Is British Airways really converting into Ryanair?!

British Airways passengers will now have to pay to check luggage on some long-haul routes.

This comes after A new “basic” fare has been introduced for passengers who have only wants to travel with a hand baggage, the tickets will be costing up to £60 / $85 less than the standard return fare, the airline said.

Basic fare tickets went on sale on Wednesday for flights from London to Austin, Boston, Delhi, Denver, Dubai, Hong Kong, Oakland, Philadelphia, Punta Cana and Singapore. The cheapest fare – to Dubai – will cost £143 each way.

Passengers will still be served 'complimentary' food and drinks on these kong haul flights and be able to take two items of hand luggage on board. But checking a bag for people flying on basic fare tickets will cost from £80 return, with seat selection starting at £20 each way. BA already offers this type of basic fare on its short-haul flights.

British Airways is going the Ryanair style, two years ago British Airways stopped serving complimentary snacks and sandwiches within their European flights, In January the budget airline Ryanair changed its rules to restrict passengers to take only one small piece of hand luggage into the cabin – rather than the two items previously allowed – unless they paid for priority boarding – £5 when first booked or £6 later.

The changes are part of a larger rollout by BA’s parent company, International Airlines Group (IAG), which will see American Airlines, Iberia and Finnair also introduce the basic fare.

Last month Virgin Atlantic launched its first hand-baggage-only ticket in a major revamp of its economy service. It is offering cheaper fares on its routes that are similar to low-cost competitors, where passengers can take only cabin luggage and are not able to choose their seat in advance.