Once the changes are introduced, only priority boarding customers will be able to take two bags into the cabin with them.

Anyone else will need to surrender the second bag at the boarding gate, where it will be placed in the hold free of charge.

The delay was made so as not to impact the busy Christmas period and comes following a reduction in the baggage check-in fee from £35 to £25 while the allowance for said bags grew from 15kg to 20kg in September.

Ryanair’s Kenny Jacobs said: “From January, we will be restricting non-priority customers to one small carry-on bag (their wheelie bag will be placed in the hold, free of charge at the boarding gate), which will speed up the boarding of flights and eliminate flight delays.

“We have already introduced the first phase of the new bag policy which offers our customers lower bag fees for a 33% increase in their check-in bag allowance.

“This will lead to fewer customers with two carry-on bags at the boarding gates, which is causing flight delays.”