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Catherine Warrilow, 45, was travelling from Stansted Airport to Seville on October 22 when she was told her carry-on did not meet Ryanair’s baggage allowance at the gate due to its zips that allowed the suitcase to expand.

 

The Ryanair passenger said she has now been awarded a refund by the airline after being fined £75 for using an expandable suitcase with “the potential to be bigger than the size allowance”.

 

Catherine had already paid £170 in advance for a priority fare, which allowed her to travel with a small personal bag and a 10kg bag.

 

Catherine shared her story on TikTok, describing the rule as “mind bendingly ridiculous” before she continued by stating, “I got fined yesterday, £75 at the gate because the carry-on cabin bag that I prepaid for with priority boarding was apparently too big for the size restrictions because of the expandable zip as it had the potential to be bigger than the size allowance.”

 

Catherine claims that with the expandable zip closed, the case fits within airline restrictions – no larger than 40cm x 20cm x 50cm, including the wheels and handles.

 

The Oxfordshire-based woman said gate staff told her she could either leave the case behind or pay a £75 fine as they could not allow the “possibility of me having to kneel on it to get it in the overhead

locker”.

 

“The irony is with the big yellow ‘you’ve been naughty, we’ve fined you’ sticker on my suitcase.” Catherine stated. After she had paid the fine and given the bag to the stewarts, she said, “They just took the label off and took it onboard anyway, and yes it fit in the cabin and the overhead locker,” she said.

 

She told BBC Radio 2 presenter Jeremy Vine that the airline refunded both sets of fees as a “gesture of goodwill”.

 

The airline told BBC News: “As this passenger’s bag exceeded the dimensions allowed for a 10kg cabin bag, she was correctly required to pay a standard gate baggage fee (£75).”

 

New overhead bins that will be introduced to some Airbus planes next year could completely change the game for travelling with cabin bags.

 

The arrival of the newly designed bins is only a few months away, with 38 of Lufthansa’s A320s being the first to receive the new storage spaces in January 2025.