Ryanair - carry on bag wrong size - 40 Euro charge

M

Mystic Oil

Registered User
Messages
130
I'm furious as I type this, so please bear with me as I try to get my thoughts down.

This morning, I brought my niece to check in for her return flight to Ireland - she had been staying with me for a one week holiday. She was travelling with carry-on luggage only (a light holdall type bag). When we got to the airport I checked that she was within the 10kg limit. She was well inside at 8kg. Her small handbag was also packed inside the holdall.

Now, my niece has an intellectual disability, and arrangements had been made to have her accompanied to the departure gate (the service for disabled passengers in European airports is very, very good).

I have just learnt that she was charged 40 Euro by the staff at the departure gate as her bag wouldn't fit into the guage - I assume it was too big in one of the dimensions. A simple reshuffle of the contents would have sorted that out - the bag was in no way excessively big. It's the same type of bag that I use myself for carry-on and it's ideal because you can squish it into whatever space is available, unlike hard luggage or wheelie bags.

Her boarding card (generated by Ryanair themselves) has a "code" printed on it showing that she needed special assistance (and the type of assistance required), even if that hadn't been evident by speaking to her.

I have travelled with Ryanair on many, many occasions and I've never had cause for complaint. I've been hit with extra charges on some flights, but that has invariably been my own fault.

All of this leads me to my question. Is there any point in taking this up with Ryanair themselves? The 40 Euro is neither here nor there, really. I've heard so many anecdotal stories of Ryanair's total indifference to complaints.

What are the consumer rights aspects here? My niece is legally an adult, but I paid for her air fare. She paid the 40 Euro. Am I the customer? Is she? Who complains?

More to the point, is complaining a waste of time where Ryanair is concerned?
 
The weight is only one criteria, the dimensions rule also applies. If the bag in question exceeded any one of the stated maximum dimensions, then you have no case.


From the RyanAir T&Cs :

CABIN BAGGAGE

Strictly one item of cabin baggage per passenger (excluding infants) weighing up to 10kg with maximum dimensions of 55cm x 40cm x 20cm is permitted. (handbag, briefcase, laptop, shop purchases, camera etc.) must be carried in your 1 permitted piece of cabin baggage.
Extra/oversized cabin baggage will be refused at the boarding gate, or where available, placed in the hold of the aircraft for a fee of £40/€40. If you are unsure, check at the Bag Drop desk before going through security.
Click to expand...
 
I did? What was it so? You stated that your question was "Is there any point in taking this up with Ryanair themselves?"

I answered that question stating that if any one of the dimensions of the bag exceeded the stated maximums, then there is no point as they operated within the terms and conditions you agreed to.
 
My aunt took hand luggage in the form of a holdall on a flight about 18 months ago. It was hardly full, but they made her 'strrectch' out the bag to its full dimensions and said ti was too big, making her pay. She was saying it fitted within the cage they have but they said they were going on the dimensions.

If you want to take it up with Ryanair perhaps you could say your niece was not able to understand the situation and therefore could not enter an agreement with them? Be warned though, the premium rate they charge on the phone will soon counteract any €40 you try and get back!
 
the point being that any other customer could have moved things around and it would have fitted. Ryanair promised her special assistance and instead charged her a fee that could have been avoided.

That to me is taking advantage of a vulnerable person.
 
Mystics point was that as the bag is flexible it doesn't have fixed dimensions. This means that if you hold it one way or another it can be made to meet or exceed any of the dimensions, but if you hold it the other way it can be made to come in below the limits.

The implication here is that the passenger was not in a position to adjust the bag to fit the dimensions themself due to disability, so the staff shaped the bag in such a way as to make it exceed the limit and charge the fee.

Other adults would say "hold on a sec" and push the bag down and make it *legitimately* fit within the dimensions, but this person was not in a position to do so.

I'm afraid I can't advise on whether it is worth pursuing with Ryanair or not, but (if the bag was indeed capable of being made fit into the dimensions) it certainly seems unjust.

z
 
I found this on the Ryanair website:
ARTICLE 5 - SPECIAL ASSISTANCE

5.1 Without prejudice to Article 5.2, passengers with disabilities or reduced mobility are not refused carriage on the basis of such disability or reduced mobility. Acceptance for carriage of young persons travelling alone, incapacitated persons, pregnant women, persons with illness, blind or visually impaired passengers or other people requiring special assistance is subject to specific prior arrangement with us pursuant to our Regulations. (click here for Regulations concerning these subjects).

I would interpret that they are happy to accept any passenger with a dissability, but they are still subject to the same conditions of carriage as any able bodied person, i.e. they have accepted the rules regarding travel.
 
zag said:
Other adults would say "hold on a sec" and push the bag down and make it *legitimately* fit within the dimensions, but this person was not in a position to do so.
Click to expand...

See my post above, it happened to my aunt. Once the dimensions of the bag are exceeding the limits they are within their right to refuse it. When you buy a ticket, and check in, you accept these points.
 
As Flossie has pointed out, the rules relate to the maximum dimensions of the bag, not what they can be squeezed or reshaped to fit within.
 
What would you say are the dimensions of, for example, a net bag, Leo?

Do you honestly believe that your stance, and that taken by the person who dealt with Flossie's aunt, would pass the "reasonable person" test?
 
zag said:
Mystics point was that as the bag is flexible it doesn't have fixed dimensions. This means that if you hold it one way or another it can be made to meet or exceed any of the dimensions, but if you hold it the other way it can be made to come in below the limits.

The implication here is that the passenger was not in a position to adjust the bag to fit the dimensions themself due to disability, so the staff shaped the bag in such a way as to make it exceed the limit and charge the fee.

Other adults would say "hold on a sec" and push the bag down and make it *legitimately* fit within the dimensions, but this person was not in a position to do so.

I'm afraid I can't advise on whether it is worth pursuing with Ryanair or not, but (if the bag was indeed capable of being made fit into the dimensions) it certainly seems unjust.

z
Click to expand...

Thank you Zag. That was exactly the point I was hoping to make.
 
What would happen if Ryanair staff tried "reshuffling" the contents of the bag and damaged something? Or if they tried opening the bag to do that?

I can imagine another letter of complaint for that one. I can't see how it is Ryanairs responsibility to "make" bags fit into the maximum dimensions.

Thats the harsh view. Perhaps Ryanair could have been more acocmodating?
 
That's a good question, Aristotle. I wasn't present (obviously) so I don't know whether the escort was still with my niece when this incident occurred.
 
Mystic Oil said:
I have just learnt that she was charged 40 Euro by the staff at the departure gate as her bag wouldn't fit into the guage - I assume it was too big in one of the dimensions. A simple reshuffle of the contents would have sorted that out - the bag was in no way excessively big. It's the same type of bag that I use myself for carry-on and it's ideal because you can squish it into whatever space is available, unlike hard luggage or wheelie bags.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately as many of us have seen with various airlines, there is not a requirement for a 'reasonable person' - the employee is there to implement the rules of carriage for the airline, sometimes you get people a bit more flexible than others, but at the end of their day it's their job I am afraid. There are times in my job i could be far more reasonable with clients than i am, but i have my job to do, it's my company that suffers if seomthing happens or gets picked up on that is a result of my work.

Did you specify to the people providing assistance that in the event of something happening to contact you?
 
zag said:
Mystics point was that as the bag is flexible it doesn't have fixed dimensions. This means that if you hold it one way or another it can be made to meet or exceed any of the dimensions, but if you hold it the other way it can be made to come in below the limits.
Click to expand...

A sports holdall is flexible but it still has fixed dimensions.
 
Mystic Oil said:
What would you say are the dimensions of, for example, a net bag, Leo?

Do you honestly believe that your stance, and that taken by the person who dealt with Flossie's aunt, would pass the "reasonable person" test?
Click to expand...

It's not my stance, it's Ryanair's, and you agreed to abide by it when you made the booking. It's also not about being reasonable, the rules are quite clear, and it's well known that Ryanair strictly apply these rules.

To answer the irrelevant 'net bag' question, its maximum dimensions are correctly measured when laid out flat and empty.

Ryanair do advise that if there's any doubt, you should check at the Bag Drop desk prior to going through security. Heeding that advice would have saved all this trouble.
 
A couple of points here -
1) the rules are not quite clear - http://www.ryanair.com/en/terms-and-conditions#regulations-cabinbaggage - says "Strictly one item of cabin baggage per passenger (excluding infants) weighing up to 10kg with maximum dimensions of 55cm x 40cm x 20cm is permitted" - on the basis of some of the replies here, if you ever packed your case with more than 10kg they could refuse you, because your bag once was over limit regardless of what it was like when you presented at the boarding gate. If your bag *can* have one set of dimensions in one condition and another set of dimensions in another condition then they should only be concerned with the dimensions as presented at the gate, just as they should only be concerned with the weight presented at the gate. They let you take your book or other weighty material out and leave it in the airport to reduce weight, so why not act in the same way on the dimensions end of things ?
2) "A sports holdall is flexible but it still has fixed dimensions." - yes, and it also has variable dimensions depending on its state. Just as it also has a loaded and unloaded weight.
3) "it's well known that Ryanair strictly apply these rules" - yeah, but no. They don't strictly apply these rules. They apply them in certain circumstances. I've seen people getting on Ryanair flights with way oversized bags. I've been on a Ryanair flight with a Leinster flag with flagpole where the length exceeded the maximum permitted and I wasn't forced to check it in. Some staff enforce the rules, some don't.

In response to the original question, on the consumer front (regardless of right and wrong, etc . . .) I don't think you will get too far. One avenue you might consider might be to pursue it via any relevant disability body that your niece belongs to or is associated with. They may have some history with this end of things.

z
 
We always travel with squashable bags unless we're certain the solid one's will fit in the guage.

News to me that they are now measuring the dimensions of the squashable bags. I had heard that they were using a 'cardboard' box to measure on here but I've never encountered it myself.

Last month in Dublin the staff were on a power trip and singled out a demented mother with baby/buggy and child for the bag treatment. It was despicable what I witnessed. I tried to help her by offering her a spare bag but she was gone beyond help.
 
Bronte said:
We always travel with squashable bags unless we're certain the solid one's will fit in the guage.

News to me that they are now measuring the dimensions of the squashable bags. I had heard that they were using a 'cardboard' box to measure on here but I've never encountered it myself.

Last month in Dublin the staff were on a power trip and singled out a demented mother with baby/buggy and child for the bag treatment. It was despicable what I witnessed. I tried to help her by offering her a spare bag but she was gone beyond help.
Click to expand...


I seen the same thing last year heading to the U.k. Ryanair girl was checking all bags in the measuring stand. She pulled aside this man with a back pack and he stuffed it in the stand. She started pulling the corners of the bag so they stuck out over the top. She then went and got the cardboard box thing, and measured the bag against it. As far as i, and about 100 passangers, who were standing in the queue in knots at this performance could see, the bag was within dimensions, until she started fluffing up the corners of the bag to bring it about an inch too high! Well, the man started jumping up and down on the bag in rage! This went on for about 5 minutes, we thought we'd never get on the plane if she checked every bag!


Anyway, he was forced to pay the 40 euro.. Would make you wonder what sort of percentage she gets from each 40 euro she catches people for!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top