Warning over Ryanair luggage rule as family hit with £400 charge for getting it wrong
Heading abroad with Ryanair in the next couple of months? Then you may want to make sure you're up to date with the airline's baggage policy.
Most travellers looking to get a budget deal will be well aware of the meticulous amount of planning needed to pack as much as feasibly possible into your carry on bag while still keeping within the strict under the seat bag restrictions.
Some travellers will pack their bags to the absolute limit while others will either layer up or invent new hacks to sneakily bring more stuff onboard.
Basically anything to avoid paying extra for an overhead cabin bag.
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However budget airlines have since cottoned on to passengers crafty attempts to save money, with more and more people being hit with fines from the airline.
Which is not exactly how you want to start your holiday.
This is exactly what happened to one family who shared their experience with Which? Travel, revealing they had to cough up a whopping £400 for not having the correct sized bags on their flight home.
Meanwhile other users cautioned about being caught out by extra strict checks, with bags they previously thought were safe to use being deemed 'too big' or 'too heavy'.
"People should avoid Ryanair's high fees for oversized bags," a spokesperson for Ryanair said at the time (via The Mirror).
"They can do so by simply travelling with bags that meet our agreed dimensions. Our sizers are bigger than our permitted dimensions, so if that the bag fits in the sizer, it gets on, if it doesn't, it gets charged."
And yes, this includes bags which can fit under aircraft seats but protrude when placed in the sizer.
What are the current bag measurements for Ryanair?
Want to save yourself the stress of falling into this trap next time you travel? Here are Ryanair's latest guidelines on luggage size.
Under the seat bags
According to the airline, under the seat bags must not exceed the size 40 x 30 x 20 cm, while is a small upgrade from the previous guidelines 40 x 25 x 20 cm.
This includes any handles and wheels on the bag.
Fail to stay within these measurements and you risk a fine of up to £60 and the shame of having your bag placed in the hold.
Cabin bags
Meanwhile overhead cabin bags must not exceed 55 x 40 x 20cm or 10kg in weight. Customers whose luggage fails to meet this requirement face fines of up to £ 75.
Checked baggage
Baggage which is checked in can either be 10, 20 or 23kg and will be weighed at the desk. Charges for oversized baggage are £13 per extra kilo.
How to measure your Ryanair luggage
When it comes to checking your bags fall within limits, it's recommended that passengers measure their bags once packed, as they can be bulkier then when empty.
Brenna Cooper