Ryanair passenger rips wheels off suitcase to avoid 'rip-off' charges

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A traveller gets round Ryanair's 'rip-off' excess baggage charges - by pulling the wheels off his carry case.

The Spaniard was told he would have to pay an extra €70 to take the battered case on board - more than the cost of his flight and more than double the price he paid for the travel bag a decade ago.

His novel solution was to yank the wheels off one by one with the help of a friend with him so it would fit in the Ryanair sizer and he could take it onboard at no extra cost.

Fellow passengers watching on laughed as he joked: 'Imagine it doesn't fit after this' while he worked up a sweat.

He received a first round of applause as he removed the last of the four wheels and a second louder ovation as a witness offering a running commentary shouted: 'It's in' as he confirmed it now met Ryanair's bag dimensions.

An airline worker watching the surreal scene unfolding in front of her eyes couldn't hold back her laughter.

The bizarre sequence of events occurred at Palma Airport ahead of a Ryanair flight to Malaga.

The two travellers, identified only as Daniel and David, were returning to the Costa del Sol after spending a few days with friends in Majorca.

Daniel, the owner of the case, said: 'I told Ryanair it cost me 30 euros 10 years ago and I wasn't going to pay the 70 euros they were asking me for, so I decided to break it.

'It would have cost me more to check the case in that I spent on the flight.'

Coats with lots of pockets have previously been put forward as ways to beat airline excess baggage charges.

One overcoat first advertised in 2017 boasted of being able to store up to 15kg of luggage in its hidden pockets.

A write-up at the time said: 'There's 14 different pockets for you to store laptops, cameras and even shoes without any pesky air stewards noticing before you board.'

Last year it emerged TikTokers were trying to avoid extra baggage fees by wearing fishing vests to the airport.

When journalist Bobbi Hadgraft tweeted a picture of a pair of black cargo trousers covered with pockets all over the front and tagged Ryanair, the budget airline responded with a screenshot of the same designer trousers from Marc Jacques Burton priced at £1,280 on the website.

It added in a jibe alongside the snapshot: '£1,280? Just pay for a bag, Bobbi.'