EasyJet passenger refuses to leave airport shuttle bus after row over bag size
An easyJet passenger refused to leave a shuttle bus at Bristol Airport for half an hour in a row over the size of his cabin bag.
This came after a disagreement with boarding gate staff over the bag - which was larger than the airline's restrictions for carry-on luggage.
Norman Matheson, who was trying to fly to Glasgow, claims to have previously flown on EasyJet with the same bag and had no concerns raised.
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He told Bristol Live he had flown into Bristol for his father-in-law’s funeral with the bag without issue. But when he was heading home to Glasgow, he was held up.
Matheson said: "I wasn’t expecting any issues when I rolled up at the gate to scan my boarding pass.
"He [a staff member] looked at my bag, said it was too large and I had to pay £49. My ticket only cost £50.
"I told him that this was the fourth time I had used the bag on an EasyJet flight as I’ve travelled with the bag before from Glasgow to Gatwick Airport."
He said that the staff member said there was no proof and asked him to put his bag in the size-checking bin, but it would not fit horizontally.
Matheson said: "I asked him if they could waive the fee and put the bag in the hold.
"It was an emotional time. There were no issues with the bag on previous flights, I was just looking for a bit of empathy."
At this point, he asked to speak to a manager to make a formal complaint.
However, the two managers that he spoke to both agreed with the judgement of the first staff member.
Matheson said: "I just walked on to the bus. I decanted my bag into a shopping bag, but was told I had to go through the gate again.
When he refused to leave the bus, security were called.
The other passengers were taken off and taken to the plane by a new bus.
Matheson claims that when all the other passengers had left, the security called him a ‘tw*t’.
As the situation dragged on, police were called, during which time Matheson said he remained seated on the bus, refusing to move or hand over his boarding pass.
Matheson said: "The police escorted me off the bus and I became emotional and tearful."
Admitting that his bag was ‘marginally bigger’ than EasyJet’s baggage requirements, he said: "It was a horrible, horrible experience. I had the funeral the day before for my father-in-law, it was a tough day and emotionally quite rough."
Ultimately, he had to spend £150 to get back to Glasgow by train.
For him however, the issue is not about money but 'the principle': "There is no humanity left in the world."
Norman's bag measurements were 50x35x23cm. EasyJet’s baggage requirement for bags being taken onboard is 45x36x20cm.
A spokesperson for EasyJet said: "Our ground crew must ensure that customers’ cabin bags are within the maximum dimensions to safely and securely fit where they need to be stowed in the cabin.
"We clearly inform customers of maximum cabin bag dimensions when booking, via email before they travel and it is also clearly displayed on boarding passes.
"Mr Matheson’s bag exceeded the maximum dimensions and as a result of their disruptive behaviour, was met by police and was not permitted to travel. We do not tolerate abusive or threatening behaviour towards our staff and the safety and wellbeing of our customer and crew is easyJet's highest priority."
LADbible have reached out to EasyJet for comment.
Ben Thompson