A woman has been left fuming after Ryanair allegedly slapped her with a £75 fee for a reason she’s branded ‘mind-bendingly ridiculous’. Catherine Warrilow was all set to jet off to Seville from Stansted, having shelled out beforehand for priority boarding, a 10kg bag, and under-seat luggage.
But trouble brewed at the gate when staff challenged her over her cabin bag, claiming it was ‘2cm’ too big. To combat this, Catherine then ditched some items and secured the bag with a luggage strap, ensuring it fit within Ryanair’s size frame.
But despite her efforts, the airline reportedly ‘weren’t having any of it’. Remarkably, Catherine said that her bag’s expandable zip was to blame, as it had ‘the potential to be bigger than the size allowance’.
Posting to TikTok, the 45-year-old from Oxford raged: “Ryanair have taken their bag charge scandal to a whole new level. I got fined yesterday £75 at the gate because the carry-on cabin bag that I prepaid for with priority boarding was apparently too big for the size restrictions, because of the expandable zip, as shown.
“Because it had ‘the potential to be bigger than the size allowance’, even though it fit within their sizing rack when closed, they weren’t having it whatsoever. The staff at the check-in desk basically said I could either leave the case behind or pay £75 and that she couldn’t let me on with it because she couldn’t have the possibility of me having to kneel on it to get it in the overhead locker.
“Even though, with the second zip closed, it fit within their restrictions – doesn’t make any sense!” Concerned about a further £75 fee, Catherine also reportedly paid a precautionary £35 to check the bag in for her return flight, taking the total to a staggering £110.
(Image: Catherine Warrilow)
She branded the Ryanair rule ‘mind-bendingly ridiculous’ and even spoke on the Jeremy Vine show about her frustrating travel experience. “And also just being picked on at random in the queue and some people getting on no problem with that size bag and other people just being fined,” she continued.
“And the irony is, after all of this, with my big yellow ‘you’ve been naughty we fined you’ sticker on my suitcase, I take it down to the runway where we’re boarding because it needs to go in the hold, there’s nobody anywhere to be seen to give my bag to.
“So, like one of the other callers on today’s Jeremy Vine show, he just took the label off and took it on board anyway! Totally defeats the object, and yes, it fit in the cabin, it fit in the overheard locker. It’s just mind-bendingly ridiculous.”
Following this ordeal, Helen Dewdney, a consumer champion for The Complaining Cow, allegedly helped Catherine draft an email to Ryanair, addressing the potential violation of consumer law and regulations. She claimed that they received a refund within 24 hours of sending the email.
(Image: Catherine Warrilow)
Helen said: “It seems pretty clear that most people do not complain about these fees. But, when challenged using consumer law Ryanair appears to refund. If a consumer were to take them to court it might set a precedent and Ryanair and indeed any other airline would want to avoid that.”
In response, Ryanair reportedly told Catherine: “Our records confirm our staff were simply following the procedure by checking the size of your bag according to our Terms and Conditions,” but as a goodwill gesture it would make a full refund.
Helen, meanwhile, has put together some smart tips for dealing with cabin luggage, which are outlined below:
- When booking your flight, take careful note of the size of cabin luggage and whether it will be enough. Many of the airlines have changed their luggage sizes recently.
- Check the costs of taking on any cabin luggage and compare with other flights, as you may get a cheaper overall price, taking all costs into consideration.
- Download a measuring app. Using the app take pictures of the bags/case that will clearly show the measurements. You can then use these as proof at the airport or in a complaint when you return.
- Remember that handles and wheels must fit inside the sizer.