'Ryanair charged me £34 for bag - one minute later they wouldn't let me take it on board'

A frustrated Ryanair passenger has been left "out of pocket, unnecessarily stressed, and unsupported — despite following every rule."

Tom Holland is the latest unhappy customer to leave an encounter with the budget airline feeling hard done by and with a lighter wallet.

He turned up at Barcelona El Prat Airport at 8:30 am, two hours and 40 minutes before his flight home to Bristol. As Ryanair does not allow passengers to check bags more than two hours before their departure time, he waited until 9:10 a.m. before joining the queue.

"The check-in line was extremely long and badly managed. Staff were calling out other destinations like Ibiza and Alghero for fast-tracking, but never Bristol, even though my departure was only minutes after theirs. I stayed alert and followed instructions, but as I was alone and in a foreign country, I couldn’t leave the queue to ask questions or check other desks without risking my place," Tom told the Mirror.

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"When I finally reached the desk, I was told it was fine to check in my bag. I paid £34.14 by physical card. Then, just moments after the payment was processed, I was told it was too late and my bag would not be accepted. No warning had been given.

"This left me standing in the terminal with a full suitcase that I had no option but to abandon. The bag was worth around £50. I had to repack my belongings into hand luggage while other travellers looked on, then sprint to the gate with no time to rest, eat, or buy a planned gift for my father."

The Mirror contacted Ryanair, with the airline confirming Tom's version of events.

"As their cabin bag exceeded the permitted size, this passenger was correctly charged a standard checked cabin bag fee (€40) by the agent at the check-in desk at Barcelona Airport to place their cabin bag in the hold," the airline's spokesperson said.

"Ryanair check-in and bag drop desks open two hours prior to scheduled departure and close strictly 40 minutes prior to departure. This passenger attempted to check in his 10kg cabin bag at 10:29 a.m. local time (41 minutes prior to the departure of his 11:10 a.m. flight) and, regrettably, the check-in desk closed on time (10:30 a.m.) before this passenger’s bag was tagged in time to be placed into the hold."

The spokesperson urged Tom to submit a complaint, implying that he may receive some form of refund if he did so.

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"This passenger contacted customer service (18 June) requesting a refund for his bag fee, flight, and expenses. Our customer service team responded (19 June) advising this passenger to submit a complaint where his refund request would be reviewed. This passenger has yet to submit a complaint. Should this passenger do so, our Customer Service Department would be happy to further assist this passenger," they added.

Regardless, Tom is unhappy with the customer service he has received. "Their support process feels automated and dismissive. I believe many others could easily find themselves in this exact situation, especially solo travellers or those unfamiliar with airport procedures," he said.