A Jet2 passenger was left humiliated at Manchester Airport when staff refused to combine the weight of her hold and cabin bags, even though the total was under her 32kg allowance. She was told to pay an extra £45 or repack her belongings on the airport floor.
Baggage dispute at check-in
Danielle Kate Wroe was flying from Manchester Airport to Rhodes when she was stopped at the Jet2 check-in desk. Her allowance included a 22kg checked bag, a 10kg cabin bag, and a personal item. Although her suitcase, rucksack and cross-body bag weighed less than 32kg combined, staff said the weights could not be combined and demanded she either move items into her rucksack or pay the extra fee.
Wroe said she had flown with Jet2 for 10 years and had always mixed and matched the weights without issue. She explained several times that there was no room in her rucksack, but staff were insistent. A manager eventually said she could unpack into a spare bag if she had one, which she described as not being in Jet2's policy.
Airport and airline responses
A spokesperson from Manchester Airport said Jet2 is usually "one of the most reasonable airlines" and assumed she had fallen victim to a mistake. On the return flight from Rhodes, with the exact same weight in her cases, staff printed her passes and waved her through without comment.
When contacted, Jet2 defended its position, stating: "Hold baggage and hand luggage allowances are separate and cannot be combined." The airline described the repacking request as a "flexible solution".
Other passengers share similar stories
On TikTok, other passengers shared similar experiences. One user said: "Must just be luck of the draw whether you get someone having a good or bad day."
Wroe advised travellers to stick strictly to weight limits and not rely on the goodwill of staff. She also recommended a £5 digital luggage scale from Amazon as a way to avoid the problem.
"Learn from my mistake and weigh your case!" she wrote. "And do not make any assumptions 'it'll be fine' because I thought that when my rucksack weighed significantly less."
