Ryanair say Irish passengers making 'false claims' over extra charges for baggage

Ryanair has vehemently denied claims that its baggage policies have changed as hundreds of passengers have claimed they now have to pay for bags they never had to pay for before.

According to the Irish Times, Hundred of their readers have been in touch following an article last week where three passengers spoke on a time where they were charged up to €75 extra at baggage claim, which they never had to pay for when previously travelled.

Ryanair responded calling the stories "invented claims" and that passengers were "misinformed".

The Irish airline also said that new stickers put on the sizers at boarding gates were there "to show the exact permitted dimensions of our two bag sizes (40x20x25cm) and (55x40x20cm)".

Ryanair went on to say,

"Our sizers are, therefore, bigger than our permitted/agreed bag sizes. Only bags that do not fit within our sizers (and so considerably exceed our agreed bag sizes) get charged for".

The statement concluded by explaining the policy was "simple" and if the bag fits within the sizer, then it goes on free of charge, but if it's bigger, the passenger will be charged.

The Irish Times has since published several stories and accounts from other passengers who claim that what Ryanair told them was "false".

Passengers have claimed that their bags had fit into the sizers, but staff at baggage claim refuted this and charged them the extra money.

One passenger named Julie said,

"I flew Ryanair from Knock to Manchester to Brussels on Sainty Patrick's Day with my standard airline bag, which weighed 7kg. In Knock, it fit perfectly within the sizer, but the Ryanair agent said it was too deep, so I had to pay. No problem at all in Manchester - I sailed through."

Another passenger named Ciaran said,

"I fly approximately once per month with Ryanair and have used the same 10kg bag for many years. I was recently stopped at Dublin Airport and subjected to the €75 hustle."

The Irish Times sent all of these passenger claims and Ryanair responded by saying, "Passengers 'sharing their stories' is not indicative of anything other than misinformed passengers.

The airline went on to say that most of these stories seem to have been from passengers who used to travel with their "outsized bag" now believe this "entitles them" to fly with it again without being charged.

It reiterated the claims that their policy was "simple" and that if passengers would simply comply with the policies in place then there would be no issues.

They finished by saying their baggage policies have remained the same for "many years" and these passenger stories are just that, stories.

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