Ryanair passengers will have to pay €5, or £5, for priority boarding if they want to bring a wheelie bag into the cabin from November 1st, as the airline is ditching its policy of allowing its customers to bring two bags aboard without charge. But it says it is also reducing its checked-bag fees in a move that Ryanair says will cost it €50 million a year.

As part of its “Always Getting Better” programme Ryanair had allowed passengers to carry one wheelie or other standard cabin bag and one small bag, such as a handbag, laptop bag or shopping bag, on board for free. But the airline had been threatening to axe the scheme after the number of bags customers were trying to bring on board led to delays.

On Wednesday the airline said that too many customers were taking up the two-bag offer and that there was not enough overhead-locker space for the volume of carry-on luggage.

Priority boarding Ryanair says it is reducing checked-bag fees and increasing the weight of cases that passengers can book into the hold “to encourage more customers to check in bags and reduce the number of customers with two bags at the boarding gates”. Related Confused over Ryanair baggage changes? Here's what you need to know

Standard checked-in bags will now have a 20kg weight limit, up from 15kg, and the standard fee will be cut from €35 to €25, or from £35 to £25.

Passengers who have not paid for priority boarding will be restricted to bringing one smaller bag – maximum size 35cm by 20cm by 20cm – aboard; they will have to leave their normal cabin bag – maximum size 55cm by 40cm by 20cm – at the boarding gate, from where it will be put in the hold free of charge.

Kenny Jacobs of Ryanair said: “We hope that by restricting nonpriority customers to one small carry-on bag, this will speed up the boarding of flights and eliminate flight delays being caused by not having sufficient overhead cabin space on busy flights to accommodate over 360 carry-on bags.”

The changes will come into effect for travel after November 1st.

Priority boarding costs €5, or £5, at the time of booking and €6, or £6, if it is added to a booking later. It is available up to an hour before the scheduled departure time.