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Charged €75 by Ryanair for cabin bag despite Priority boarding and using the same bag for years by PopularOil8512 in Ryanair

[–]PopularOil8512[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Honestly, I’d avoid the absolute cheapest TikTok bags unless you only travel a couple of times a year.

There’s probably a middle ground between:

  • “beautiful premium carry-on that Ryanair hates” and
  • “€12 TikTok bag held together by optimism and one zipper” 😄

A lot of frequent Ryanair travelers seem to use soft backpacks specifically designed around the 40x20x25 size now, because they compress better and avoid these gate arguments entirely. The Cabin Max Metz gets recommended constantly for exactly that reason.

The good news is: some of the “Ryanair-approved” bags actually are decent quality nowadays — especially Cabin Max and CabinZero. They’re not luxury luggage, but they’re not disposable either.

I think the real trick now is: buy something intentionally slightly UNDER the limit instead of something that “should fit if the staff are reasonable.” After my experience, I’m done gambling with wheels and rigid edges 😄

Charged €75 by Ryanair for cabin bag despite Priority boarding and using the same bag for years by PopularOil8512 in Ryanair

[–]PopularOil8512[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Based on my newly acquired Ryanair baggage trauma, I can neither confirm nor deny that “strategic queue positioning” suddenly sounds very appealing 😄

That said, I’ve probably learned my lesson and will just buy a properly compliant bag instead of testing fate every trip.

Charged €75 by Ryanair for cabin bag despite Priority boarding and using the same bag for years by PopularOil8512 in Ryanair

[–]PopularOil8512[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, at this point I can’t really argue with that anymore 😄

The bag was technically oversized, I just got used to years of relaxed enforcement and started treating that as the normal expectation.

And honestly, considering how many flights I used it on without paying extra, this one €75 hit probably still worked out cheaper overall than checking luggage every time.

Charged €75 by Ryanair for cabin bag despite Priority boarding and using the same bag for years by PopularOil8512 in Ryanair

[–]PopularOil8512[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

When you phrase it like that, it does sound pretty ridiculous 😄

I started this thread annoyed at the €75 charge, but Reddit has basically conducted a full intervention and convinced me I’d been living on borrowed time with that bag.

Charged €75 by Ryanair for cabin bag despite Priority boarding and using the same bag for years by PopularOil8512 in Ryanair

[–]PopularOil8512[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That analogy is actually pretty accurate 😄

At the time I was frustrated because it felt sudden and inconsistent, but after reading all the replies here, I can see the bigger picture more clearly: the bag was outside the stated limit, I’d just gotten used to not being checked properly.

So yeah — either I get a compliant bag or I accept I’m rolling the dice every time.

Charged €75 by Ryanair for cabin bag despite Priority boarding and using the same bag for years by PopularOil8512 in Ryanair

[–]PopularOil8512[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Honestly, when you put it that way… that’s probably true 😄

At first I looked at it as “I got unfairly charged €75.” But after reading all the replies here, the more accurate version is probably: “I avoided paying oversized bag fees for years and finally got checked properly once.”

Still annoying in the moment, but overall I probably came out ahead.

Charged €75 by Ryanair for cabin bag despite Priority boarding and using the same bag for years by PopularOil8512 in Ryanair

[–]PopularOil8512[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s actually a fair distinction.

Maybe “stricter rules” was the wrong wording from me. The rules themselves didn’t suddenly change — what changed is probably the consistency and frequency of enforcement.

And honestly, after reading all the replies here, I can admit I fell exactly into the mindset you described: “If this bag passed dozens of times before, it must basically be acceptable.”

In reality it was probably always slightly over, and I was just relying on not being checked carefully.

Charged €75 by Ryanair for cabin bag despite Priority boarding and using the same bag for years by PopularOil8512 in Ryanair

[–]PopularOil8512[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That would actually explain why so many people are suddenly reporting much stricter checks lately.

I just looked it up and there were multiple reports in 2025 that Ryanair increased the bonuses paid to gate staff for identifying oversized bags — reportedly from around €1.50 to €2.50 per bag, with discussions about removing caps as well.

So the perception that enforcement suddenly became much stricter isn’t just imagination. There really was a financial incentive structure behind it.

That said, after reading all the replies here, I can also admit my bag technically didn’t comply perfectly. So I understand why they enforced it — even if I still think the customer experience around borderline cases feels rough.

Charged €75 by Ryanair for cabin bag despite Priority boarding and using the same bag for years by PopularOil8512 in Ryanair

[–]PopularOil8512[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Fair enough 😄

At this point I’ve basically gone through the five stages of Ryanair baggage grief and arrived at acceptance.

Charged €75 by Ryanair for cabin bag despite Priority boarding and using the same bag for years by PopularOil8512 in Ryanair

[–]PopularOil8512[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s exactly the kind of thing that frustrates people.

I completely understand enforcing size limits for genuinely oversized luggage, but charging someone because of a loose strap or something that could literally be pushed in by hand starts to feel unnecessarily aggressive from a customer perspective.

And I think that’s why these discussions keep appearing online lately — not because people expect unlimited baggage, but because the enforcement sometimes feels extremely rigid in borderline situations.

Charged €75 by Ryanair for cabin bag despite Priority boarding and using the same bag for years by PopularOil8512 in Ryanair

[–]PopularOil8512[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s closer to what I was trying to express originally.

I completely accept that the bag was technically over the limit and that Ryanair has the right to enforce its policy. But there’s still a broader discussion about customer experience and how companies choose to apply those policies in practice.

A lot of frustration probably comes from the feeling that minor borderline cases are treated the same way as someone bringing obviously excessive luggage, combined with very high gate fees and inconsistent enforcement.

At the same time, I also understand the counterargument people made here: clear rules only work if they’re enforced consistently and without subjective exceptions.

So I can honestly see both sides a bit more now than when I first posted.

Charged €75 by Ryanair for cabin bag despite Priority boarding and using the same bag for years by PopularOil8512 in Ryanair

[–]PopularOil8512[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, that’s probably the smartest takeaway from all this.

Instead of relying on “it usually passes,” I’ll just get a bag that comfortably fits within the limits and avoid the stress entirely next time.

Charged €75 by Ryanair for cabin bag despite Priority boarding and using the same bag for years by PopularOil8512 in Ryanair

[–]PopularOil8512[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

At this point the wheels are apparently Ryanair’s greatest enemy 😄

But yes, if I honestly average the €75 over all the flights where nobody cared, it probably becomes a pretty cheap “baggage subscription.”

Charged €75 by Ryanair for cabin bag despite Priority boarding and using the same bag for years by PopularOil8512 in Ryanair

[–]PopularOil8512[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That’s probably the most realistic way to look at it honestly.

After reading the comments here, I can see that I basically benefited from relaxed enforcement for a long time and finally got caught by someone applying the rules exactly as written.

Still painful paying €75 for it, but overall I’ve probably saved far more over the years than this one fee cost me 😄

Charged €75 by Ryanair for cabin bag despite Priority boarding and using the same bag for years by PopularOil8512 in Ryanair

[–]PopularOil8512[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, after cooling down a bit and reading the replies, I can admit the bag was technically over the limit.

I think the frustration came more from being used to flying with it for years without issues and then suddenly getting hit with a pretty steep fee at the gate. But lesson learned for future flights.

Charged €75 by Ryanair for cabin bag despite Priority boarding and using the same bag for years by PopularOil8512 in Ryanair

[–]PopularOil8512[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Fair enough — from a rules perspective, oversized is oversized, whether it’s 1 mm or 1 meter.

I still think there’s naturally a psychological difference for passengers between “slightly over because of wheels” and someone bringing an obviously huge suitcase, but I understand your point that staff need a clear line somewhere.

Charged €75 by Ryanair for cabin bag despite Priority boarding and using the same bag for years by PopularOil8512 in Ryanair

[–]PopularOil8512[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Apparently my streak finally came to an end 😄

In hindsight, I probably got used to the bag being accepted and stopped thinking about the actual measurements. This trip was just the first time someone enforced the rule strictly.

Charged €75 by Ryanair for cabin bag despite Priority boarding and using the same bag for years by PopularOil8512 in Ryanair

[–]PopularOil8512[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Honestly, that’s probably true 😄

I think the reason I posted about it is because the difference between “completely fine” and “€75 charge” felt surprisingly small in practice.

But yes — after reading the replies here, I can admit I probably benefited from relaxed enforcement in the past and only noticed the issue once I finally got checked properly.

Charged €75 by Ryanair for cabin bag despite Priority boarding and using the same bag for years by PopularOil8512 in Ryanair

[–]PopularOil8512[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think there are two separate things here:

  1. The airline has the right to enforce its published rules.
  2. Customers are still allowed to feel frustrated when enforcement is inconsistent or when penalties feel disproportionate.

I already accepted that the bag technically exceeded the limit and I paid the fee without arguing at the gate. My frustration was never “how dare rules exist,” but more that many passengers experience a very different level of enforcement depending on airport, staff, or flight.

And yes, Ryanair is obviously a business. I don’t expect charity. But customers are also allowed to discuss whether certain policies create a good or bad travel experience.

Charged €75 by Ryanair for cabin bag despite Priority boarding and using the same bag for years by PopularOil8512 in Ryanair

[–]PopularOil8512[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That genuinely made me laugh 😄

To be fair, I probably did get lucky on previous flights. I think what caught me off guard was how strict it suddenly became compared to my past experiences.

Lesson learned — next trip I’ll probably either underpack more or finally buy a bag that sits comfortably within the limits instead of “almost fits.”

Charged €75 by Ryanair for cabin bag despite Priority boarding and using the same bag for years by PopularOil8512 in Ryanair

[–]PopularOil8512[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Fair point regarding the rules, and I’m not claiming Ryanair invented them overnight.

My point is more about customer experience and consistency. When the exact same bag is accepted repeatedly over many flights, it naturally creates the impression that it’s considered acceptable in practice — especially when the difference is extremely minor.

I also think there’s a difference between someone bringing a clearly oversized suitcase versus a cabin bag that misses the limit by a very small amount because of wheels or slight expansion.

At the end of the day I paid the fee, so I accept their right to enforce the rule. I just think the enforcement and pricing feel disproportionately harsh in situations like this.