Hi all,




Just a word of warning to those of you flying with Ryan air from Arrecife. After a lovely holiday with some friends we arrived at the airport. We each checked our hand luggage at the check in desk and it fitted all requirements (as it did on the way when flying with Ryan air from Birmingham). Just so you know I had a small, soft holdall type bag that was under the measurement requirements.

We were some of the last passengers to reach the boarding gate where the staff were checking luggage weight (without scales hmmmm?) and asking some passengers to put their luggage in the contraption designed to check the measurements of baggage.

My three friends had no problem but when I was asked to put my bag in to the contraption it went in but I had to push it in. One of the women working for Ryan air promptly told me in an aggressive tone that i would need to pay 35 euros to have my luggage put in the hold of the plane. I explained that it did fit in but she shouted that I know the rules and it must fit in easily. I asked if I could take my jacket out of my bag as I had taken it off earlier she said that I could not and I now had two choices I could leave my hand luggage behind or pay the money. I insisted on taking my jacket out of my bag and put it on. I then showed the staff that my bag fitted easily in and out of the contraption. To this she bacame very aggressive and told me I had broken the rules and I was told not to go in my bag she then told me that the plane would now leave without me. My friends at this point were ordered to board the plane and I was left with another couple who were also facing a similiar problem. They had been told that there luggage was overweight. It had fitted in the contraption easiliy and they had weighed it at check in and it was under the allowance. The staff at the boarding gate had not weighed it but insisted that they knew by 'sight' that it was overweight!!!!! They had to pay 70 euros.

I attempted to question the staff about payment and said that my luggage now fitted in but they insisted that I pay 35 euros in cash despite my bag easily fitting the size requirement. The staff proceeded to demand payment and to close the door to block entry to the aircraft. The women again said if I did not pay I would not fly so I felt that I had no choice. I feel totally conned, let down and ripped off by Ryan air, I have flown with them many times before and not had a problem. I just wanted to warn others who may face a similar situation. The best part of the story is despite paying for my luggage to go in the hold as it was apparently 'oversized' and it had labells put on it to say 'paid for hold baggage 35 euros' I was told to take it on to the plane! CONNED!

Loved Lanzarote though and I will be back...but Never ever again with Ryanair!

Very interesting. We had a problem with Thomas Cook this time, our hand luggage was fine going out, but coming back back same hand luggage, same stuff in it was now overweight by half a kilo, ie 5 and a half kilos, didn't realise that Thomas Cook has the lowest weight allowance of all airlines. We have to fly from Bristol and Thomas Cook is the main carrier to the island. My my wife and I visit three times a year and spend quite a bit whilst there including villa rental, but we also have second thoughts on coming back to Lanzarote if we can't find an alternative to Thomas Cook.

http://www.airlinequality.com/Forum/ryan.htm

They now have a base in Lanzarote and will hopefully stay there bringing customers to the Island, but they must improve the customer service that is given as people will maybe only take one trip with them then disappear to other places served by other carriers.

heidijbezza was that before or after 4 April when they started basing here with 70 staff? I assume before that date, the only Ryanair uniformed staff would be the ones who then got on the plane and flew back to UK with you, and I hope the permanent staff are less aggressive.

By the way, thanks for warning people, but the story as you tell it sounds like extortion and you should complain in writing to Ryanair - it could be some rogue staff on the take. Do you think the test frame at the aircraft is smaller than the one at check in, or had you put your coat in whilst walking between the two?

Is this not the same scam (over-enthusiastically enforced rule) which prompted the sit in of Belgian students in a Ryanair plane at Arrecife in Dec/Jan which made TV headlines. I'd have thought that Ryanair might have thought better of the bad publicity it gets over this although they do seem to be playing a sort of "Saviour of Lanzarote" role these days. From the other similar incidents I've heard of it seems that they appear to pick on those near the end of the queue for boarding, so maybe trying to get there earlier might help.

I've seen this with Easyjet as well - they tend to start getting very picky once all of the overhead lockers have filled up.

Don't let them get away with it.

I've recently flown back from Lanza to Manchester with Thomas Cook and other than the distinct lack of leg room in cattle class, we had no issues at all. Our hand luggage wasn't even weighed at the desk!

I have noticed over the last year (about six trips) that the gate staff have been getting more and more officious. But am I reight in thinking they ground staff are handling agents and not directly employed by Ryanair?

tommybhoy See my earlier post. Ryanair used handling agents until 4 April this year. Now they have 70 staff living here.

Hi, i repped out in lanzarote 07 &08, to be honest its a lot to do with the handling agent, they are the ones that make the money, not the actual company, ie thomas cook.
I would get many of guest wiho would say well ive got no money, but its literally a case of off load your stuff or pay. i used to hate it as loads people used to havea go at me but we have absolutely no control over it.

I worked for MyTravel then Thomas cook when it merged, alot of the MYT flights were sorted by ACE - Erkin who was amazing and he would be fair, but swisspoer menzies were hurrendous, worst is bags that went missing on arrival and they couldnt give a monkeys. I could have screamed.

Its not all the tour ops fault, even some of the team managers wouldnt change their minds either.
xx

Having flown extensively on many airlines to many countries this issue is not a Ryanair or a Lanzarote issue, its a budget airline anywhere back to the UK from Europe issue, especially from Spanish, Italian and the Balkan state airports.

There appear to be two different sets of rules on hand luggage and luggage in general, depending on where you are traveling to and from and on which airlines. Traveling from the UK into the destination appears simple with many budget airlines placing restrictions on baggage only when it is obviously clear there are clear breaches in weight or size. Even when these happen there is a compromise allowed and arrangements are made.

I believe though when returning from holidays and trips airlines know that passengers have little option but to pay the excess charges and encourage their agents and staff to implement these with Gusto. I also believe having witnessed this personally that the British tourists are penalised and taken advantage of more than if the end destination were different because the laws are different in various countries regarding travel restrictions. For example if you travel from Germany to a destination and your baggage is accepted on exit by the airline then by law as long as the same baggage is used and it does not weigh more than when it left the country it has to be accepted without question.
When Flying from the UK this law is not in place and the airline industry acts on a case by case basis meaning the allocation allowance and strictness of regulation may be allowed (or not enforced) from one place but not have to be accepted on the return journey.

I traveled last year to the mainland with a budget airline and was on a flight with a school orchestra. Because of their instruments many of the smaller ones (flutes etc) were allowed onboard as hand luggage and having queued for ages behind them to stow my case in the hold I was clearly aware that the staff at Stanstead had told the Kids that they could take the Instruments and a plastic bag on board with personal stuff in it as it was "No different than buying duty free".
When the children tried to return they were not allowed to because the airline staff at the airport said that the instrument was an extra set of hand luggage and must be paid for as hold luggage or their personal belongings must be left. I waited patiently in line watching all this happen as children frantically tried to fit instruments into hold luggage. Most had already been checked and they were not allowed to get it back whilst others went to shops and bought larger backs to fit both instrument and personal belongings in only to find they were then over the hand luggage limit. It cost them over E300 to eventually get it all onboard and some very upset children.
On the same flight were a family that had booked 3 cases into the hold. They had one large case and 2 smaller cases (presumably for the children) which weighed between them under their total allowance. On the way out this had obviously been ok as they were there with the cases and had enjoyed their holiday. On the way back however they were told the Airline stated that each piece of luggage was a separate piece and needed to be within the restrictions in its own right. despite being 20kg's under their allowance because the larger case was over its own allowance they were charged E 72.

I have seen this happen many times at airports so can only recommend that you read the restrictions and apply them both ways.

p.s. I was once told that my son's Teddy Monkey (he was 3 at the time) would be counted as a separate piece of hand luggage and needed to be paid for (25 euro) as he was also wearing a toddlers postman pat rucksac (about 9' square) in Italy so its all over Europe.

In a previous post I said I thought Ryanair would do their own passenger handling at Lanzarote now they are based here. I've now found that is wrong, and they continue to use the local service company.