Ryanair charged Ruby Flanagan £50 to take a water bottle on a flight (Image: The Mirror)
One unimpressed passenger recently found themselves €60 (£49.95) out of pocket after inadvertently falling afoul of Ryanair’s stringent baggage policy. The unexpected charge wasn’t due to an oversized bag, as is often the case, but rather a seemingly innocuous water bottle.
The Irish airline is notorious for offering rock-bottom fares, only to makeup for them with steep additional fees, frequently levied against passengers deemed to have exceeded their luggage allowance at the gate. Unfortunately, one flyer became the latest casualty of this policy during a brief trip to Dublin, reports <a href=”https://www.mirror.co.uk/travel/ryanair-charged-50-take-water-34650192″>the Mirror</a>.
Reporter Ruby Flanagan had planned a quick getaway to visit friends in the Irish capital and, given the short duration, opted for a backpack, booking a “non-priority” ticket that permitted a single “small” bag – with dimensions of 40 x 20 x 25cm, designed to fit under the seat in front – to be brought onboard.
The return ticket had only cost £35.86, an impressively low fare. She said: “Last year, I snagged a backpack from Amazon that perfectly matched the airline’s size requirements and it became my trusty travel companion on numerous flights.
“Confident in its utility, I didn’t give it a second thought when preparing for my next journey. On the chilly morning of Saturday, February 1, at 5.30am, I breezed through Stansted Airport as the Ryanair gate staff scanned my boarding pass without a hitch.”
Ruby has used the back pack without an issue on previous flights. (Image: undefined)
When Ruby returned from Dublin however, she arrived at her gate for the return flight Stansted at 12.05pm. However as she headed onto the plan around 15 minutes later she was stopped by a Ryanair employee.
She explained: “The Amazon cabin bag, now on offer for a mere £16.99 (down from £21.99), became the centre of attention as the Ryanair employee instructed, “You need to put your bag in here,” indicating the sizing box. Complying, I managed to fit the bag with a gentle push.
“As I hoisted it back onto my shoulder, the staff member sternly gestured towards the water bottle slung across me, demanding: “That will need to go in the bag.””
When she asked why she was told she had to stow all extra items inside her bag before boarding. She was sent back to the waiting area, panicking as she tried to fit the 750ml bottle into her bag.
Ruby had to cram the water bottle into her bag. (Image: The Mirror)
Ruby wasn’t the only one, as she explained that several other passengers were also repacking their bags at Ryanair’s request.
As she reproached the gate for a second scanning of her boarding pass she was told by another staff member that her bag was now too big. She reports that they said: “That bag is too big. You’ll need to go over there and pay to get on the flight.”
Ruby said: “The statement took me aback, so I queried why I couldn’t carry the bottle outside my bag as I had on the flight before, making myself feel like the troublesome flyer. The airline’s employee didn’t budge, informing me that if the water bottle didn’t fit inside my bag, it would count as an additional piece of luggage – a no-go with my fare type.
“Stumped, I repeated my question, stressing “water bottle” to clarify my point.”
She said that she watched fellow travellers with laptops, Burger King bags and travel pillows waltz through security without any issues. She said that the “situation was baffling” and that she was “unable to comprehend the inconsistency”.
Adding that: “Others caught in Ryanair’s net attempted to defend their luggage choices, echoing my own bewilderment with arguments like “I flew here with the bag like this, why can’t I fly back?””
However time to fight back was over as Ryanair had closed the gate to the flight. Ruby had never been turned away by airline staff or missed a flight before so asked staff ‘what she was supposed to do’.
The bag fit under the seat on the Ryanair flight. (Image: The Mirror)
A staff member replied: “You’ll have to pay for it either way.” Highlighting the payment for a second bag on the outbound journey and now for an oversized item.
With only 15 minutes to takeoff and her seat unoccupied, she approached the attendant wielding the card machine, resigned myself to a €60 fee, and earned the ignominious yellow sticker on her rucksack.
She noted at least four similarly branded passengers on the flight. Barely ten minutes until wheels up, another passenger and Ruby hurried down towards their gate.
Ruby was hit for extra charges after buying a cheap Ryanair flight. (Image: The Mirror)
Her carry-on, previously acceptable on a journey from Stansted just two days earlier, was now bound for the hold owing to an infinitesimal offense; its dimensions exceeded the limit thanks to its protruding handle. She seethed, both at me and the baggage handler, whose answer was a stoic: “I can’t tell you how many times we do this each day, I honestly don’t know how it works.”
During the 50-minute flight back to London, it dawned on Ruby that discarding the bottle and purchasing a new one for £25 upon arrival would have been more cost-effective.
Upon landing, Ruby filled out a complaint form with Ryanair regarding the fee, and detailed the entire incident. In response, Ryanair acknowledged that she was “disputing a baggage fee charged for carrying a water bottle separate from your carry-on bag”, before dismissing her claim and simply reiterating the exact phrasing from its baggage policy on its website.
Following this dramatic event, Ruby decided to take the issue up with Ryanair’s press team. Curious to know if there was a distinction between bringing her own water bottle and purchasing a plastic one at the airport and whether the latter have been allowed through?
Furthermore, she queried whether this rule applied to neck pillows, scarves, umbrellas, and other items typically attached to bags during travel. This was important to clarify as the only information provided on the baggage page states: “All our fares include one small personal bag which can be brought on board, such as a handbag, backpack, or laptop bag (40x20x25cm), which must fit under the seat in front of you.”
The official response from Ryanair was: “This passenger booked a Basic Fare ticket for this flight from Dublin to Stansted (4 Feb), which allowed them to carry a small personal bag onboard. This passenger attempted to board with an additional carry-on, and as it would not fit within their permitted bag, she was correctly required to pay a standard gate baggage fee (€60). Once payment was made, this passenger travelled on this flight from Dublin to Stansted (4 Feb).”
