Woman warns Ryanair passengers to check luggage after 'jobsworth' hits her with £75 charge
Ryanair has spoken out and defended its actions after passenger was brutally stung with a £75 charge over her carry-on suitcase.
The major budget airline said it was 'correct' that the customer, who has since hit out in a viral post on social media, was issued with the penalty because her miniature case was over the permitted size.
But the passenger, Laura Myers, said she was hit with the charge by an 'absolute jobsworth' at Manchester Airport on Tuesday (4 August) and said she had 'never had an issue' flying with the small bag, despite using it to travel on more than 30 trips.
She claimed the airline staff told her the bag was 'oversized' and shared an accompanying picture of it within the measuring stand at the airport gate, adding it still 'fit in the cabin' despite the concern.
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It might seem overly pedantic, but the edge of the carry-on bag appeared to slightly tip over the 'bag too big' line at the bottom of the measurer.
In a post on X, which has since been viewed over five million times, Laura wrote: "Hey @Ryanair I want a refund for the £75 that the absolute jobsworth at manchester airport this afternoon took from me for an 'oversized' bag i've used and never had an issue with on this exact journey maybe 30+ times over the last seven years.
"I asked a staff member 'have the measurements changed recently?' and they said no, but that the enforcement was more stringent."
Announcing she would 'avoid' the route from Göteborg Landvetter in future, even if it meant the faff of taking two connecting flights, she continued: "You'd have thought that all of the people who were made to pay for their 'oversized' bags today would've had to store said 'oversized' bags in the hold - you know, because they were so 'oversized' ... funnily enough they all fit in the cabin.
"Will specifically avoid this route at all costs in future even if it means taking two connecting flights!"
The rows over Ryanair baggage are nothing new. One family previously 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.
Ryanair responds over strict baggage size rule
The airline told LADbible that the customer was rightly charged for the bag, which has a strict size limit of 55cmx40cmx20cm.
A spokesperson said: “This passenger booked a Regular Fare for this flight from Manchester to Göteborg Landvetter (4 Aug), which allowed them to carry a small personal bag and 10kg cabin bag measuring up to 55 x 40 x 20 cm onboard.
"As this passenger's cabin bag exceeded the permitted size, she was correctly required to pay a standard gate baggage fee by the gate agent at Manchester Airport.”
According to Ryanair, all passenger fare types include a small personal bag, which must fit under the seat.For those who need additional baggage allowance, customers can buy a hold bag or a small carry-on, which has a weight limit of 10kg.
The website states: "You must adhere strictly to the baggage allowance on your booking. If your small bag or 10kg cabin bag does not fit in the baggage sizers, it will be refused at the boarding gate, or where available, placed in the hold of the aircraft for a fee at the level set out in our Regulations.
"You will be required to leave your bags at the aircraft steps, in the gate bag trolley, or as directed by Ryanair agents, for stowage in the hold."
However all is not lost. It was announced in June that new regulations set to come into effect in 2027 could end all that careful packing and anxiousness in boarding queues for good.
After 10 years of negotiations, the European Council and the European Parliament agreed passengers should be entitled to a small wheeled suitcase or rucksack, as well as the already free personal item measuring 40cm by 30cm by 15cm that is placed under the seat in front.
While airlines are being allowed to offer cheaper tickets to passengers who voluntarily travel without a bigger bag, the new cabin luggage rules dictate search engines and flight price comparison websites must display fare prices which include the larger bag as the standard price.
James Holt