Passenger Robyn Trout refuses to travel with Ryanair ever again after being charged £60 to take her hand luggage onboard, despite insisting she paid for ‘priority’ boarding and that her bag fits the airline’s size requirements
A disgruntled passenger has vowed to boycott Ryanair after being slapped with a hefty fine over the size of her hand luggage. The ultra-low-cost airline, which has been scrapping routes amid increasing aviation levies, is infamous for its strict policy when it comes to luggage size restrictions.
Social media sites like TikTok are often filled with savvy Brits trying to get around the measure, with some even going as far as wearing multiple jumpers to lighten the bulk of their bags – or trying to hide their belongings in a duty-free bag hoping they will escape scrutiny. As previously reported, Ryanair allows standard ticket holders one small bag as their carry onboard luggage, which must fit under the seat in front of you. This can be a handbag, laptop bag, or backpack and must not be any larger than 40 x 30 x 25cm.
Depending on availability, Ryanair allows passengers to upgrade to cabin baggage. This lets tourists bring an additional small bag and a piece of luggage that can be stored in the overhead locker. Luggage can’t be heavier than 10kg and must still be no bigger than 55 x 40 x 20cm. This mini upgrade, which also gives you priority boarding, tends to cost £6-£36 per person, per flight.
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“Customers who bring an oversized bag (over 55x40x20cm) to the gate may check it in upon payment of a fee of £/€ 70.00 – £/€ 75.00,” Ryanair warned. In most airports, Ryanair will have a metal stand with two compartments: allowing travellers to make sure their hand luggage fits the required size criteria.
However, when TikToker Robyn Trout tried boarding – she says she was billed €75 (around £60) to take her mini suitcase onboard – despite claiming it ‘actually fits’ and that she ‘paid for priority’ boarding. In a video that has garnered a staggering 4.5 million views and thousands of likes, the social media star showed her white suitcase sitting snugly in the blue box.
However, it appears the handle, which hadn’t been fully retracted, was towering over the limit – while the bulk of the suitcase appeared to slightly go over a line reading ‘Too Big’. “Aer Lingus, you’ve gained a new brand ambassador,” she captioned the viral post.
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Swathes of viewers flocked to the comments section to share their thoughts, with many agreeing the alleged penalty was unfair. It’s literally a perfect fit?” one user fumed. Another agreed, commenting: “Wait can you explain what they said because that makes no sense,” to which Robyn replied: “She [the Ryanair staff member] genuinely just kept saying ‘it doesn’t fit, sorry, I need your card details’ and was so rude. She made the woman behind me do it too and the poor woman was bawling crying.”
However, others argued the case was clearly too big and therefore agreed a fine was necessary. “It’s sticking out ever so slightly as there’s a yellow-black line on the outer rim, the depth measured with a ruler is 20cm,” one eagle-eyed viewer pointed out. Another branded the hefty penalty ‘completely valid’, adding: “Your handle is broken and because it’s broken it has to take up twice the amount of space in the overhead cabin.”
The Mirror has contacted Ryanair for comment.
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