UK tourists warned as woman fined £75 for ‘ridiculous’ suitcase reason

An airline has been blasted after it hit one of its passengers with a £75 fee for a “ridiculous” reason.

Ryanair is under fire after charging a passenger an additional £75 for her luggage on a flight from London Stansted to Seville last month.

Catherine Warrilow, 45, who had already paid for priority boarding and a 10kg cabin bag, was told her suitcase was 2cm “too big” due to an expandable zip feature.

Despite her suitcase fitting within the airline’s sizing rack when zipped shut, airline staff insisted it could potentially be expanded beyond the allowed size, resulting in the charge.

Warrilow, an author from Oxford, shared her story in a TikTok video that has since gone viral, racking up over 400,000 views.

She expressed frustration, calling Ryanair’s actions “mind-bendingly ridiculous” and describing the incident as yet another example of the airline’s “bag charge scandal.”

At the check-in counter, Warrilow was reportedly given the option to pay the additional fee or leave her suitcase behind. She claims staff justified the charge, saying her suitcase might require her to “kneel on it” to make it fit in the overhead bin. She ultimately paid the £75, only to discover no staff were present to take the bag to the hold.

Instead, she brought it onboard herself, where it fit in the overhead compartment with no issue.

Warrilow’s experience has struck a chord, with many viewers flooding the comments to share similar stories and criticise Ryanair’s policies.

One commenter likened it to “getting pulled over for speeding even if you’re not because your car has the potential to go faster.”

Another complained that such “money-making fines” mean that budget airlines are not necessarily cheaper once extra fees are added.

In a recent update, Warrilow reported she had received a full refund from Ryanair, including an additional £35 she’d paid to put the suitcase in the hold on her return trip.

Speaking to BBC Radio 2’s Jeremy Vine, Warrilow voiced her frustration over the lack of transparency in Ryanair’s policies, calling it “crazy” and “stressful” for travelers.

Ryanair’s practice of charging extra for minor luggage size discrepancies has led some travelers to look for alternatives. A recent Which? investigation found that once add-ons are considered, British Airways flights can be cheaper than budget airlines like Ryanair and Wizz Air.

Rising costs for checked bags have also driven passengers to find creative packing solutions, such as maximising the space under their seats.

Express.co.uk has contacted Ryanair for comment.