A Ryanair passenger has expressed outrage after being charged £75 for an 'oversized' bag she claims she has used on the same route more than 30 times over seven years without any problems. The incident occurred at Manchester Airport, where the passenger, known as Laura, was travelling to Göteborg Landvetter.
Passenger's complaint
Laura took to X to voice her frustration, writing: "Hey @Ryanair I want a refund for the £75 that the absolute jobsworth at Manchester Airport this afternoon took from me for an 'oversized' bag i've used and never had an issue with on this exact journey maybe 30+ times over the last seven years." She accompanied her post with a photograph appearing to show the bag fitting comfortably within the permitted 40 x 30 x 20 cm gauge.
In a follow-up post, she added: "I asked a staff member, 'have the measurements changed recently?' and they said no, but that the enforcement was more stringent."
Public reactions
Other travellers shared similar experiences. One commented: "This happened to me last year! Baring in mind I've just come back from a holiday 2 weeks before and had no problems. Their argument was that it was sticking out (being too wide). It wasn't at all and is the same as yours is in the picture. Poor behaviour."
Another added: "You're so right, they're trying to get money as much as they can, I had to buy a new bag as the one I've been using for the last 14 years is 'too big' and they also made me pay. They want to take money as much as possible." A third suggested: "I hate that but there is no winning. The only way I found is to ask for the measure and have them measure it, if it checks out then it's fine if not, then it's on you."
However, some sided with Ryanair, arguing the bag exceeded the permitted size. One person commented: "The depth of your suitcase goes over the line that clearly says too big. What makes you think you are entitled to this over the other millions of passengers who don't do this?" Another wrote: "Looks like you owe Ryanair £2,250 for those 30 flights. Double it if they were returns." A third simply stated: "It's oversized."
Ryanair's response
Some suggested Laura should avoid flying with Ryanair if she disagreed with their policies. She responded: "Unfortunately they're the only airline operating on that route."
A representative for Ryanair said: "This passenger booked a Regular Fare for this flight from Manchester to Göteborg Landvetter (Aug 4), which allowed them to carry a small personal bag and 10kg cabin bag measuring up to 55 x 40 x 20 cm onboard. As this passenger's cabin bag exceeded the permitted size, she was correctly required to pay a standard gate baggage fee by the gate agent at Manchester Airport."
