Extreme measures
Photo: Screenshot / Twitter X
Where money is involved people can be very inventive. In the past, Ryanair passengers have worn multiple layers of clothes to avoid check-in fees and now a traveller from Malaga broke off the wheels of his suitcase to avoid paying the €70 that the airline wanted for checking in his luggage as it was slightly oversize.
Other passengers on the Palma to Malaga flight recorded what happened and videos appeared immediately on social media showing the young man pulling hard on the wheels, until he finally manages to pull off all four, to the cheers and applause of the rest of the people in the boarding area.
After this display of strength and ingenuity, the Malaga-born man checks that his suitcase, now without those extra centimetres, is within the measurements required by the airline to avoid having to check it in. Amused Ryanair staff confirm it now complies with the regulations and he heads off to board his flight without having to pay the check-in fee for his case.
Notorious fees
While Ryanair is known for offering low-cost airline tickets, it is also notorious for its fees for any excess baggage. The airline s website states, You must adhere strictly to the baggage allowance on your booking. If your small bag or 10kg cabin bag does not fit in the baggage sizers, which are placed at every boarding gate, we will tag your bag and place it in the aircraft hold subject to payment of a gate bag fee . And passengers who have not added a bag to their booking have to pay for a 20kg check-in bag at a cost of €70.
New European Union laws will force low-cost airlines like Ryanair and EasyJet to include carry-on luggage in ticket prices. “Low-cost airlines do business with the price of tickets by hiding the extra for carrying cabin baggage until the end of the purchase”, said Spanish MEP Jordi Cañas.
However, the same size rules will continue to apply: hand luggage must measure 40 x 20 x 25 centimetres, and must fit under the seat in front of you. You can also bring luggage weighing up to 10 kilos, measuring 55 x 40 x 20 centimetres, which must be stowed in the overhead compartment.
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Written by
Kevin Fraser Park
Kevin was born in Scotland and worked in marketing, running his own businesses in UK, Italy and, for the last 8 years, here in Spain. He moved to the Costa del Sol in 2016 working initially in real estate. He has a passion for literature and particularly the English language which is how he got into writing.
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