EastJet has allegedly agreed to refund a fine to a 'victimised' holidaymaker who was forced to cough up £48 at the airport last month.
Alison Evans, 36, and her nine-year-old son Arthur were travelling from Belfast International Airport to Stansted, London, in order to visit her father for 10 days.
However, when the pair arrived at baggage inspection, she was informed that her cabin bag didn't meet the required size.
According to Alison, one staff member claimed that the case's handle was 'slightly sticking up', even though she had prepared for the size check at home by using her own measuring tape.
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The mother has since revealed that she 'forced' the airline to make up for its mistake after 'bullying' her into paying a fine.
"I was shocked and I think it's a money-grabbing tactic," the carer, from the Northern Irish capital, claimed. "At the gate there was a woman at the desk who approached me and got me to put [my bag] in the little holders they have there. She said 'it's too big [with the handle]'.
"I said I could push the handle down. Even with the handle it still fit in the measurement checker but she was adamant that my bag was too big."
Alison continued: "I measured all my bags before I went on and I'd taken this bag with me twice this year already.
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"She said she was going to charge me £48 because 'it clearly didn't fit'. She thrusted the card machine in my face and I reluctantly paid it but she didn't give me a receipt. I feel ripped off."
The traveller was concerned that she'd be stopped from boarding the flight if she didn't pay up.
She explained: "I just felt very victimised and that I didn't have a choice to pay it. It's just lucky I had the money in there.
"It really put a financial strain on me for the rest of the week.
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"To have them slap a charge like that on me when I hadn't even left was a bit much because I was already travelling on a very tight budget."
The mum decided to pay £32 for a large cabin bag specifically for her return journey out of fear that she'd incur a second charge.
In the end, Alison sent pictures of her baggage to easyJet in the hope of receiving a refund.
"I reluctantly put my bag through as a large bag even though it's not a large bag, but on the way home I didn't get looked at at all," she recounted.
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"Not only did they charge me more than what it said on their website, I just felt conned because my bag met the requirements but they stung me for an extra £16. I feel like I deserve my £48 back.
"I feel it could've been dealt with a lot better and it's put me off using the airline again. [I'd encourage others to] measure your bag and take a lot of pictures if they insist on the charge. Don't be conned out of your money."
A spokesperson for easyJet told LADbible: "Bag sizing is inclusive of wheels and handles and we provide very clear information on our bag sizing policies and options to customers.
"Given the bag shown fit within the gauge, we investigated further and refunded the extra charges incurred by the family, as an error was made in this instance.”
Dan Seddon