A father was left furious after Ryanair staff fined him £100 and “threatened to cancel his family’s holiday” over bag straps which were “slightly too big”.
John Butler, 50, was stopped at Dublin Airport last month while attempting to board a flight to Lanzarote with his family.
The sports therapist claims he was forced to pay £50 each for two carry-on bags after staff insisted the straps exceeded size limits, despite the bags fitting in the measuring device.
Staff confronted Butler and his family as they were among the last passengers to board their flight to the Canary Islands.
Staff are said to have threatened to cancel his family’s holiday
PA
“The next minute, I’m told ‘you step aside as well’,” Butler explained. “Myself, my wife, and two kids step aside and I’m still wondering what this is about.”
When asked to place the bags in the measuring device, Butler said: “It was clearly obvious that it was fine but she said it’s not fine. She said the handle was above it and just kept insisting.”
The situation escalated when staff reportedly threatened Butler’s daughter, telling her she “won’t go on your holidays if your father doesn’t pay”.
When Butler challenged the charge, he was told the gates were closed but could be reopened if he paid the fine.
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Butler was told the gates were closed – but could be reopened if he paid the fine
PA
After reluctantly paying to avoid missing their 10-day holiday, Butler requested the staff member’s name, but she reportedly turned her name badge backwards to conceal her identity.
Butler claims this practice appears to target passengers at the end of the queue. “When we came back with the exact same bag and same contents, no one even asked us about our bags,” he said.
“On the plane, the air hostess and all agreed it was totally wrong,” Butler added. “It seems to be a common practice that if you’re the last few in the queue, you’re pulled aside.”
The father has submitted a formal complaint and is demanding both a refund and an apology from the airline.
Ryanair has denied targeting passengers at the end of the queue.
A spokesman for the airline said: “This passenger and his travelling companions booked a non-priority fare for this flight from Dublin to Lanzarote, which allowed them to carry a small personal bag onboard.”
“Two of these bags exceeded the permitted size and they were correctly charged a standard gate baggage fee (€60) to place their oversized bags in the hold.”