Catherine, a British passenger, recently had to pay a hefty surcharge to be able to board her suitcase on a Ryanair flight, despite respecting the permitted baggage dimensions. “It is so absurd that it beggars belief,” she commented in the British media.
Catherine Warrilow, 45, was traveling from Stansted Airport to Seville on October 22 when, upon arriving at the boarding gate, she was asked by an airport officer to check the size of her suitcase by placing it in the lockers provided for this purpose. This test allows you to check whether a piece of luggage is compatible with the cabin compartment of the plane. On TikTok, Catherine says that her suitcase entered the locker without any problem. “I put it in the luggage rack, and it fit perfectly. But when I let go of the handle, the suitcase tipped forward slightly because the bottom was not completely stable,” she explains. The agent then responded: “I’m sorry, but you cannot board with this suitcase.”
The problem could come from a zipper which allows the suitcase to be slightly enlarged. Although it was closed, and the suitcase could have fit into the locker, the agent estimated that it could exceed the authorized dimensions if necessary. This would have required compressing it to adjust it.
Faced with this dilemma, Catherine had to choose between paying extra or abandoning her suitcase. “Disconcerted and frustrated”, she paid 75 pounds (around 90 euros) to be able to take it away. When she returned home, she also paid an additional 35 pounds (42 euros) to collect her luggage. “This culture of additional costs in which we operate is becoming absurd,” she laments. “The problem is that the rules are vague. If I had contacted Ryanair to check the dimensions, they would have said my suitcase was up to standard. I work in the travel industry, I know it well, but I worry that all this will make traveling more stressful for people,” adds the Briton.
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After sharing her experience on BBC Radio 2 and sending a complaint email, Ryanair ended up refunding Catherine’s costs “as a gesture of goodwill”. The company maintains, however, that the initial costs were justified.
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