Ryanair's hand luggage rules have been causing some confusion after a passenger was charged £50 for taking her water bottle on a flight.
Ruby Flanagan was recently left confused, after she was charged €60 (£50) by the budget airline to take her 750ml water bottle on a plane.
Heading from Dublin to Stansted, Ruby had her bottle strapped to her body and was also carrying a backpack. Staff at the gate asked her if she could put the bottle inside the bag, but when she did her backpack had "a giant growth-like lump".
As a result, she was told her bag was now too big and that she would need to pay a fee. When she asked why she couldn't carry the bottle, she was told it would be classed as a 'second bag'.
Ryanair's baggage policy states: "Each passenger can take one small item of carry-on baggage (up to 40cmx20cmx25cm) on the plane with them."
The bag "must fit under the seat in front of you" and can be a "handbag, laptop bag or backpack".
When passengers get to the gate, they are often asked by staff to place their bag into the airline's bag sizer. Ryanair says that the bag sizers measure 42cm x 20cm x 30cm. However, "if your small bag does not fit in the baggage sizers, which are placed at every boarding gate, we will tag your bag and place it in the aircraft hold subject to the payment of a gate bag fee," the airline adds.
As a result, in Ruby's case, the airline staff likely considered her water bottle to be an additional item.
Passengers can purchase the airline's "priority and two cabin bags" option, which allows them to bring a 10kg bag, measuring up to 55cm x 40cm x 20cm, and can be placed in the overhead lockers as well as an under-seat bag.
This does come at a charge though, with it being cheaper to purchase when travellers book their flight. Ryanair says it costs between £6 and £36 if bought at the time of booking, however the fee rises to between £20 and £60, if added after booking or at the airport.
Checked luggage can also be purchased, with either a 10kg or 20kg weight limit. A 10kg bag costs £9.49 and £44.99 at the time of booking and between £23.99 and £44.99 after booking or at the airport. A 20kg bag costs between £18.99 and £59.99 at the time of booking and between £39.99 and £59.99 after booking or at the airport.
Ryanair said in a statement: "This passenger booked a Basic Fare ticket for this flight from Dublin to Stansted (4 Feb), which allowed them to carry a small personal bag onboard. This passenger attempted to board with an additional carry-on, and as it would not fit within their permitted bag, she was correctly required to pay a standard gate baggage fee (€60). Once payment was made, this passenger travelled on this flight from Dublin to Stansted (4 Feb).”
Mirror columnist and consumer rights expert Martyn James commented: "I've heard of some wacky Ryanair charges in my time, but this one is the absolute worst! I can only hope for the airline's sake that this is an example of an overzealous staff member getting carried away. Because if not, there'll be a sudden rush for another carrier!"