A Ryanair passenger was reduced to tears and dropped to her knees after being denied boarding at a Bulgarian airport due to an oversized piece of luggage. The incident, which occurred on July 24, was captured on video and has since gone viral.
The video shows the female traveller trying to squeeze her luggage into a holdall at the airport. Despite being informed by staff that she would need to pay an extra baggage fee as the bag did not meet size requirements, the woman refused and insisted she could make it fit, according to the New York Post.
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After multiple attempts, she eventually managed to force the bag into the holdall. However, airport staff still refused to let her board the flight. In tears, she pleaded with police officers while dozens of passengers watched from behind a glass door.
Witnesses said the woman began banging on the door and calling for help as more staff surrounded her. Exhausted, she eventually collapsed to her knees.
‘Outrageous’ Behaviour Sparks Investigation
The footage was recorded by Nikolay Stefanov, who described the scene as escalating quickly. He said the woman had pleaded with other passengers not to leave without her, but airport officials reportedly threatened to cancel the flight if they didn’t board the shuttle bus. Fearing further disruption, passengers complied and left.
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According to Stefanov, many were shocked by what they described as a lack of compassion from staff, who still refused the woman entry even after she managed to fit her bag.
The incident drew the attention of Bulgaria’s Parliament. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Grozdan Karadjov ordered an investigation, calling the staff’s conduct “outrageous”. He directed officials to review airport CCTV footage and said the main ground handling operator would face the “highest fine” along with a verbal warning.
In response, the airport maintained that its staff had acted “professionally and without any physical contact with the passenger.”
“All rules regarding passengers’ baggage, its permissible size and the fees payable for baggage are determined solely, entirely and unilaterally by the airlines,” the ground handling company said.
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Ryanair’s Baggage Policy Under Scrutiny
The incident comes amid growing criticism of Ryanair’s baggage policies. Earlier this month, Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary confirmed that the airline pays bonuses to agents who spot and charge passengers for oversized bags.
“We’re flying largely full flights, about half the passengers can bring two bags and the other half can only bring one — because that’s all that fits in the plane,” O’Leary said, adding that the company follows an “aggressive” policy on excess luggage.
Agents reportedly receive a €1.50 (£1.28) bonus per oversized bag they flag.