage fees

But the days of bulky luggage appear to be over - thanks to hefty charges imposed by cost-cutting airlines.

A study by Co-operative Travel has indicated that there has been a 233 per cent rise in the number of people who have ditched the traditional check-on suitcase in favour of hand baggage in a bid to avoid the fees that can cost the average family as much as 440 for their summer holiday flight.

Now more than a quarter of leisure passengers choose either to take just hand luggage, or to share a suitcase with a friend or family member rather than taking their own bag. "Budget airlines have been around for quite some time now and people are getting smarter and minimising the cost of their flights," said Trevor Davis, director of retail distribution at the Co-operative Travel.

"While not everyone will want to go to the extremes of holidaying with just carry-on baggage, it does allow people to decide exactly what they're prepared to pay for."

A family of four holidaying with just hand baggage, rather than a suitcase each, save an average of 233.12 on baggage charges from their outbound and return flights.

The organisation found that there was an 84.02 per person price difference between the lowest standard baggage charge for a return flight to Spain with a budget carrier - Flybe, which charged 25.98 - and the highest, charged by Ryanair.

The Dublin-based carrier was the worst culprit among the budget airlines, with charges as high as 110 during peak season when the bag is booked through the carrier's call centre at the airport - the most expensive way of booking.

But Ryanair, which has come under fire in recent years for a range of extra charges introduced by its controversial chief executive, Michael O'Leary, heralded the research as proof that its strategy to encourage customers to cut down on the amount of luggage they carried had "worked". Although the actual number of passengers taking only hand luggage remains fairly low - just under 4,000 holiday passengers - the research also showed that people who do opt to take a check-on case share the cost between family members.

Co-operative Travel said that prices for budget airline flights were rarely quoted with a typical baggage cost - and most often the price shown for an individual flight included just a hand luggage allowance.

Mr Davis added: "This, combined with the broad range and complexity of charges, makes it hard for holidaymakers to compare prices accurately at face value. For the airlines this is probably the desired outcome, lowering the weight of the flight and time spent handling people's luggage."A spokesman for Ryanair said: "The whole idea of our baggage charges is that it is expensive for us to transport, so we want to encourage people to leave their bags at home and travel light - and it has worked.

"Now, there are fewer needless cases of 15 pairs of shoes being transported for a weekend in Paris and families have learned to pack sensibly instead."

A spokesman for the Civil Aviation Authority said that it expected baggage charges to continue for the foreseeable future.

The price of North Sea Brent crude oil, which is used for aviation fuel, is currently hovering at around $115 (72) a barrel.

"Airlines are naturally keen to reduce the take-off weight of their aircraft to limit fuel consumption," the spokesman added.

"Less hold baggage also means a quicker turnaround time, very important for the low-cost carriers.

"Neither of these factors are likely to change anytime soon, so passengers will continue to be incentivised to travel as light as possible."