A Ryanair passenger has claimed she was charged an additional £75 at the boarding gate because the wheels of her suitcase poked out of the airline's bag sizer, despite having paid extra for priority boarding and two cabin bags.
Gilly Bachelor, 55, from Brewood, near Cannock, Staffordshire, was flying from Birmingham Airport to Malaga, Spain, when she was stopped as she attempted to board. She said she had already paid £125 for her flight and had opted for priority and two cabin bags, but was told the bag could not be taken on board.
Ms Bachelor, who runs a travel agency, said a staff member was checking every bag as passengers boarded, with at least 20 people being singled out and fined. She alleged that Ryanair staff receive an incentive for every bag flagged as oversized, adding that she had checked and found this to be true, though the amount was a small portion of the fine.
She told Luxury Travel Daily: "I've taken that bag on lots of flights with no problem, just not Ryanair. As we were boarding, a gentleman was checking all the bags. They put it in the sizer, and the issue was with the wheels, and that it was slightly too wide."
Ms Bachelor said she flew home with easyJet and her bag was fully compliant, and advised other travellers to check size rules carefully and invest in a compliant bag to avoid stress at the gate.
