Airline passenger goes to extreme measures to avoid ‘rip-off’ $76 luggage fee
Topics: Money, Travel, World News
Poppy Bilderbeck
Featured Image Credit: Solarpix
Topics: Money, Travel, World News
A passenger went to extreme lengths to avoid paying an extra luggage fee.
Look, we've all been there, wheeling our little suitcases along in the airport to try and stroll into the cabin unquestioned, well aware there's a strong chance our bag won't fit. Even worse if there's a stickler-for-the-rules flight attendant who should force us to pop it in the measuring bay.
Sadly for one flyer, they didn't make it past staff unnoticed, although, they certainly put their foot down in a bid to avoid coughing up an extra $76.
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Daniel was catching a Ryanair flight from Palma Airport to Costa del Sol, Spain when he was apprehended by staff members.
He was informed his hand luggage didn't meet the air carrier's requirements and he'd have to pay an additional fee to be allowed to board the flight.
Ryanair's Bag Policy states as per its website: "Priority & two Cabin Bags: This allows you to carry a small personal bag (40x20x25cm), which must fit under the seat in front of you and a 10kg bag (55x40x20cm) onboard, to be stored in the overhead locker. It also allows you to board the plane first using the Priority Boarding queue at the gate."
And Daniel wasn't just asked to spend an extra tenner here or there, but a whopping $75.85 to get his bag onboard with him.
Alas, unfortunately for the airline, Daniel wasn't having it and rather than trying to argue further with Ryanair officials, the passenger decided to take matters into his own hands - quite literally.
Refusing to cough up the amount all for a few extra pairs of shorts, shoes and hair products, Daniel decided to force his suitcase to fit the airline's baggage measurement requirements by snapping off its wheels.
He said: "I told Ryanair it cost me €30 ($32.50) 10 years ago and I wasn’t going to pay the €70 ($85.85) they were asking me for, so I decided to break it."
And a video shows the moment Daniel decided to alter his suitcase, the passenger heard in the video joking: "Imagine if it doesn't fit after this."
Upon finishing his DIY job on his suitcase, the video shows Daniel being met with raucous applause from those around him.
And when he tested the bag in the Ryanair measurement slot and it fit? Well, as you can anticipate, the reaction only got more joyous from there.
The passenger resolves: "It would have cost me more to check the case in than I spent on the flight."
One small win for Daniel, one big leap for all budget airline flyers?
UNILAD has contacted Ryanair for comment.