Ryanair passenger avoids baggage charge with simple trick

Kyle Weinberg was flying from London Stansted Airport to Paphos, Cyprus, for a five-day getaway to enjoy some winter sun.

The 30-year-old paid £80 for his return flights, which included one small personal bag measuring 40x30x20cm that must fit under the seat.

After purchasing two bottles of aftershave in duty free, Kyle stuffed them inside his manbag to save adding another bag to his luggage and made his way to his airport gate.

Ryanair allow holidaymaker to fly without paying baggage charge – as he used this simple trick (Image: Kennedy News and Media)

But while attempting to board, Ryanair staff allegedly told the company director that his satchel had to be put inside his carry-on bag or he would be unable to board.

Baffled, Kyle explained his manbag wouldn’t fit inside his carry-on due to his duty-free purchases – and claims gate staff questioned why he didn’t get a carrier bag to avoid the extra charge.

Adamant he wasn’t stumping up an extra £60, Kyle darted to a nearby Costa Coffee for a free bag to stuff his satchel into – after which he says he was able to board without any issues.

A Ryanair spokesman said the passenger was advised to place their second bag into hand-luggage or into their duty-free bag in order to travel on the flight.

Stunned Kyle has since slammed Ryanair’s policy as a ‘stupid, money-grabbing scheme’ to make passengers cough up before boarding.

Kyle, who lives in Hornchurch, Essex, said: “It was my first time in Cyprus, I was going out there for a bit of winter sun.

“So I bought two bottles of Paco Rabanne aftershave in duty free for £72 each.

“I thought I’d just put it in my manbag. I’ve flown so many times before and never encountered any issues with it. It’s only a small satchel, it’s literally 20cm.

“When I was queuing up, the check-in lady said ‘you need to take your bag off your shoulder and put it in your main bag’.

“I said ‘I can’t do that because I bought two duty free bottles and there’s no way it’s going to fit in my carry-on bag’.

“She said ‘can you not try and squeeze it in?’ I said no and she said ‘well you can’t come on with two bags, it’s policy’.

“I said ‘it’s not really a bag and if I’d put it underneath a jacket you would never have known’. It’s not as if I’m trying to be sneaky and put a whole load of clothes in a bag.

“It literally has my boarding pass, my wallet, my phone and charger – just my necessities.”

Kyle claims airport staff refused to let him board the plane without paying a charge to upgrade his baggage allowance.

After stuffing his satchel into a free bag from Costa Coffee, Kyle says he was allowed through despite him carrying an extra bag.

Kyle said: “She told me I’d have to upgrade to priority to take on an additional bag. She asked me why I didn’t keep the duty free bag from the perfume shop.

“But why would I walk around the airport holding another bag if I can fit in my bag? I felt like I was losing brain cells trying to understand her thought process.

“Right behind my gate was a Costa Coffee stand. I went over there and asked if I could nick a bag of them so I could put my bag in a bag.

“They just gave me a bag for free. I put my manbag in the Costa bag and she said ‘that’s fine, have a safe flight’ but there’s no difference.

“She literally watched me go and get the bag.

“A lot of people would’ve just paid the upgrade fee which is about £60 to save the inconvenience. It’s not cheap.

“It’s a money-grabbing scheme. They’re just trying to make money at all costs. I’m always trying to do things to not waste material as well.

“It’s a stupid policy. I can’t see why other people don’t try it too.”

A spokesman for Ryanair said the passenger had booked a basic fare ticket that entitled them to carry one small personal bag onboard.

Ryanair says they advised the passenger that they could place their second bag into their permitted bag or into their duty-free bag in order to travel on this flight.

A Ryanair spokesman said: “This passenger booked a basic fare ticket for this flight from London Stansted to Paphos, which allowed them to carry a small personal bag onboard.

“This passenger attempted to board with an additional carry-on bag and was advised to either place their additional bag within their permitted bag, or to pay a standard gate baggage fee.

“This passenger travelled on this flight from London Stansted to Paphos.”