Simple mistake that saw Ryanair passengers charged £46 just to get on the plane
Those who've scrimped and saved all year to afford a holiday will know how frustrating unexpected travel fees can be, as one wrong move could blow your budget wide open.
So if you're jetting off somewhere hot with Ryanair this summer, make sure you've brushed up on all the budget airline's rules and regulations, as well as reading the small print during the booking process.
Otherwise, you might end up like one of these poor passengers who got slapped with a £46 charge before they were allowed to board the plane.
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Traveller and Birmingham Live reporter Emily Chaplin has told how she saw at least a dozen passengers get stung with another bill after making a simple mistake while booking their flights.
She was travelling with Ryanair for her journey from Birmingham Airport to Tenerife over the recent Bank Holiday weekend when she got stuck in a 'long queue' at her boarding gate.
Detailing the onslaught of charges she went on to witness, Emily explained that she 'quickly realised' why the line wasn't moving anywhere fast after noticing a slew of passengers worrying about whether their carry-on exceeds the size limit.
If you weren't aware, Ryanair rules stipulate that every passenger can have one free small bag that they can take on the plane, measuring a maximum of 40cm x 20x x 25cm.
You can also have a cabin bag, weighing a max of 10kg, measuring a max of 55cm x 40cm x 20cm - but this must be purchased before boarding.
And then there's the checked bags, which are a maximum of 10kg or 20kg and are dropped at check-in desk before airport security. They must also be purchased beforehand.
According to Emily, it seems like everyone in Birmingham Airport somehow missed this memo.
She continued: "A separate mini queue was forming behind a blue metal box at the passport check desk, and a woman at the front was desperately trying to cram her stuffed-to-the-brim backpack into the top section of the crate.
"My heart sank. Every other person appeared to be getting pulled from the queue to test whether their bag fit the allowance on their booking.
"I knew Ryanair had stingy luggage limits - I'd bought an exactly-the-right-size backpack from Amazon, which was a snip at £24.99, to avoid paying extra to upgrade and spent ages rolling up all of my clothes to squeeze in five days worth."
She explained she had flown with the budget airline 'plenty of times' but had never seen the baggage rules 'so vehemently enforced', adding that it was painful to watch people try and squeeze their bag in the luggage measuring box.
The holidaymaker recalled how one woman desperately tried to cram a suitcase inside, turning it every which way and trying to push it down, but it still did not fit.
Emily claimed the Ryanair employee told the traveller: "You'll have to pay £46 to bring the bag on board."
Despite insisting she had flown with the case without issue before, the staff member is said to have then informed her: "It's just Ryanair policy."
The reporter said she saw twelve passengers get slapped with the extra baggage charge in total - although one woman 'with an over-stuffed backpack' managed to dodge it by layering up to lighten the load.
Emily added: "Another group wearing 'Girls Trip - Tenerife 2024' t-shirts tried to argue the charge. From eavesdropping, it sounded like they'd added the bags to their booking for the return flight, but not the outgoing one.
"They still had to shell out the funds. I felt for them. A simple mistake had made a significant dent in their holiday spends and put a downer on the start of their trip - though it was nothing a few Proseccos on the plane couldn't sort.
"I'm not sure whether Ryanair is clamping down on its luggage rules across the board, or if my experience was just a one-off, but it's something to be aware of if you're jetting off soon.
"It costs from £6 to add a bigger cabin bag and upgrade to Priority Boarding when you book, but can sometimes cost a lot more, so if you struggle to pack light, it might be worth doing so to save yourself 40 quid."
So there you have it - triple check your bag is allowed on board or prepare to do battle with the luggage measuring box.
LADbible has contacted Ryanair for comment.
Olivia Burke