ONE passenger has demanded an apology and refund from Ryanair after he was fined £100 before boarding a flight.
John Butler was heading on holiday with his family when they were stopped in the airport and forced to pay £50 each for two of their bags which reportedly were too big for carry-on.
John, his wife and their two children were heading from Dublin to Lanzarote last month for a 10-day holiday.
The family were about to board the plane when John, 50, was told by Ryanair staff that his and his son’s cabin bags were over the airline’s limit and owed £50 each.
John placed his bags into the sizer where a staff member said the material straps were too big and stuck out above the airline’s measuring container.
The dad-of-two challenged the charge when the staff member allegedly warned his daughter that they would ‘not go on holiday’ if John did not pay the fine.
During the situation, John asked for the staff member’s name but she reportedly turned her name badge backwards.
John explained: “We get to the gate on time and are probably the last two or three people going in. The couple ahead of us are pulled aside about their bag being too big.
“I was standing there oblivious to what was going on. Then the next minute, I’m told ‘you step aside as well’.”
John then recalls the staff member telling them they would be “charged €120” because the bags were too big.
John said it was “obvious” that the bags were fine, but the staff member “said the handle was above it and just kept insisting”.
The lady then told John’s daughter they ‘wouldn’t be going on holiday’ if they didn’t pay the fine.
With the gates about to close, John felt he was “left with no choice” and paid the charge.
He has since has made a formal complaint against Ryanair and asked for a refund.
Ryanair has stood by the charges and claims John was ‘correctly charged’ the extra fees of £50 per bag as they ‘exceeded the permitted size’.
John added: “When we came back with Ryanair, with the exact same bag and same contents, no one even asked us about our bags. If it was one way surely it should be the other way.
“Not only it is in my view illegal that you have a practice where the bag clearly fits in the instrument you provided, but then you’re threatened into paying the money.
“This is just a money-making exercise. It’s wrong.”
Advice for flying with Ryanair
- All Ryanair passengers can bring a small personal bag on board but this must fit under the seat in front of you, but it must be no bigger than 40cm x 20cm x 25cm
- Any over-sized cabin bags will be refused at the boarding gate and put in the hold for a fee
- Ryanair also charges passengers up to £55 check-in at the airport
- Anyone who loses their card at the airport will have to pay a £20 reissue fee
- Book to sit in the front five rows if you want to head off the plane first
- Extra legroom seats can be found in rows 1 A, B, C or 2 D, E, F as well as row 16 and 17 near the emergency exit
- The worst seat on Ryanair’s Boeing 737-800 aircraft is also 11A because of its lack of window.
A Ryanair spokesperson said: “This passenger and his travelling companions booked a non-priority fare for this flight from Dublin to Lanzarote (31 Dec), which allowed them to carry a small personal bag onboard.
“Two of these bags exceeded the permitted size and they were correctly charged a standard gate baggage fee (€60) to place their oversized bags in the hold.”
