Holidaymaker claims easyJet ‘picked on him by forcing him to measure bag 4 instances’

For many travellers, having to check their hand luggage fits the airline’s dimensions can be a stressful moment. 

One holidaymaker, Richard Deakin, 37, claims he had to measure his bag ‘four times’ before easyJet would allow him onto his flight.

He was about to board the plane at London Luton Airport to Málaga, Spain on September 28 when he was asked by staff to place his bag in the sizer.

The passenger, from the West Midlands, had only brought hand luggage with him for the four-night trip to visit his friend.

Richard had packed his clothes and four tubs of gravy granules for his friend’s mother in his bag and claimed it did fit the requirements, but was ‘hard to get in’ the sizer.

He admits he was ‘quite angry’ by the request and in footage shared on TikTok, Richard can be seen repeatedly shoving his bag into the sizer until it slides in.

The security consultant explained how he demonstrated his bag fit ‘once or twice’ before the video was filmed, but was asked to check two more times in front of managers.

Richard claims ‘it was a money-making tactic’ used by the airline workers and that he ‘was confident it was the right size because I’d measured it and weighed it’.

One holidaymaker, Richard Deakin, 37, claims he had to measure his bag ‘four times’ before easyJet would allow him onto his flight

He was about to board the plane at London Luton Airport to Málaga, Spain on September 28 when he was asked by staff to place his bag in the sizer

He recalled: ‘At first it’s a bit of a struggle pushing it down but then it just slides in and goes all the way down to the bottom.

‘It was hard to get in because I had several tubs of gravy granules because in Spain it’s quite expensive.

‘I was quite angry. I did know I could just take a few things out of my bag but I was being a bit pedantic out of principle. If you want to pick on me, I don’t mind having a debate about it.

‘After that video was recorded a manager came down and asked me to do it again.

‘This is the bit that really [annoyed] me. I said: “It’s just been witnessed by six of your staff who said it’s okay and this is the video”. He said: “I need to see it again”.

‘I’d done it once or twice before the video, and [then] two times with managers. It looked like the flight was going to take off and I was scared at that point.’

Richard described how he ‘put away’ his ‘ego’ and frantically removed his book and charger out of the bag to try and get it to fit more smoothly.

The holidaymaker is now urging fellow tourists to not to pay excessive baggage fees if their luggage is within the requirements.

The passenger, from the West Midlands, had only brought hand luggage with him for the four-night trip to visit his friend

He admits he was ‘quite angry’ by the request and in footage shared on TikTok, Richard can be seen repeatedly shoving his bag into the sizer until it slides in

Richard said: ‘So many people wouldn’t have been so persistent and fallen right into the trap.

‘There are people that won’t stand up and talk and ask the question so they’re getting charged.

‘While I understand the rules, it’s frustrating to pay for a bag that was underweight and would have been placed in the same overhead locker as everyone else’s.’

Some social media users agreed with Richard, while others criticised him for ‘yelling’ at staff in the video. 

One user wrote: ‘EasyJet should be ashamed.’

A third added: ‘If it fits, it doesn’t matter if it’s easy or not.’

Other users criticised Richard for his demeanour.

One user wrote: ‘Why are you yelling at them?’

He recalled: ‘At first it’s a bit of a struggle pushing it down but then it just slides in and goes all the way down to the bottom.’

Another commented: ‘Why are you shouting at them for doing their jobs?’

An EasyJet spokesman said: ‘We have a well understood bag policy and customers are only charged if their bags are too large, in fairness to customers who have paid to bring larger bags.

‘And we do not tolerate aggressive or threatening behaviour towards our ground crew.

‘Once Mr Deakin was able to fit his bag in the gauge, he was not charged and was able to board.’